One of the more festive of animal-friendly parties, Petchitecture, PAWS' annual fundraising event, showcases innovative dog, cat and other pet habitats, all of which are auctioned off for the nonprofit at a gala affair.
Since 1987 Pets Are Wonderful Support has been working to preserve the bond between vulnerable San Franciscans and their four-legged friends. When PAWS was first founded, the AIDS crisis was at its peak. Many of the dying had long since been rejected by their families for being gay, and their pets had become their families. Buying pet food, or taking a dog for a walk, could become a life-threatening challenge for a person on a fixed income who was facing a terminal illness.
PAWS, to the relief of many, stepped in to provide food, supplies, walks and vet care for people with AIDS and their pets.
"In 2000 we expanded our mission," PAWS Executive Director Aaron Chandler said in an interview. "We now serve people with any kind of life threatening or debilitating illness, seniors and the disabled."
Chandler said that PAWS clients were low-income city residents.
Of course, it costs money to provide such services. PAWS raises its operating budget through donations from corporations, businesses and individuals. Then there's Petchitecture, PAWS' annual fundraising event.
"Local architecture and design firms design pet habitats that are put on display and put up for auction," Chandler said, as he described the event. "All of the design work is completely volunteer."
Of course cocktails will be served to the several hundred attendees that are expected.
"We start out with a cocktail reception, which is where the habitats are on display," Chandler explained. "Music will be provided by the Turnaround Jazz Ensemble. The evening's displays will include dog houses which are decorated by PAWS clients who are artists," said Chandler.
Activities will include Ask the Vet with Dr. Feigenbaum.
PAWS Development Director Sarah Cramer explained the benefits of having a pet for people who are ill or disabled.
"A lot of our clients are socially isolated," Cramer said. "They tend to have fewer people to turn to for emotional support. Their pets become their friends and family."
Cramer pointed to studies which show actual medical benefits in having a pet.
"Lower blood pressure and an increased sense of well being," she said. "There are definite health benefits in owning a pet."
Felicia Elizondo, aka Felicia Flames, is a transgender community leader who can verify Cramer's claims. Now 69 years old, the longtime HIV survivor has been a PAWS client for more than twenty years. PAWS has helped Elizondo say goodbye to pets who have passed on, and continues to help her care for her current babies Gypsy Rose Lee and Simon.
"They give me emotional support and a reason to live and to move," Elizondo said. "They keep me company when I am sick and when I am lonely. They are always there for me and we take care of each other."
Elizondo said she was grateful to God for PAWS. "PAWS has been there for all of us," she said.
Cramer pointed to another of PAWS' vital services.
"We pay for cremation," she said. "It can be hard for people to honor their pets, so we have a partnership with Pet Rest Cemetery in Colma and with vets who provide in-home euthanasia."
Attending Petchitecture, or even just donating to PAWS, is a great way to support these wonderful, life-affirming services.
Petchitecture takes place on Thursday June 11 at the Herbst Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center. It's the event's twentieth anniversary as well.
www.pawssf.org