The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

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Worth saving

For Diane Davis, Lucille Ball was irreplaceable.

"I swore we would never get another dog," Diane said of her pet, whose red fur matched the coif of the famous actress. "I couldn't imagine getting another."

But five weeks after the rare illness forced Diane and her husband, Edward, to put their dog to sleep, the pair resolved to do something about the void in their Murphysboro residence.

"It was just getting too quiet around the house," Edward said.

The Davises took a trip Saturday afternoon to Pets Are Worth Saving, a no-kill shelter they had been donating to for the last few years. They wanted check out what the organization had to offer and ended up adopting Mary Jane, a Labrador heeler mix, and an Australian Shepherd mix named Camille.

"We wanted two because we are out of the country a lot, so we figured they could keep each other company while we are away," Edward said.

What triggered Edward's and Diane's decision to adopt was a flier they saw displayed on Panera Bread's bulletin board. The paper stated the financial aid supply need of the shelter as well as saying that two organizations on the SIUC campus would be collecting pet food and supplies for PAWS and assembling non-perishable food items for Carbondale's Good Samaritan House.

The dual drive was coordinated by the Association of English Graduate Instructors and Students and the Student Coalition of Voters.

Evon Hawkins, a graduate assistant in the English department, said the idea to include PAWS in a drive came from a feature she saw last month on a local news station.

The news story Hawkins had witnessed reported the shelter had been floundering this summer due to lack of fund-raising opportunities, and if things did not change, the nonprofit organization would be forced to close its doors.

"If they close them, they were going to have to send all their animals to shelters that euthanize," Hawkins said. "It's just so sad to think of them all being put to sleep just because people dump them instead of taking care of them."

Hawkins then began conversing with other members of the Association of English Graduate Instructors and Students. She then talked to members of the newly formed Student Coalition of Voters, who was trying to organize a food drive for the Good Samaritan House. Together, the groups decided to fuse the two ideas together to coordinate a drive that would benefit both causes.

Beginning in 1992 as an animal welfare placement program for the Union County Animal Control, PAWS moved into its current location at 139 E. Vienna St. and as a fully operational no-kill shelter during the summer of 2001.

Although PAWS has been committed to remaining a no-kill shelter, the small structure of the building has proven problematic in how many pets the organization could place. According to Penny South, faculty manager of the facility, PAWS has a maximum enrollment of 90 animals and an average placement of 500 per year.

Admittance into PAWS is also a game of wait-and-see. South said the congestion of shelter permits only one of the 10 to 15 animals trying to get into the facility.

"Sometimes, people call up to three times before we can place the animals in the shelter," South said.

Allowance is also dependent on the animal's weight and the size of an available cage. Carol Hoffman, PAWS volunteer and treasurer for the organization, said sometimes the cats often have to double up when inhabiting the cage.

" [The cage is] hardly big enough for one cat," Hoffman said. "Let alone two."

Because the shelter does not run on profit, PAWS relies solely on donations, both monetary and material, for its operation. With an average cost of $8,000, running the organization could prove to be very expensive. The spring and summer seasons are especially hard on the shelter because no major fund-raisers are ever planned for those months.

South said PAWS' bank account dipped down to $200 in May, but through monetary donations, the shelter was able to land on its feet.

"It gets to be serious," South said. "We certainly keep trying, but it's an uphill battle."

Despite size issues and financial troubles, PAWS also has to deal with running a 24/7 business. Though the shelter is open to the public five days a week, the organization has to be operated every day of the year.

South said donations to PAWS are always appreciated. She said she has some people donate $10 or $20 a month. She said the Walmart in Anna also gives the shelter any busted bags of pet food, but the contribution is usually for adult dogs and cats.

Though PAWS does receive various generous gifts, the shelter is always in need of more.

"Without donations," South said, "we wouldn't be here."

For the drive on campus, Hawkins, who owns two cats, used the Internet for a list of items to give. She wanted to particularly become involved in saving PAWS, because she has seen firsthand how careless college students could be to their pets.

"I have been in Southern Illinois long enough to know that there is a huge problem with college students getting animals and dumping animals or taking animals to the Humane Society," Hawkins said. "I have always been very interested in anything that was a no-kill shelter and helping them try to stay in business."

Joan Dy, graduate assistant and the co-director of the Student Coalition of Votes who the English Department, wanted to have a drive for the Good Samaritan House, because she had read about the increasing homeless rate in the Carbondale and Southern Illinois area. She urges everyone to get involved in something that they feel is important.

"It takes very little effort on the terms of the individual, but collectively, if we all do that, then it's going to make a big difference," Dy said.

The strive to save PAWS continues Wednesday when a booth will also be set out on the Faner breezeway in order to collect monetary donations for PAWS to stay in operation.

Hardships of running PAWS aside, South said the most rewarding part of her job is watching

"Sometimes, we have little guys who have had no place to live," she said. "Then we have others where this is the best place they've known."

Nearing close to closing time of the shelter and the end of the adoption process, Diane scooped her new pet Camille into her arms. Mary Jane, on the other hand, was taken back to the other room in order to be spaded before she could leave with her new masters.

"It's a good thing, because Camille is much more shy," Diane said. "She could get used to us more."

The wait will not be long. Mary Jane will be available for pick up later this week.

"Bye, babe," Edward and Diane said in unison. "We'll see you Thursday. Then you will get to go home."

Factoid: PAWS is open five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday has extended hours from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information on the shelter or to inquire about volunteer opportunities, call 833-3647.