The Pacific Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) was founded in 2003 by Dorothy “Louise” Shirey. Louise was dedicated to providing care for and rehoming the abandoned and displaced animals of Coronado from the time she joined our community in 1986 until her death in 2014. Through determination, community organization, and persistent lobbying as an animal advocate, Louise achieved her dream of creating a Coronado animal rescue (PAWS), establishing a partnership between PAWS and the City of Coronado, and initiating the building of the Coronado Animal Care Facility. Following in Louise’s footsteps, PAWS grew under the care of dedicated animal advocates Sharon Sherman and Karen Dwinell (right) into a trusted community organization capable of helping hundreds of local animals each year. Today at PAWS, we honor Louise’s legacy by providing high-quality medical care, treating the animals in our care with love and compassion, and finding each animal a perfect forever home through our adoption services. Inspired by Louise we also seek to be animal welfare advocates through community education, providing resources to ensure the ethical treatment of Coronado’s pets and helping to prevent future animal homelessness and euthanasia.