A Pawjama Party Like None Other
Snuggle time for volunteer Sofia & Opal.
Staff member Jo enjoyed many puppy kisses from Belle and Gipley.
On Saturday, April 18, Whatcom Humane Society participated in our first-ever Shelter Slumber Pawty, a 24-hour event hosted by Project Bella Foundation and comprising 98 different animal welfare organizations from across the US and beyond raising awareness and lifesaving funds to support animals and their communities.
The pawty at WHS featured over 20 participants and a whirlwind of activities, including festive decorations to highlight our adoptable animals, canine playgroups and enrichment, foster kitten snuggles, treats for all of the animals made by our youth-based Humane Heroes Club, oats with the goats at our farm, listening to coyote howls while camping at our wildlife center, and so much more.
Globally, the event raised over $1.6 million for animals in need, and we are so grateful to our participants and our community for helping us reach 3rd place in total funds raised per organization at over $60,000 raised!
Below is a reflection on the event from one of our participants and WHS Thrift Shop staff member, Jo Williams:
We did it! All of the other participants and I survived 24 hours living side-by-side with the animals at the WHS shelter as part of the nationwide Slumber Pawty to raise awareness of what daily life is like for shelter animals. I was paired with two wild and NOT potty-trained puppies, so my reflection is limited to the dog side of the building. Here are a few things I learned along the way:
1) The WHS staff are dedicated, caring, hardworking, and kind people. They never sit, and they accept being covered in dirt, drool, pee, poop, and treat crumbs for their entire shift.
2) The dogs are confined to indoor/outdoor kennels for most of the day, but the dedicated volunteers who come in to take each one out for walks around the 9-acre property work just as hard as the staff. Each dog is given a walk (or two) each day, and some participate in playgroups with other dogs. Volunteers are the key to any shelter!
3) The shelter was open to the public during the daytime hours of the Slumber Pawty, and while I would like to say everyone entered the kennels in a calm, respectful manner, I can’t say that was the case. There were many people who came in yelling (actively dancing in front of the glass kennel doors shouting “what up, boy?!”), making direct eye contact, and tapping the glass, all of which stresses the pups out more than they already are. We need calm bodies.
Bedtime stories for Luna & staff member Pebble--a purrfect way to settle in!
Afternoon walkies with volunteer Grace and Petey the wonder pittie!
Freya and Mr. Milo enjoyed some sweet sleepover digs in the Animal Control office.
5) Each pup is given an extensive behavioral evaluation, and potential adopters must meet the necessary criteria based on the pup’s needs, not the potential adopters wants. Some pups have experienced extreme trauma, and even though they are so cute and you want to adopt them, maybe you can’t because the pup is scared of men or their prey drive is too high for them to live with cats, or chickens, or even kids. Meeting the best needs of the pups is the number one concern for WHS, not the best needs for adopters—and that can be a difficult thing for some people to accept.
6) While I work more on the financial side of WHS—raising money by helping to manage our Thrift Shop—now that I’ve seen firsthand the day-to-day life of our shelter animals, it makes me want to go back to the shop and work even harder to raise funds! I can’t even begin to describe the amount of money it takes to run a shelter that doesn’t turn any animal away. From food to pet/office/laundry supplies to utilities to vet bills to trainers for behavior assessments and training, and much more—we need the cash to make it happen!
A huge THANK YOU to those of you who donated to my personal page during this fundraiser. Both WHS and I truly appreciate it, and I am honored to work for such an important nonprofit organization that our community really, really needs. I’m also grateful to be a part of a community who loves and adores animals as much as I do.
Wildlife Supervisor Anna camped out at the Wildlife Center, sleeping in a hammock much like some of our Virginia Opossum patients!