Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, November 20, 2005 By giving to PAWS, family receives, too By Sharon Salyer / Herald Writer No one knows Lady's age exactly. She may be 6 or she may be 8. The springer spaniel's fur was matted and she was more than a little overweight when her former owners brought her to the Everett Animal Shelter. They said they no longer had the time or space to care for her. Yet, there was just something about her that the Carter family thought would work for them. Not only for them, but for their dog, Parker, a German shepherd who had been "just kind of moping" since the death of the family's other dog, who was 12 years old. "I don't know what else to call it," Diane Carter said. "He was looking lost. Doing a lot of sleeping. Right behind you everywhere you go." In October, the family went to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society in Lynnwood, where Lady had been transferred from Everett. PAWS shelters homeless animals and rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife. Last year, the nonprofit organization cared for about 1,400 dogs. Three hundred lost dogs were returned to their owners. More than 800 dogs were adopted. This is one nonprofit where you can give by receiving. The Carters looked at one other dog, then spotted Lady. "She was such a sweetheart," Carter said. "She was our kind of dog." PAWS provided an evaluation of Lady, including her estimated age, temperament and how active she was, based on their daily observations. Lady was described as "just a lovable dog," Carter said. "You want an animal that's the right fit for you." But the decision to adopt a dog involved more than just the family members. They made a second trip to the shelter, this time with their other dog, Parker. After being introduced in a play area, "they seemed to get along great," Carter said. "We said, "OK, we'll give it a shot." Lady never had the big fields to play in that she has at the Carter's home near Maltby. "She didn't know what to do," Carter said. "She's just starting to learn where the boundaries are around the property." The family has learned not to use strong or loud words with Lady, because she's such a sensitive dog. Carter said she still remembers the moment Lady first met Parker. From the start, it was a good match. "Lady was like, 'You want to play? OK! Yeah, I've done this before." Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com. Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Mark and Diane Carter, with their son Colin, 11, adopted their springer spaniel, Lady, from the Progressive Animal Welfare Society in Lynnwood in October.

1. City of Everett, neighbor sued over lost trees, mudslide 2. Three-car accident closes Highway 9 3. Kennedy’s assassination remains a puzzling memory 4. Ways to Give: How you can help in your community 5. Take a look under your seat 6. Novice real estate investors can lose their shirts 7. Kwan never golden, but sometimes transcendant 8. Lotto ticket worth $6.5 million sold in Lake Stevens 9. Canceled credit cards come as a shock for some 10. Count drags on long after the election's over 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Eat local this Thanksgiving • Mavericks moving on • Canada's Great Big Sea rolls into Edmonds • A. Murphy finishes 2nd in volleyball • Art Walk features music, demonstrations • EAT LOCAL: Getting the goods • Lynnwood HS history teacher Vic Bennet dies • Wildcats head to semis • CSO Chamber annual show slated Nov. 23 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million