11/18/09 Meeting

We talked about:

Elections: We are extending elections in order to encourage more members to run for positions. If you have any questions at all about any of the positions, please email us at jhupaws@gmail.com. We will have elections at our meeting on December 2, 2009.

Thanksgiving With the Turkeys: We need to have a final list of people going to Poplar Springs this Saturday. Email us for a final confirmation if you want to go!

Santa PAWS End of Semester Party: Friday, December 4th in the Sherwood Room in Levering Hall! Come for a fun time with your fellow PAWS members! We'll have delicious treats and it will be a great time as always!

Spring Break: Plans are coming together and we need to hear from anyone thinking about going. Email us!

Wiki: Animals with Fraudulent Diplomas

This is a hilarious must-read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_with_fraudulent_diplomas

11/11/09 Meeting

We discussed:

Puerto Rico: If you are interested in going to PR during Spring Break, please email us! The trip is a combination of service at an animal shelter and relaxation on a beautiful island. Expected cost (though it depends on how many people go) is around $1,000. Also email us if you have any questions.

Thanksgiving With the Turkeys: This event is on Saturday, November 21 and is a lot of fun! We will be visiting an animal sanctuary that has many different farm animals. The event is a pot-luck vegan Thanksgiving style meal. You don't have to be a vegan to go, and we can help with recipe ideas and cooking for anyone that is interested in going! We will be leaving around noon on the 21st, so email us if you want to go!

Elections: We will be having elections for e-board and committee chairs for the spring! If you are interested in running, you MUST email us by Tuesday, November 17 by 8:00 PM with what position you are running for and a 3 sentence blurb about why you're running or why you should be elected. The positions are:

President: responsible for leading/organizing meetings, liaison to the school

Vice President: responsible for organizing events

Treasurer: responsible for reimbursements, budget, and financial paperwork

Secretary: responsible for group communication and record keeping

BARCS liaison: contact person for BARCS and keeps logs of training/volunteering etc

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Art Chair: responsible for organizing the art committee for projects such as posters/billboards and anything else design related

Website Chair: responsible for maintaining the www.jhu.edu/paws website

PAWS Photographer: the official PAWS photographer, responsible for photographing group events and activities

If you have any questions about these positions, please email and we will get back to you! We encourage you to run! Remember, you must email jhupaws@gmail.com by 8:00pm Tuesday to be eligible to run!

09/30/09 Meeting

PAWS Agenda - 09/30/2009

Old news
--Meeting recap
----Voted to do tie die t-shirts. Date TBD.
--Trip to BARCS a success!
--Breezeway banner looks great
New news
--Events
----Frisbees and Fidos, THIS Saturday (Oct 3, Beach, 2-5pm)
------Volunteer sign ups are complete
------Frisbees will be sold for $5 each
------Bought vegan ice cream and sorbet (lemon ice) from Dominion (local ice cream shop)
Discussion
--Driving to BARCS
----Trip Saturday morning
------Sign up in RE to email "later"
------6 spots available
----Van Certification
------Available now!
--BARCStoberfest
----Volunteering
--Online stuff
----PAWS website is live and updated regularly
--Art committee, email the list!
In the future!
--Thanksgiving at Poplar Springs
--Spring Break

09/23/09 Meeting

PAWS Agenda - 09/23/2009

Old news
--Meeting recap
----We did introductions
----Talked about various events.
New news
--Events
----Frisbees and Fidos (Oct 3, Beach, 2-5pm)
------Need volunteers now!
------Frisbees are in!
--------$5 each
--------Event is NEXT Saturday - be ready!
Goings on
--T-shirt ordering
----New vote:
------Our design had tie died blue. This is prohibitively expensive to order, though cheap to make on our own. Do we want:
--------White (to tie die at tie-dye party/event) or Blue (to tie die or not)
--Frisbees
In the future!
--Thanksgiving at Poplar Springs
--Spring Break
Discussion
--Driving to BARCS
----Trip Saturday
----Heather driving
----Ammu driving?
--Certification
----Updates, if any
--Fostering
----Overview of process
Online stuff
--PAWS website is live and updated regularly
--Join our group on Facebook
----Make sure you get all of our event updates

09/16/09 Meeting

PAWS Agenda - 09/16/2009

Old news
--Meeting recap
----We did introductions
------PAWS, Eboard, BARCS, people in room
----Voted on t-shirt design (blue>red)
----Seeing Through the Fence
------Film screening was a success!
--------Members can share their stories
New news
--Events
----Frisbees and Fidos (Oct 3, Beach, 2-5pm)
------Get volunteers now!
Goings on
--T-shirt ordering
--Frisbees
In the future!
--Thanksgiving at Poplar Springs
--Spring Break
Discussion
--Driving to BARCS
----Still waiting but Heather will be going starting next Saturday
--Website
----Calendar
----Look for meeting minutes to be posted on PAWS Blog!
--Join on facebook

09/09/09 Meeting

PAWS Agenda 09/09/09

Introductions
--PAWS
--Eboard
--People in room
--BARCS
Events
--Seeing through the fence - September 14th, 7:00, Maryland 201
--Frisbees and fidos - October 3rd, Beach, 2-5
Driving to Barcs
--Scheduling
--CSC vans
Current
--Vote on t-shirt design

PAWS in Puerto Rico—Spring Break 2009

Last summer, purely by chance, I stumbled across the website for the Island Dog Company, a non-profit established to help the homeless animals of Puerto Rico. Among other things, it administers food and medicine to sick and hungry animals, finds "escorts" to fly animals to the continental US, where they have a better chance of being adopted, cleans up the beaches where strays linger, and raises awareness of animal welfare issues on the island. The animal welfare situation in PUerto Rico is much more severe than hat in the continental United States--of an estimated 200,000 dogs and cats roaming the islands, about 90% will due, due to a considerable dearth of animal shelters and effectively no governmental support. After glancing over the website, a germ of an idea began to fester and grow in my mind. The Island Dog Company sounded like it could use some help from some enthusiastic PAWS volunteers.

I brought up the idea at a PAWS meeting a couple months later, and it met with instant interest from other members. Before long we were planning our spring break trip. On March 13, ten eager PAWS volunteers (Lydia, Liberty, Heather, Toni, Becky, Craig, Emily, Emma, Angela, and I) will embark on the dog-and-cat-saving adventure of a lifetime. What better way to combine our dedication to helping animals with our love of sunny beaches and palm trees?

While I corresponded with Island Dog to coordinate a beach clean-up and the process of escorting dogs back to the States on our return flight, Lydia became our liaison with a Puerto Rican animal shelter called El Faro de los Animales. We plan to volunteer there daily, working with cats with feline leukemia, as well as completing other general tasks such as cleaning, dog walking and socialization. Both Island Dog and El Faro are eagerly looking forward to our arrival!

Of course, it's not going to be all work and no play. We're going to have plenty of time to soak up the sun and explore various attractions--perhaps El Yunque (the rainforest), the Camuy Caves, historic San Juan, and whatever else catches our eye.

It's too late to sign up for this year's trip, but if the trip is a success, we will definitely consider repeating it next year. In the meantime, we can use some help as we prepare for the trip. The Island Dog Company is desperate for donations of antibiotics and pet medications, as they treat more than 100 dogs each weak. It's OK for the medicines to be expired, so dig into your medicine cabinets and see what you can find. Other pet supplies as well as cash donations would also go a long way in helping the animals of Puerto Rico. If you'd like to help out, stop by a PAWS meeting or contact us at jhupaws@gmail.com.

For more information about the organizations we'll be working on our trip, check out their websites: Island Dog and El Faro.

Hasta luego!

Ashley

A Love Story

When I was younger, I was ruthless and incessant in asking my parents if we could please, please, please get a dog. They never agreed, and I eventually gave up, deciding that I'd just get, like, 20 dogs when I grew up and could get a dog on my own. Turns out I didn't have to wait that long, because during my senior year of high school, just days before I graduated, we brought home our super cute, super sweet chocolate lab puppy, and we called her Nestlé.

Nestlé grew and learned so fast, we were all amazed. My parents had never had dogs before either, so it was kind of a learning experience for all of us. I think it's fair to say that through Nestlé we were able to bond together in ways that we hadn't really been able to--or bothered to?--do for what seems like ages beforehand. We all think she's the bomb. And she totally knows it.
I love her a lot and all, but don't get me wrong--she's got her quirks (read: she's nuts-o). She can run around on the super slick ice outside in the winter, but getting her to walk across the kitchen tiles can be quite the production. For a while she wouldn't eat or drink out of metal bowls, because she could see her reflection in them and that freaked her out. Every time we take her to the dog park she's quite popular with the boys, if you know what I mean, and she's not so good at asserting herself, if you catch my drift. Getting her to go up the stairs at houses other than our own takes some planning. Oh, and did I mention that she usually refuses to get in a car? And she's a big dog, so getting her in there is no easy feat. I'm sure there's more, but you get the idea.
Despite her not making any sense at all, she's the love of my life. She'll put her head in my lap and look up at me with those big puppy eyes while I tell her what's been going on in my life (such a good listener), or we'll just sit in silence. She tosses toys to me when she wants to play, or put her paw up to my knee to get my attention, and if all else fails, she'll bark the cutest little bark. She has playdates with other dogs in the neighborhood, and she's such a sweetheart during intercanine interactions. She gives the best kisses. She loves everyone and has no qualms about letting them know.
I miss her so much when I'm at school. That's really the reason I joined PAWS in the first place: I missed my dog and thought that playing with the dogs at the animal shelter would make me happy while I was away from her. And it has!

PAWSBlog Begins!

The PAWSBlog will feature animal-related anecdotes, profiles of our favorite dogs and cats at BARCS, and more! Check back for super exciting updates!