A Remembrance by Louise O'Loan

Former PAWS Coordinator & Much More

During the summer of 2001 we arrived in Saudi Arabia. Instantly we were presented with a myriad of interesting changes. It was hot, the streets were strewn with garbage, some areas were aromatically challenging and it was Ramadan.

All this was a far cry from our abundant green parklands in which I used to ride my bicycle through to work each day. Sure each country has its issues but the one matter we could not ignore in Saudi was the number street animals we came across at every turn in our new community. Not only in the down town areas but even in our own compound.

We felt something had to be done so instead of waiting for "someone else" to come along and do the work my husband and I decided to just roll up the sleeves and get to it. Sure we couldn't save them all or even make a huge difference to the overall population of the abandoned/abused animals. But what we could do was make a difference one pet at a time!

Our first cat, Henry, came to us from the then cat homing coordinator of PAWS. Henry had been purposely hit by a car. He was a mangy looking, ugly, skinny cat with wounds all over him, matted fur and the mental disposition off a grumpy old man!

This pitiful creature was only given six months to survive as his injuries were so severe…nine years later and he is still here! Henry will always be crippled and has a myriad of health issues but he has turned into one of the most loving, loyal and tolerant kitties we have ever known. He is one of our PAWS success stories.

From that experience on we went from being the compound rep- introducing the TNR (trap neuter release) scheme with huge success on Zamil Village. Then I became the PAWS cat homing coordinator and from there I was running PAWS alongside a committee of well-intentioned individuals. Sometimes I refer to me or us, this is because all the while my husband helped out as much as he could with an 11 hour work day!

During the years I was actively involved with PAWS I was forever thankful of my psychology training in getting me through some interesting times. My psychology degree helped me in dealing with several issues which are unique to this part of the world.

It is unfortunate to say the least, that most of the work in running a charity goes not only into the cause at hand but in dealing with the humans at cause! The brutality some humans are capable of was repulsive often times unimaginable.

To add to this there were folks who felt PAWS was a free for all and there to provide a service. All the volunteers in PAWS work or have families to care for or both! The number of times I have been abused for not taking in someone's animal or coming out right away to collect a stray was disheartening to say the least.

After all, I felt we did fairly well considering we had a two bedroom apartment, no shelter nor office, and still managed to personally have 147 animals pass through our doors with foster care before re-homing them. And all this while working full time!

Thankfully all of the negative aspects were negated by the overwhelming support and compassion of those who do care and do understand what it really is like to help in a field in which the odds are against you. For all those people we will be eternally thankful.

The volunteers over the years have ranged in degrees of help and input yet all have had their heart in the right place and it means a lot to know that there are still people out there who have the ability to think beyond themselves. They are the unsung heroes of homeless and abused animals in our area, the volunteers who help care for animals in need. Not only those who are hands on, but in many other areas too.

There are volunteers on duty 24 hours a day fostering entire litters of abandoned kittens that are so young and so vulnerable that they require bottle-feeding every two hours. There are volunteers who arrange events, solicit donations and offer humane education programming to school children and people who routinely run the TNR scheme. PAWS couldn't thrive without them.

As a volunteer, it is possible to meet people with similar interests and create the foundation to a friendship that can last a lifetime. At the end of the day, it feels wonderful to return home and know that a difference is being made by the efforts of a few volunteers working together towards the same goal.

Volunteering with PAWS can be a unique, interesting, and fulfilling experience. It can also be a challenging one but a person can learn a lot not only about the care of animals but also about themselves. Getting involved can be a rewarding experience, especially when one of the animals that you have helped goes to a loving, "fur-ever" home.

My husband and I still volunteer here in Bahrain. Recently we took in a couple of puppies who needed round the clock bottle feeding and care and now these two little ones live in loving homes in Saudi!

I suppose we will always try to enhance the community we live in at the time we are there and we hope others will be encouraged to do the same. After all, our society is what we make it even if we are only visitors here for a brief while.

Mutts obliged,

Louise O'Loan & Terry Field