PAWS Chicago is our Week 8 Touchdown For Tails Featured Pet Organization

Week 7 was a successful one for the Touchdown For Tails movement! The Chicago Bears improved to (2-5) on the season with an impressive 30-12 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. Because of that Bears win, many matched with their own $25 donations!

This week, the Bears will travel to Los Angeles to face a struggling (2-4) Chargers team that is coming off back-to-back losses. Can Chicago make it two in a row for the first time in the Matt Eberflus era? We sure hope so! This week, we’ll be featuring our eighth rescue of the year, which will be PAWS Chicago.

As always, here’s a breakdown of how Touchdown For Tails will work.

Each week, we will be featuring a new rescue. Within that week, you’ll have a few options to “bet” on. Now, when I say bet, what I really mean is, how much you’re willing to donate to the featured animal rescue organization of the week. Here’s how it’ll work.

1. A Chicago Bears win = $25 donation
2. Three-to-five Prop Bets: Hitting on the prop = $10 donation. Missing on the prop= $5

Ultimately, what I would like to do is make the Bears winning on the field as rewarding to our featured rescues as possible! Those of you who donate nine (or more) times throughout the season will be entered into a drawing at the end of the season to win a Chicago Bears Nike “Game” Jersey. The player and sizing will be of your choice. For each Chicago Bears win, I will personally donate $25. I will also choose one prop bet (brought to you by Draft Kings) that I will also “bet” on.

The ultimate goal of this is to get Bears fans more involved with the community around them. Football season is already the best time of year, so why not make it a little better by helping become a solution to a growing problem around the country? Every single dollar donated on a weekly basis will go directly to that featured rescue.

Week 8 “Things to bet on” (Brought to you by DraftKings)

Game: Chicago Bears (+8.5) over Las Angeles Chargers (-8.5) ($25 donation if the Bears win)

Non-Bettors “Bets”:

1. QB Tyson Bagent to pass for 200 yards or more ($10 donation if you win. $5 if you lose.)
2. The Bears’ defense to force two or more takeaways ($10 donation if you win. $5 if you lose.)

Prop Bets:

1. Long touchdown: Bears (+150)/Chargers (-175)
2. Total game touchdowns (5.5): Over (+105)/Under (-135)
3. Longest FG made (by either team): Over 46.5 yards (-125)/Under 46.5 yards (-105)

Touchdown For Tails Week 8 Rescue of the Week: PAWS Chicago

Contact: https://www.pawschicago.org/contact-us

Website: https://www.pawschicago.org/

Where To Donate: https://www.pawschicago.org/how-to-help/donate

PAWS Chicago started in 1997 with a clear goal in mind: that PAWS would work to end the unnecessary killing each year of tens of thousands of helpless cats and dogs. Since surpassing their 25 years of serving the Chicago community, they have done amazing work. That includes opening up a spay and neuter clinic in 2000, A Lincoln Park adoption center in 2007, and a Training/Adoption Center in North Shore in 2014. Their solutions-based approach has led to a whopping 91% drop in the euthanasia rate city-wide since opening their doors 26 years ago. In that time, they’ve performed more than 280,000 free/low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and have adopted over 70,000 animals. As a whole, they’ve saved 98% of the pets that have walked through their doors. If you ask me, those are incredible numbers!

In 2022 alone, they had 4,629 adoptions and performed 15,424 surgeries. That doesn’t include the 95,386 hours put in by volunteers at PAWS Chicago. While being a big proponent of the No Kill model, they also do a great job with education in the community. While the issue of homeless animals is a complex one, education can go a long way in curbing the issue in the long term.

Their mission is simple:

• To build No Kill communities – starting with a No Kill Chicago – that respect and value the life of every cat and dog.
• To end the overpopulation of homeless animals through solutions, practices and education.
• To transform animal welfare by setting higher standards in the way animals are treated and developing a sustainable, solutions-based model.

As always, volunteers and donations are what make organizations like PAWS Chicago possible! Please reach out to them directly for more information about how to get involved with an organization that has done plenty of amazing work in its 26 years.

Featured Pets Of The Week

Please note that all animal bios are taken directly from the featured rescue’s website. These bios are put together by the animal’s current foster or someone with knowledge of each animal within the organization. For more information on a specific pet, please reach out to the rescue directly.

ARNIE (8-Year-Old Male)

“We’ve all heard the phrase, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Adult dogs have a great attention span and eagerness to please, allowing them to learn faster than more youthful members of their species. And trust us—there is no age limit on puppy dog eyes and zoomies! If you’re looking for a steadfast companion who will be truly grateful for a second chance at a happy life, look no further than an adult dog.”

Arnie has “five paw” ratings with Children, being home alone, low energy, and ability to adapt to any adoption environment. He can be dog friendly but slow introductions and patience should be expected.

THETA (4-Year-Old Female)

“Theta is a gorgeous, independent kitty who is looking for someone who can give her love from a distance. She is a very curious kitty, always following you around to see what you are up to. Bring out the puzzle feeder and she is one happy girl. While Theta is particular about where she wants to be pet, she still loves to get chin rubs or head pats as long as it is on her own terms. Theta would thrive as the only cat in a home with adults or older children.

So, if you have a laser pointer and want a play buddy, that has beautiful green eyes, and looks for love from a distance, then Theta could be the kitty for you. She is part of our Foster First Program that will help her adjust to her forever family. If you would like to meet her, schedule an appointment at PAWS Chicago today.”

Theta is an independent girl who was rated with five paws in the enrichment department. She is unknown with dogs but does have four paw rating with other cats, and a three paw rating with human sociability.

LADYBIRD (6-Year-Old Female)

“We’ve all heard the phrase, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Adult dogs have a great attention span and eagerness to please, allowing them to learn faster than more youthful members of their species. And trust us—there is no age limit on puppy dog eyes and zoomies! If you’re looking for a steadfast companion who will be truly grateful for a second chance at a happy life, look no further than an adult dog.”

Ladybird has a four paw rating for being home alone. She has three paw ratings for children, dogs, and ability to adapt in a new environment. She is unknown with cats.

JOPLIN (6-Year-Old Male)

“There is nothing better than the help of a stress-free and loving home for pets who are healing from illness or injury. That’s why we created Help Me Heal, a foster-to-adopt program for pets like Joplin. Joplin has dental disease and needs dental surgery. His next appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, November 1st. By choosing to foster and then adopt you’re helping Joplin transition into a forever family more quickly and with less anxiety. During the Help Me Heal foster period, PAWS even covers all medical care and medicine until your pet is medically cleared for adoption.”

Joplin is an independent guy who has a five paw rating in regards to enrichment, a four paw rating with Children and other cats but is an unknown with dogs. Joplin is under the “help me heal” program, which requires a foster commitment to allow them to get over an injury, surgery or sickness. This is also a great way to get a “trial run” at seeing if an animal will fit well into your current family!

More Resources For How To Get Involved

As a country, we have a homeless animal crisis on our hands that only seems to be getting worse by the day. Stray animals are found every day. With the volatility of the job market, more families are losing their homes and can no longer care for their pets. The list of reasons contributing to this issue runs long. That’s where we can all come in. Whether you want to volunteer, foster, or simply donate, it all makes a difference. For our family, getting involved with animal rescue has been a rewarding experience. While we might not always have the time to foster or volunteer our time, there are many ways to make an impact. Below are three links to check out if this is something you or your family might be interested in doing.

1. Benefits of adopting a shelter dog
2. Why volunteering at shelters or rescues makes a difference
3. 10 reasons to foster a pet