A Day in the Life of Paws

By Greg Curtin

Photos by Joe Curtin

Introduction

At 7:30am, the Pacific Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Coronado starts another day. PAWS staff greet each new day with the animals in the shelter: dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, parakeets, tortoises, and bearded dragons. Morning routines include breakfast, medical needs, potty breaks, exercise, room cleaning and more. This is how each day starts at PAWS…every morning, 365 days a year PAWS doesn’t take a day off during pandemics, holidays, bridge traffic…ever. With that in mind, the following is just a little of what happens at PAWS on any given day.

Intake:  The Starting Point 

Animals come into PAWS in a variety of ways. Some are lost pets brought in by friendly community members. If these animals are microchipped and licensed, PAWS quickly reunites them with their owners. Seeing these reunions is one of the joys of working there. The majority of animals at PAWS, however, are abandoned, neglected, and often abused strays brought in by good Samaritans and the Coronado Police Department at all hours, as. PAWS never closes for intake. Animals also come to PAWS as owner relinquishments, pets surrendered by owners for a variety of reasons: major life or financial changes, death of an owner, changes in living situation, or legal issues. These are often the most emotional transitions for pets and their owners--in these cases PAWS steps in as the trusted caretaker to find the pet a new loving home and family for a second chance. Finally, PAWS operates within the greater San Diego area as a member of a Coalition of Shelters and Rescues offering mutual aid. When space permits, PAWS accepts transfers from other shelters to alleviate overcrowding across San Diego. In 2025, PAWS sheltered nearly 100 transfers to assist our partners.  

After intake, medical staff assess animals for any injuries or medical issues that present immediate threats. PAWS administers a robust vaccination protocol for all intakes, especially for dogs and cats that often come into PAWS with diseases that, untreated, could quickly spread among the shelter. Animals with communicable diseases are immediately quarantined and handled only by veterinary staff until required medical protocols are completed. Any animals not treatable at PAWS are transported to emergency veterinary care centers for urgent care.  

Animals are put on a three-day stray hold while PAWS attempts to establish identifying information and locate owners. All animals are immediately checked for microchips or other identifiers; if none exists, they are microchipped, linking their information to the PAWS animal care database for future tracking. Stray animals are posted on area social media such as Coronado Happenings. If owners haven’t been located after the stray hold, the animal legally becomes property of PAWS, and we start the medical and behavioral assessments and services to prepare every animal for foster, transfer, or adoption.

Medical: Saving and Rehabilitating Lives Every Day

PAWS provides preventive, and lifesaving care to incoming animals. PAWS’s dedicated Veterinarian, Dr. Daniel Barbour, has been with PAWS for 12 years. Dr. “B” is on-call and spends one day weekly onsite to assess and treat animals in our care. One of our RVTs (Registered Veterinary Technicians) is also onsite daily, supported by multiple rotating VAs (Veterinary Assistants). While PAWS doesn’t have a full surgical suite or advanced diagnostic equipment, our medical team performs basic procedures and preventive care onsite. Required surgeries or advanced diagnostics are outsourced to our local veterinary partners, who always treat our animals as their own: Coronado Veterinary Hospital, Purple PAWS of Coronado, SeaCoast Veterinarian, Imperial Beach Pet Hospital, and the San Diego Humane Society. By law in the State of California, all dogs and cats must be spayed or neutered prior to adoption, and most of these surgeries for PAWS are sent out to our partners. In February 2026, PAWS participated in World Spay Day with Coronado Veterinary Hospital and Purple PAWS to provide low-cost surgeries for pets of needy community members.

PAWS plans to expand the public health service of vaccinations in 2026. PAWS has regular, low-cost vaccination clinics on-site by appointment, and plans to launch off-site vaccination clinics at community venues for increased convenience for all pet owners. Similarly, PAWS offers free and low-cost microchipping.

Newborn puppies and kittens have kept PAWS staff especially busy over the past year. PAWS started 2025 with the birth of 10 puppies. Staff and volunteers cared for the mother, January, and her puppies, named for the months of February through November, who were all successfully adopted. The mother January ran in our 2025 PAWS Ruff Run just two months after giving birth! PAWS ended 2025 with the intake of an abandoned mother and her six newborn puppies and another pregnant dog, and then rolled right into 2026 with five stray pregnant dogs and cats. Seeing at-risk strays through birth and caring for newborns is one of our medical staff’s most taxing activities, yet they do it with professionalism, with the help of our partners and community volunteers.

Behavior Support: Doing Whatever it Takes to Help our Animals Succeed

Locally and nationwide, animal shelters have seen a significant increase in the number of animals, primarily dogs, with behavior and socialization needs. Resulting from abandonment, neglect or abuse, these issues range from aggression, to fearfulness, to anxiety. These dogs often can't handle human contact or separation, walk on a leash or play. To give EVERY animal the best chance for a forever home, PAWS initiated its Behavior Support Program in 2025. The program aims to apply research-based approaches and techniques in a holistic and innovative manner to help dogs with severe behavioral and socialization needs. PAWS has hired. The Behavior Team — comprising dedicated behavior staff, an animal behavior psychologist, external specialized trainers, and our Behavior Support Volunteers — creates and implements specific Behavior Plans for at-risk dogs. These individualized plans include guidelines for in-shelter movement, housing, and handling; specific behavior training plans; recommended enrichment activities; and socialization plans. PAWS has embraced the well-researched technique of music therapy: curated soft music is piped into kennels throughout PAWS. In 2026, we are expanding our PAWS “Concerts in the BARK” program, bringing in local musicians for live music to help soothe anxious dogs. PAWS documents this behavior support work for potential grant funding and to share best practices with other animal welfare organizations.

Placement:  Finding the Best Home for Every Animal

In addition to the core mission of every animal shelter and rescue — live exits for each animal in its care — PAWS adds its own touch: to find a “Forever Loving Home for Every Animal.” PAWS successfully placed over 300 animals in 2025, many of whom might not have had a successful outcome otherwise. Behind this success is the Placement and Guest Experience team at PAWS, who work diligently to identify the best placement option for every animal. Placement options range from reuniting lost pets with their owners; adopting out animals to qualified adopters vetted by PAWS; getting animals placed in foster settings while awaiting adoption; transferring animals to other shelters or rescues that specialize in caring for certain needs; and special placements. Recently, PAWS spearheaded an Exchange Program among our Coalition partners to swap adoptable, overlooked dogs to expose them to new environments and potential adopter markets. 

Ultimately getting our animals adopted is about “getting eyeballs on them” through marketing and promotions. PAWS posts a profile for each animal on our website, automatically promoted to regional and national platforms where potential adopters can search for specific types of pets in specified areas. PAWS has built a social media presence that reaches well beyond Coronado. Adoption events can range from the recent “Cupids and Canines MEGA Adoption Event” involving over 50 San Diego organizations, to community partnerships and events such as the Coronado Island Film Festival, which invited PAWS dogs to “Mama Mia Movie Beach Bash” as guest celebrities; or one of our local supporters, Monarch Soul, conducting a holiday family yoga retreat with PAWS dogs. Each of these events is another chance for PAWS animals to be seen and for interested parties to engage PAWS. 

Community Engagement: Making PAWS a True Community Asset

PAWS is both a beneficiary and provider of Coronado’s unquenchable community spirit. In addition to fulfilling our core mission of animal welfare, PAWS strives to be a true community asset. Our community engagement centers on collaborating with local organizations on mutually beneficial initiatives. For example, PAWS regularly brings calm, social dogs to Coronado Retirement Village for residents to enjoy warm, furry companions. PAWS has brought dogs to school fundraisers and local business events, and partnered with Safe Harbor Coronado to provide support and research on the positive impact of animals on mental health. Groups of Coronado students, including special education students, come to PAWS to meet animals, learn about animal welfare, and to make special treats for the animals. PAWS and the new Coronado Bower Hotel have teamed up on the Bower’s “Kind Traveler” initiative, encouraging guests to learn about and give back to local community groups like PAWS. PAWS participates in the Coronado Nonprofit Leadership Roundtable facilitated by the Coronado Community Foundation to increase collaboration between and impact of those groups.  

PAWS also involves hundreds of dedicated community volunteers logging thousands of hours annually. Fosters, including fosters that PAWS has trained to assist with newborn animals and other special needs, are critical for PAWS to be able to house, rehabilitate, and process the steady stream of animals that regularly push PAWS to capacity. Our volunteers foster, walk and spend time with the animals, help with laundry, prepare food, maintain outdoor areas, and more. In 2025, PAWS initiated a training program for Behavior Support Volunteers, and is rolling out a Medical Support Volunteer program this year. Our volunteers often share how good they feel being around animals and people who are passionate about animal welfare, especially if they’ve lost a pet in the past, are proud parents of rescue animals, or are military volunteers far from home. Volunteerism and community spirit run deep here!

Working With the City: A True Partnership

PAWS serves as Coronado’s municipal animal care and shelter provider under contract with the City. This contract covers about half of PAWS’s operating budget and includes the City’s Animal Care Facility at the Ferry Landing. Additionally, PAWS provides licensing, emergency boarding, and required municipal services. The partnership between PAWS and the City extends beyond this contract. PAWS is honored to have the support of Mayor John Duncan, the City Council, and City Manager Tina Friend; many have visited PAWS to witness our work, appeared and spoken at PAWS events, and good naturedly participated in the PAWS annual “Canine Mayor” and “Cat City Manager” elections that fundraise for PAWS. We look forward to continuing our great working relationship with our City liaison, Kelli Maples, who won the City’s 2025 Employee of the Year Award. City staff have accompanied PAWS staff in audiences with County government agencies focusing on public health, safety, and emergency operations. This cooperation and collaboration prepares Coronado for just about anything.

Our cooperation with the Coronado Police Department (CPD) is critical to PAWS, as CPD brings in strays. These animals are hard to catch, and PAWS staff are often called upon to assist. CPD often brings strays to PAWS late at night. They are integral to the PAWS team and intake process. PAWS also works closely with CPD in cases that require legal action, in cases of animal abuse or when a dog owner is incarcerated or on trial. CPD Officers are always welcomed at PAWS!

PAWS is always ready to help City departments that see opportunities to utilize PAWS. For example, PAWS brought adoptable dogs to and spoke at the re-opening of the Coronado Cays Dog Park with new signage and guidelines. PAWS partnered with the Coronado Tennis Center for an eventful “Puppies and Tennis” day to raise funds for PAWS and help promote the Tennis Center. Many more of these exciting collaborations are planned for 2026!

• Greg Curtin is a passionate advocate for animal welfare and serves as President of the Board for the Pacific Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). A Coronado local who lives here with his wife, Greg is deeply committed to supporting the organization's mission. For more information and to show your support for animals in need, visit pawsofcoronado.org, and follow them on social media, @pawsofcoronado.

• Joe Curtin (Greg's son!) is a local professional lifestyle photographer who generously donated his time to capture these images for PAWS while visiting family over the holidays. Known for his natural, story-driven approach, Joe photographs everything from events and personal portraits to scenic coastal moments, with work spanning from the suburbs of San Diego to the shores of Mallorca, Spain, where he is currently based. Discover more of his photography at joecurtin.com.