Paw It 4ward looks to help local shelter animals with Rock 4 Paws, a fun festival with beer, music and dogs
By Tom Beck
The Sun
Dogs, cats, beer and music galore will be on hand at Medford’s Indian Acres Farm on Sept. 16 for Rock 4 Paws, an event put on by the Paw It 4ward Foundation, a Cherry Hill-based animal rescue organization. Attendees are encouraged to bring their pets, and admission is free.
The event, which starts at 1 p.m. and ends at 6 p.m., will feature a wide variety of animal shelters on hand with dogs and cats available to adopt. Additionally, there will be a beer garden, wine garden, a dog grooming station and live music.
Local artists Eric Michael Riley, The Defused, The Steve Oakley Band, Behind Deadlines and the Bad Bees are all slated to perform at the event.
At the grooming station, groomers will be offering to do stencil designs on dogs, as well as $5 nail clippings for pets.
Microchipping services will be offered for $20.
Azita Kay, founder and CEO of the Paw It 4ward Foundation, stresses that adoption is the best way to acquire a new furry best friend. She said buying a puppy from a store is bad because stores typically get them from puppy mills, which, according to Kay, are notorious for inbreeding and mistreating dogs.
“You’re saving a life,” she said. “A lof of the dogs and cats that end up in shelters aren’t strayed or abused. They just lost their homes and they’re great pets. A lot of them are potty-trained and crate-trained and know commands already. You [sometimes] have a lot less medical needs because they’re not inbred from a puppy mill.”
She added many rescues will “support you throughout the entire process,” and “they know a lot more about the pets so they can match you with the right pet.”
It’s important to note that while you can look at adoptable pets at the event, you likely won’t be able to leave with one.
“Most rescues — if you’re interested in one of their animals, you put in an application and they work with you to make sure it matches your family,” Kay said. “ [Sometimes] they’ll do a home visit, but every rescue is totally different.”
Kay says supporting Paw It 4ward is a good cause for a variety of reasons.
First, she says, the foundation has its own “bully breed dog rescue,” which includes dogs such as pit bulls, bull dogs and mastiffs.
Additionally, the foundation provides medical funding for local dog rescues “so they have enough money to save a dog or cat who’s at risk of being euthanized,” she said.
She stressed that Rock 4 Paws is a great way to fundraise for these costs.
“It’s a great way for people to feel confident about where they’re money is going and who they’re supporting,” she said.
