Pause for Paws is a USF club made just for animal lovers. In the fall of 2015, a group of girls came together and created the club, having known nothing in common with each other than their love for dogs and animals.
Vanessa Martinez, a now USF alumni, brought the club to USF. "It all came to my mind when I was on a USF Facebook group and someone asked where they could go to 'play with puppies,'" Martinez said. "This post sparked a discussion between myself and another student about pet shops and their sourcing from puppy mills. This person disagreed with me and insisted that I had a 'poor view' of pet shops and that I could not be sure that all shops sourced the same way."
It really bothered Martinez that people want to turn a blind eye toward puppy mills. She then thought, maybe education is the problem. "It's not that they want to ignore it," Martinez said. "They just don't know or don't realize how common they really are."
She then looked into creating a student organization that could not only educate the student body about different breeds but about what it really means to have a dog. Most importantly, educate students about the difference between a rescue, a shelter, a reputable breeder and a puppy mill, and just how common and how cruel they really are. Moreover, possibly a club that can partner up with a local rescue. That's when she began looking into developing a Pause for Paws branch at USF. The club was originally started at FGCU by Jennifer Levin.
A member of the Pause for Paws USF branch, Kiley Chernicky, says she "loves that she has access to new events at the Humane Society." She is also grateful that the club gave her a platform to get in touch with other animal lovers for play dates, advice and several dog sitting gigs. "My favorite memory was the Tuxes and Tails Humane Society event," Chernicky said. "It was such a beautiful event and we had the opportunity to 'show' the dogs for adoption, which meant we got to love on them and hang with them, but also see them finally find good homes."
Another member, Austin Tucker joined Pause for Paws shortly after his dog ran away. "We had to go to the shelters to see if anyone found him," Tucker said. "I had never been to an animal shelter before, and it broke my heart to see all of the pets who didn't have homes. When I went home, I searched USF clubs to find one related to this cause." He says he loves that they are involved with the Humane Society and that it helps healthy pets get adopted. "It really is a great club, and I recommend it to anyone looking to get involved on campus," Tucker said.
This year, the club is run by a new president, Grace Hussain. "The tentative plan includes meeting twice a month, once inside the MSC with a guest speaker and the other outside so that members can bring their dogs," Hussain said. She plans on socializing, raising awareness, volunteering at the Humane Society as well as other organizations within the community, and of course, having fun! She plans to be active in Bull Market, and if the MSC is available, their first meeting will be August 24 at 6:30 p.m. You can stay updated on their Facebook page.
