FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS
Pinky Paws ResQ
Pinky Paws ResQ was born from a love of dogs and continues to be raised by an enduringly pink lady. “We focus on the quality of life,” Krystle Woodward, Founder and President of Pinky Paws ResQ, tells of the dogs she takes in. Hers is a strictly no-kill shelter, operating entirely off of donations. Breed discrimination is not tolerated there—90 percent of the dogs they take in are pit bull mixes and chihuahua mixes. Over the years, Pinky Paws ResQ has saved thousands of furry lives.
Before Pinky Paws ResQ, all rescued City of Fowler dogs were euthanized. When Woodward became aware of this, she took action by volunteering her time and money, while simultaneously maintaining a full-time accounting career. “When we began, we ended up having over 150 dogs on our 2.5 acres.” Woodward purchased the land in Fowler, just south of Fresno, as a sanctuary when she started rescuing dogs in 2006. She and her husband Allen Woodward, who serves as Vice President of Pinky Paws ResQ, share a passion for saving four-legged critters.
Due to limited help, Woodward had to reduce the number of animals at the sanctuary. “It took 2-3 years to transfer animals to rescues out of state with the help of our Volunteer Director Laura,” she explains. “It has always been a team effort. We all made many trips out of state to rescues with more resources. Animals we had for years ended up getting adopted right away. We changed our focus to missions saving those in urgent need. This means an animal suffering that no one else has been able to help, including animal control.”
Their Search & ResQ missions are aimed at animals in need of immediate help, and the team remains prepared for anything. “We find ourselves in quite the situations. We have our van equipped and ready for a mission at any time. We have things like a net gun, bite gloves, traps, rope, thermal sensor, spotlights, and more,” lists Woodward. They’ve done it all—from helping people search for their lost dogs by tracking them for miles to going under houses, jumping through vineyards, climbing river cliffs and trees, catching dogs on the freeway (safely), and performing overnight stakeouts during freeze night, amongst other endeavors.
“We never give up,” despite the fact that funding is Pinky Paws ResQ’s biggest struggle. Facebook is the rescue’s primary source for fundraising and getting the word out. “And it occurs at the time of need for an animal that is suffering … We utilize Facebook to update our followers with what’s going on at all times.” With so many animals in need, “We get messages all day every day by every way of communication about animals in urgent need. We do what we can with what we have,” admits Woodward. “If we have enough finances and space at that time, then we can fully commit to a rescue mission. If we cannot help, we post on social media to ask others to help.”
Check out their YouTube channel, which shows a walk-through video detailing why help is needed. “Vet bills are our biggest expense,” followed by dog food—they go through 55 pounds daily. “Then there is our van expense—I financed the van myself in 2017 because we needed it for out of state transports and other rescue duties.” Life enrichment, improvements, and security for the animals in their care requires much sanctuary upkeep. “We have exercise areas, but we need turf. We need to fence off our property—people dump dogs, try to steal dogs, and harm them. Yard maintenance is a lot of work.” Their handyman helps, but it’s never enough. There are less than a couple dozen dogs (and cats) in Pinky Paws ResQ’s care now, as they focus on rebuilding their foundation, all while selflessly putting the welfare of animals first
LB Share what people can do to support the Pinky Paws ResQ mission.
KW Monetary donations help us operate daily. We take donations on Facebook, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and by mail. Even sponsoring a bag of dog food every month from www.chewy.com goes a long way. Or even a case of canned food. We have an Amazon Wish List. We also take recyclables and old blankets. Following our page and sharing our posts also helps get the word out. Sometimes we even need help searching for lost dogs, so we have a list you can be added to. This includes posting flyers.
LB In what ways is Pinky Paws ResQ uniting the community?
KW We have saved many animals by someone simply posting on social media because they cannot help the animal themselves. We constantly encourage this instead of looking the other way, as many do. Sometimes they get criticized for not helping, but we thank them. And if we cannot help, then we share on our page. Animal rescue is teamwork. We should all work together. There are too many bad people doing bad things to animals. When someone needs help with their animals (such as not being able to afford a vet bill), we encourage them to ask us.
LB Tell us about how Pinky Paws ResQ’s adoption process has changed due to coronavirus.
KW We have been extra careful. We have done outdoor adoption meets at our facility. Many have driven to us from out of town. We did many trials and made sure we had GPS trackers with bright reflective harnesses with our info in large lettering. During pre-screening, adopters sent us photos of their homes and yards (instead of our home visits) along with some FaceTime interviews. We have still had some great adoptions.
Pinky Paws ResQ
PO Box 601
Fowler, CA 93625
559.349.7369
www.pinkypawsrescue.com
Managing Editor Lauren Barisic
Photographer Allen Woodward
