Dear Editor:

I have been a volunteer for CAWS for several years. The organization has grown and developed all because of the variety of people contributing to an overall goal and this was for the WELFARE of animals.

The word welfare includes many of the following meanings: 1. the physical, social well being under which somebody may live satisfactorily. 2. Or to aid somebody in need who requires assistance provided by an agency or program.

The organization CAWS stands for “Citizens for Animal Welfare and Shelter.” It has helped numerous animals get adopted, offered spay and neuter services, fostered animals while they waited for their forever homes, published RESCUE each month, managed feral cat colonies, had a summer program for kids and opened up a thrift shop for contributing to the financial needs of the organization.

I am a 15-year-old student at North Fork Vision and part-time student at Paonia High School. I am also a member of the Saddle Mountain 4-H Club. I am just beginning to learn the importance of being part of an organization and all the responsibilities that go with it. One member of the CAWS organization that spent numerous hours with students, like myself, is Debbie Faulkner. She has broadened my knowledge about animal welfare and sheltering. The following are a few things that Debbie was determined to show us in the CAWS summer camp of which she organized and offered: visiting local veterinarians, participating in show casing adoptable animals at public gatherings, assisting TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) for feral cats, responding to an emergency call for an actual rescue and forever expanding my compassion for animals.

During the school break this fall, Debbie took several students to visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. We observed, worked and learned how a larger operation maintains the commitment to the welfare of animals. It was during this trip that I learned that CAWS was narrowing its program to mainly serve as spay and neuter assist, and downsizing the amount of animals that they will shelter and foster. In addition, I learned that Delta County still continues to have homeless animals. I know I am still learning what an organization entails, but with my organization duties like 4-H, I am constantly performing tasks for the organization without having a lot of voice in the decisions about which projects will help the community. Yet, I know that this is important part of the commitment to being a member of an organization.

I wish the CAWS board and its members would think through about how narrowing the service for animal welfare and sheltering will have additional hardship effects for the animals in Delta County. Perhaps if these changes are going into effect they should rename CAWS to “Citizens for Animal Spay and Neuter” (CASN). There is a lot of strength in numbers and expanding services to animals as the organization grows seems necessary without having to branch and divide into subgroups.

Carter Keegan

Paonia

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