Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Zoghby.
Hi Whitney, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
If you would like to focus on me personally, I always knew I wanted to work with animals from a young age. I majored in animal science in college and grad school. I became a scientist for an animal health company that created vaccines for cats, dogs and livestock. During my time in this role, I also spent a significant amount of time volunteering at the local animal shelter, which included being on the Board of Directors in various leadership roles. I had a passion for the animal shelter field and decided that I wanted to make that my careers instead of just volunteer work. I’ve been the Director of Paws4ever for 4 years.
If you would like to focus on Paws4ever’s story- our legal name is Animal Protection Society of Orange County and was founded in 1962 as a foster-based rescue in Chapel Hill long before there was an animal shelter in Orange County. We were incorporated as a non-profit in 1972 and held the contract to run the Orange County animal shelter from the 1970s through early 2000s. Our current sanctuary was built in the late 1990s and in the early 2000s, the county contract was ended and our organization started its own operations at the current sanctuary. See more details and timeline here: https://paws4ever.org/about/
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our current challenge is long length of stay for our dogs, especially the medium to large dogs. There are just not enough people coming in to adopt those size dogs right now and so, those dogs are in our facility for a longer period of time before being adopted. We also don’t have enough resources to help all pet owners who need assistance with vet care or pet pantry. With additional funding and donations, we would be able to help more!
As you know, we’re big fans of Paws4ever. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Paws4ever was founded more than 60 years ago in Orange County. Paws4ever is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that is dedicated to creating and growing lifetime relationships between pets and people through adoption, training, education & care. What sets us apart from other animal rescues is that we offer programs to support pets and pet parents beyond adoption: a resale store to purchase dog supplies at a discounted rate, group classes, workshops and private lessons through our dog training program, a dog park, a pet support program to help pet parents who are struggling financially and a legacy care program to provide loving care for pets who outlive their owners.
Paws4ever is located on a beautiful 20-acre sanctuary tucked away on the Orange County side of Mebane. We want folks to know we exist and that there are so many ways to support us: we are always looking for fosters, adopters, and volunteers. If you don’t want to commit to any of those, but love dogs, we also have a Doggie Day Out program where you can take one of our adoptable dogs out for a few hours or a full day of fun! You can also donate supplies or funds, shop at our resale store or take one of our classes to support our mission.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The animal sheltering industry is a constantly evolving entity. During COVID, adoptions soared as people had more free time and often worked from home so were able to have pets. During the post-COVID period, adoptions have slowed as the cost of pet ownership has risen significantly and many people don’t have time to own a pet due to multiple jobs or family situations. Cat adoptions are now outpacing dog adoptions. In fact, the time it takes for a dog to be adopted from a shelter compared to a cat is significantly higher. With the high pet care costs, pet owners are struggling to keep their pets. Shelters and rescues have started providing support services to help keep pets in homes. Shelters are also moving towards more managed intake systems due to overcrowding and try to reduce the number of pets coming into shelters in the first place.
Pricing:
- Cat/Kitten Adoptions: $50/75
- Dog/Puppy Adoptions: $100/115
- Dog Training Classes/Workshops/Private Lessons: $75-155
- Saving a Pet’s Life: Priceless
Contact Info:
- Website: https://paws4ever.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paws4ever_nc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Paws4ever
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/5344376/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCLSVzmj-iZmjfv_MRItDfw
