By Annabelle Packer
60% or more people in Portland have a pet. By working at a local pet store here in Portland I get the immense joy of participating in the surprisingly tight knit community of dog owners. We are deeply supported as a small business by pet owners throughout the city. My fellow staff and I do what we can every day to make sure every dog lives a quality lifestyle. Ultimately, one of the biggest struggles or complications of my job is helping houseless people and their pets connect with resources. When I first started working there, I felt motivated to do what I could immediately. I’d simply grab a bag and stuff it for the free samples to give them. But as a small business became an unrealistic solution, we simply can’t feed every dog in Portland through free samples.
Photo: By Abigail Dollins
This is when we discovered our abilities to work with local organizations to help network and connect people who struggle to provide for their pets with organizations that would aid such necessities. By finding long-term solutions for these pets, we allow them to stay with their owners and live a quality lifestyle. We often work with the Portland animal welfare team affectionately known as PAW team. This nonprofit located in Portland provides veterinary services and pet food for families in need. The program officially started in 2003, but as early as the 90’s the project had legs. Now 20 years since its founding they revealed in their 2023 stats they gave away 53,000 pounds of dry food, completed 166 spays/neuters surgeries and had 800 hours of volunteer vet time to help pets in our community.
Photo: PAW Team Staff
Paw Team differs from other nonprofits in the realm of animal shelters, because one of its main goals is to keep pets with their loving owners, regardless of housing standards. They often provide resources to clients that can direct them to housing shelters that would allow them to have their pet with them. With local animal shelters being overwhelmed, and unequipped to deal with the amount of animals being surrendered, PAW team aids in keeping owners with their animals and in turn help animals already in shelter maintain their access to resources. Experiencing helplessness can be one of the most isolating experiences, and the companionship of a pet can be so crucial to one’s survival. The team helps guide pet owners through the process of having a pet so that these dogs can live the highest quality life, companionship, with their owner. They are working to get Senate Bill 496 passed in Oregon that would provide the Emergency Housing Account with $6 million dollars to help shelters provide for individuals and their pets. PAW team to help others understand that just because somebody is experiencing homelessness doesn’t mean they don’t want to be a loving and responsible pet owner.
PAW Team Link: https://www.pawteam.org/
Oregon Bill 496 Link: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/homeless/2023/01/26/oregon-deb-patterson-bill-domestic-violence-survivors-homeless-pets/69841190007/
