Why Camp Pawsawhile Retreat?

Since its founding in 2003, Coastal Pet Rescue has operated virtually. This means that tangible items are stored at various locations, and volunteers have no central place to meet. With the establishment of the Camp Pawsawhile Retreat, Coastal Pet Rescue will be able to better operate and increase volunteer retention and adoptions.

Coastal Pet Rescue will use the Camp as a headquarters, centralizing all activities to one location. This means we will have a supply house available when we receive bulk donations such as food that can easily be accessible to various volunteers.

The Camp will also provide a central location for volunteer activities, such as formal training, meetings, fundraising projects (like our toner cartridge recycling and rags to rescue dog toys making), and even formal training and socialization classes for our foster pets.

The Camp will also be used as an adoption center (by appointment only) to better facilitate adoptions. Since all our pets are fostered, this means that foster parents either have to invite strangers to their homes or find a neutral place to meet such as a store parking lot to do adoptions. Having the center will allow for a neutral place when doing dog to dog meets and provide a safe and secure environment for completeing adoptions.

How did Camp Pawsawhile Retreat happen?

Thanks to a generous partnership with the Animal House at Live Oak Kennels and the Animal Hospital at Rice Hope, we now have kennels and cat housing leased to us for use. The kennels and cat house will be used to facilitate emergency or last minute rescues of canines and felines from hoarding situations or animal control euthanasia days until a foster home is available.

How did you pick the name?

We initially were just going to call this the Coastal Pet Rescue HQ and Adoption Center. But the more time we spent on site, the more we realized it felt like we were camping. So a volunteer discussion ensued, and names were thrown out. One volunteer suggested "Pawsawhile" as the pets would be "pawsing" for just a little "while" on their way from animal control or other intake to their foster home or adoption. Thus, Camp Pawsawhile Retreat.