PAWS Atlanta, Inc.: Kia Pet Adoption Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Petfinder Foundation and Kia, we were able to offer a reduced adoption fee of $25 for 10 cats (ages 1 and older) and 10 dogs (ages 1 and older) at a special event at PAWS Atlanta that started November 6, 2022, and was publicized on our social media outlets and in our digital newsletter.

During our special event so far, 16 animals have been adopted as of Nov. 21, 2022. Our animals adopted included six cats so far: Dahlia, Jone, Samantha, Montreal, Bobsy, and Boca; and 10 dogs: Animal, Seashell, Allister, Crayola, Tula, Short Bull, Queen Ravioli, Rascal, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. We will continue our event until the final four adult cats are adopted, which we think should take place in the next few weeks.

Offering these reduced fees helped us find placements more quickly for these animals, which allows them to move from a shelter environment into their forever homes -- our ultimate goal. It also has the positive impact of opening up space at the shelter for other animals who need our help. This has been especially important because we continue to have animals regularly abandoned on our property. In 2021, 160 animals were left behind in our parking lot and, so far in 2022, 154 animals have been abandoned.

Our grant also helped us put a spotlight on senior animals, asking pet parents to give some thought and consideration to adopting a special senior dog or cat. Adoptions take longer and become less frequent in direct correlation with the animal’s age, and their individual care costs at the shelter can be substantially higher than younger animals'. Reducing senior animals’ length of stay is a win-win: these special seniors go to their forever homes more quickly, and our costs are reduced. This spotlight could not have been timelier, as November was Adopt a Senior Pet Month.

Overall, four key ways this grant — and offering lower adoption fees — has helped pets and community members include: (1) it will allow 20 animals to quickly find homes; (2) it helped hard-to-place pets such as senior pets, pets with special needs, etc., find homes faster; (3) it helped decrease the length of stay for those animals; and (4) the event attracted new adopters and allowed previous adopters to consider adopting additional pets to join their family at a lower cost.

How many pets did this grant help?

20

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Queen Ravioli (first photo), 7, was surrendered to PAWS Atlanta in September because her mom was allergic to her. She was adopted in October but returned weeks later due to behavioral issues. Her adopters let us know she was lunging at other dogs while walking on a leash in their neighborhood and they did not feel equipped to handle that behavior.

We met Queen Ravioli’s new mom, Erica (second photo), as she was finalizing her adoption last Friday, Nov. 11. You could tell how much she loved Queen Ravioli (now Ginger) already and we couldn’t have imagined a more caring person for her.

After meeting Ginger and falling in love, Erica asked us if she could make a quick trip to Petco. She returned not long after with a sky-blue harness, collar, and matching leash set. It was the perfect fit and looked adorable on Ginger! Ginger needed to look stylish if she was going to be seen walking out and about on the Atlanta BeltLine.

We caught up with Erica after the weekend to see how Ginger was settling in. Ginger had not been eating at the shelter and we were worried something more than stress might be the root cause. Erica put our fears aside, telling us they had a wonderful weekend together and Ginger is settling in nicely. She is eating well, loves to nap, adores meeting neighbors and their pets, and enjoys going for walks on the BeltLine. She also told us she is learning how to stay in her lane.

Erica decided to adopt Ginger because she was exactly the right size and temperament, and she was a good fit for her lifestyle. When Ginger first came home, she was timid at first, but is already coming out of her shell. She is reportedly chill, eager to please, extremely loving, completely housetrained, and only barks when something big happens outside her apartment door.

Erica works from home, and Ginger enjoys napping on the sofa nearby while Erica is at her desk. Erica explained how wonderful it is to have Ginger in her home since she’s a single, self-employed woman with grown kids, telling us the companionship is lovely. Ginger even likes to curl up on her own little pillow next to Erica’s meditation spot and they quietly sit together in the mornings while Erica has her tea and studies. It sounds like Ginger is truly relishing the peace and quiet of a home. Thank you, Kia and Petfinder Foundation, for bringing them together when they needed it the most!

Montreal (third photo), 4, was surrendered anonymously to PAWS Atlanta on Nov. 2 by someone who no longer wanted her. We just could not understand why. She is curious and affectionate and an all-around great cat. She was the #1 most popular kitty in our cat cottage because she loved meeting new people and trotted over to greet visitors the moment anyone would step foot in her room. We knew someone would be so happy to love her.

In stepped Marie. She had rescued a kitty she named Mish Mish months ago and wanted her to grow up with a friend. After she met Montreal, she knew it was meant to be! Montreal is also a rare orange female kitty, just like Mish Mish.

We reached out to Marie to see how Montreal was doing and her words warmed our hearts! Marie told us she is so happy to have Montreal in her home. Montreal was a little hesitant her first day home, but quickly warmed up and even cuddled with Mish Mish that very day. Less than a week later, Montreal is now so much more comfortable and enjoys peering out windows, hiding under blankets, eating greenies, and chasing toy mice.

Montreal has become best friends with Mish Mish and Marie told us she has made their home complete. Mish and Montreal have been playing, cuddling, and zooming around (fourth photo). Montreal is the same calm and cool cat Marie first met, but living with a spunky kitten has given her a friend to play with — and they play so much! They chase feather toys together and then take turns chasing each other. The girls will play fight throughout the day, but it usually ends with Mish licking Montreal’s head and making some blanket biscuits. Mish brings Montreal’s inner kitten out, and Montreal is Mish’s mentor/life coach. Mish Mish has learned so much from Montreal in the first week — she’s taught her how to play fairly so they can just have fun together

Bringing home Montreal has been a joy for Marie and Mish and we couldn’t be happier for them. Thank you, Kia and Petfinder Foundation, for making Marie’s family complete!