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Mission Paws goes to the dogs - and cats
LAURA ARCHAZKI-PACTER / Staff
Mission Paws founder Elizabeth Torrisi, 12, holds a few of her happy’and comfort blankets, as well as a thankful recipient.
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In the dog days of summer, 12-year-old Elizabeth Torrisi found puppy love, at the Humane Society Naples.
Regular visitors to the shelter on Airport Road, Torrisi and her mother, Diane, wanted to do more for the animals awaiting “forever families.”
“I was walking around Joanne’s Fabrics with my friends, when the idea came to me. I looked at the dog and cat motifs and decided to make ‘happy blankets’ and ‘comfort blankets’ for the animals,” says Elizabeth.
The mother-daughter team stitched up the winning idea – Mission Paws -- and have donated more than 45 blankets to the shelter.
So what’s the difference between a happy and a comfort blanket?
“Happy blankets are for the animals waiting adoption and the comfort blankets are for the puppies and the pets in the clinic,” Elizabeth explains.
Fabrics for these blankets are different, too. The duo designed cotton quilted blankets for the canines and felines awaiting adoption, while comfort bedding is designed with two layers of fleece, to aid in the well-being of an animal following surgery.
“When pets come into the recovery room, the comfort blankets reduce their stress and they recover faster,” Diane says about how the blankets provide more than warmth in animals’ lives at the clinic.
Working with HSN public relations coordinator Stephen Wright, the Torrisis visit the shelter on weekends to deliver the blankets. Sometimes the happy blankets don’t survive the overly loving dogs, which the Torrisis have come to know on a first-name basis.
“Dogs would sometimes chew the blankets on their dog couches,” Elizabeth says as she pets Scoobie, a small mixed-breed puppy waiting to be adopted. “If we can repair them, we try.”
The blankets are the cat’s meow in the feline section of the shelter, too. Wright points to blankets made by the Torrisis lining the boxes he built for the cats three years ago. Previous visitors may recall metal cages, where each cat was housed individually in the viewing area. Wright’s creative, hand-painted cat nooks, combined with Torrisi’s happy blankets, now provide a well-crafted, healthier, homier atmosphere.
“They do it all, and they deliver. You can’t ask for better volunteers,” Wright says of the Torrisis.
The Community School of Naples seventh-grader reflects that commitment in her goal to expand the program.
“My goal is to get every single animal shelter in Collier County to use these blankets,” she says. “We hope it inspires other moms and children.”
Supporters can also provide financial donations to further the Paws cause. A $10 donation covers the cost of one dog blanket or three cat blankets.
As a straight-A student, Elizabeth also manages to find time for school work, dance, community service and care for her own pets - schnauzers Ralphie, Emma and Lilly, a rabbit Chloe and turtles Buddy, Junior and Franky.
For more information on Mission Paws and how you can help, email missionpaws@gmail.com.
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