“Friends of the Westerly Animal Shelter” or FOWAS is a group of local volunteers that are dedicated to supporting animal care at the Westerly Animal Shelter. They are a 501-C non-profit, whose mission is “Supporting Westerly Animal Shelter in it’s quest to promote the health/welfare of lost/abandoned pets and to educate and assist those who care for them.”
Through fundraising, FOWAS uses 100% of its proceeds to take care of situations that the town doesn’t pay for. There are 3 major categories where these funds may be directed.
1. FOWAS will pay for non life-threatening surgeries that an animal may need to make them more adoptable. For example, a dog with the condition ‘cherry eye,’ which is a disorder of the Nictitating Membrane, could receive the surgery needed to fix the eyelids, therefore making the dog more adoptable and able to find a suitable home.
2. A portion of the proceeds from fundraising also goes to behavioral training, which will teach animals basic commands and help control anxiety, and anger or aggression, which often comes from the animals being caged for long periods of time. Like cosmetic surgery, this training will also greatly improve the animal’s ability and likelihood to be adopted.
3. Finally, FOWAS also helps save animals deemed “non-adoptable” and finds Rescues for animals on the “Euthanasia List.” For the animals that do not meet the criteria for adoption, the FOWAS will make donations to the Rescues that will accept these animals into their shelters; essentially saving them from being euthanized.
So how can you help?
Sally Trefes Sorensen, FOWAS volunteer, and manager of the Windjammer, a popular beach bar located in Misquamicut,
The first “Pints for Paws” of the summer went off without a hitch, and it is expected that each and every Thursday will bring in more and more money for FOWAS.
For more information on the “Friends of the Westerly Animal Shelter” and for an up-to-date list of the celebrity bartenders participating in the event, follow them on Facebook.