Author: Lea

Sanctuary, defined as a place of peace, refuge or safety. A place where people/animals can live and be protected. This is what we do here at Paws Give Me Purpose; we treat every dog that comes through our doors with excellent care, compassion and love. 

For Cocoa, aka Baby Shark, Paws Give Me Purpose Sanctuary is home. She hoped for life, for love, and someone to make everything alright, and with you by our side we made that happen.

Every dog that comes through our doors is unique, and there is no way to know how they are going to react to their new environment.

A dog needs space, a quiet comfortable environment to decompress and observe the world around them. People don’t seem to realize how important decompression time is and this kind of human failure is what often is the cause of a dog being taken to or returned to a shelter. 

Cocoa does not know how to simply be a dog. The only thing she knows in 7 years of life is fear and reactivity. It’s going to take time, but when she is ready and on her own terms she will emerge out of her tough shell.

There’s no other love like the love of brothers, and our 2 oldest Sanctuary residents, Calvin and Hobbes, are both a wonderful example of brotherly love. They have their snitty little moments, like most siblings do, but at the end of the day they truly love each other.

For those not familiar with Calvin & Hobbes story, you can read all about their arrival to our Sanctuary at the following link: https://www.pawsgivemepurpose.com/meet-calvin-and-hobbes/

There is absolutely nothing like watching these two let go and feel free and happy for the first time in their lives. At 21 and 22 years of age, these boys truly amaze us with their zest and love for life. Just watching Calvin and Hobbes enjoying every moment of the day truly inspires all of us to be better human beings. 

As temperatures soar into the 100’s here in Southern New Jersey, it’s imperative we keep all our Sanctuary residents cool and safe – it’s simply too dangerous for our seniors to be outside. 

Summer really is a terrific time to be a dog owner. It lets you run, swim, and play with your dog in nicer weather than any other time of the year. However, summer also brings unique risks to your dog’s health that you should keep in mind throughout the season – especially during these major heat waves. 

Short trips to the potty are best, long walks are not advised as even the sidewalks can become dangerous by getting too hot for their paws. NEVER leave your dog in the car, and NEVER leave your dog outside all day! A dog can die of heat stroke, their bodies heat up much more quickly than ours.

Even if your dog is out briefly they will get hot and a frosty treat may be just what they need to cool down. Calvin and Hobbes are relaxing indoors today thinking about digging into some yummy frozen treats today – their favorite is Rita’s vanilla custard. There are many recipes available for homemade frozen goodies on our website, be sure to check them out.

Stay safe out there, and thank you for giving us the ability to do what we do.

Things have been extremely busy here at Paws Give Me Purpose over the last couple of weeks, but we did not want another day to pass by without introducing you all to our newest Sanctuary resident Cocoa (aka Baby Shark).

At a mere 3.6 pounds, Cocoa was surrendered by her owner to Baltimore Animal Control for a variety of health and behavioral issues including lunging, growling and biting. 

This 6-7 year old Baby Shark is truly a spicy little hot chocolate. She is extremely fearful of humans, but seeing men in her vicinity literally sends her into a tirade of negative behaviors. Barking, growling, biting, etc. Although she does seem to get along with other tiny dogs, she continues to guard her space and food from them. 

People seem to think that small dog breeds can’t possibly cause any harm, so they believe they don’t require training and discipline; however, people need to realize even a tiny Chihuahua or Yorkie can bite. Obedience training and discipline are always a must, for both you and your dog’s benefit and that obviously has not happened at all in Cocoa’s 7 years of life. Her fear is also palpable; and she absolutely does not trust human beings.

Please help us welcome Cocoa to Sanctuary. Help us help her heal, mentally, physically, spiritually, and learn to love and trust the human race.

Asking for money isn’t easy for anyone to do, but we need your help more than ever! Taking care of all of our Sanctuary residents is our top priority, and we know that in order to sustain operations, it’s what we must do. 

We ask that you please consider making a donation to help us with Cocoa’s care.

PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/pawsgivemepurposeinc

Venmo: @PAWSGIVEMEPURPOSE-INC

By Mail:
Paws Give Me Purpose Inc.
2 Jade Lane
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

Directly toward our Vet bills:
House Paws Mobile Veterinary Service 
(856) 234-5230

If anyone is interested in becoming Cocoa’s sponsor, please reach out to us directly.