Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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spirit of generosity doggies L PAULA FASSEAS' PAWS CHICAGO BRINGS ADOPTABLE PETS TO THE MAG MILE. by jennifer piser wright in the windows uxe shoppers know their pets are welcome at Barneys— but on the first Sunday in May, they'll be able to walk through the door empty-handed and walk out with the dog or cat of their choice. The store will be one of 50 partici- pating in the 15th annual Angels With Tails event, hosted by Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS) Chicago, during which retailers on Michigan Avenue and Oak Street partner with shelters or rescue groups to showcase adoptable pets. "I figured there was no way I could get all of these busy people to trek out to see every shelter, so I did the next best thing," says PAWS founder Paula Fasseas, who has used her unique blend of charm and gumption to corral nearly every major retailer in town, from Chanel to Jimmy Choo. And when Fasseas has an idea, pity the fool who stands in Paula Fasseas with three adorable, adoptable dogs from PAWS. her way. In 1997—a year that saw more than 42,000 homeless animals eutha- nized in Chicago—she launched both PAWS and its signature event, Angels with Tails. Fasseas, who owns the Metropolitan Bank Group with her hus- band, Peter, had learned from her daughter that more than 90 percent of all animals admitted to Chicago's Animal Care and Control (aka the city pound), were euthanized. "My daughter said, 'Mom, all these animals are getting killed, and if you don't do anything, who will?'" says Fasseas. "These poor animals have no voice, and that's why I'm so passionate about it." PAWS Chicago's Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center takes in more than 4,500 homeless pets each year. "These poor animals have no voice, and that's why I'm so passionate about it. " Her mission was simple: to end the unnecessary killing of homeless ani- mals in Chicago. To that end she founded a no-kill shelter (the Pippen Fasseas Adoption Center opened at 1997 North Clybourn in 2007 and adopts out more than 4,500 homeless pets each year) and began to attack the problem from the other side by offering free or low-cost spaying/neutering services in underserved neighborhoods, where homeless pets are rampant. Since PAWS's beginning, there's been a 60 percent reduction in the num- ber of animals killed, a testament to the devotion of PAWS's staff and more than 5,000 annual volunteers. One such devotee is Oprah Winfrey, who has championed PAWS for the last few years, adopting a blonde cocker spaniel, Sadie, from PAWS and featuring the organization on The Oprah Winfrey Show and in O magazine. Winfrey donated $150,000 to name a room in the shelter after her beloved cocker spaniel, Sophie, who passed away in 2008. While fundraising and adoptions happen year-round, spring is an impor- tant time for Fasseas to get her message out—it's when the majority of homeless offspring are born. With more animals on the streets during the warmer continued on page 66 64 michiganavemag.com photography by david johnson; hair and makeup by loni hale at chicagoemergingartists.com