 We
found him on the Greek island of Crete. A resourceful, spunky terrier, Pippen
loved being the center of attention. As with all Greek strays, he would have
been poisoned by farmers after the tourist season ended. We could not leave this
adorable pup, who’d won our hearts, to such a cruel fate! Pippen had won himself
a one-way ticket to America.
After settling into an urban life in Chicago, Pippen had become a new member of
our family. His unique personality and adorable mannerisms made us avid animal
lovers. He brought us such love that I opted to fill my high school community
service at the local humane society. After going through the junior volunteer
training program, I was shocked to learn that homeless cats and dogs did not
face a better life in the United States. In fact, as in Greece, there was a pet
overpopulation problem, but the general public did not know. Rather than roaming
the streets at will, Chicago’s homeless cats and dogs were taken to shelters
where the majority—more than 40,000 each year—was killed in back rooms, in gas
chambers or by lethal injection.
As a response, our mother founded PAWS Chicago in 1997. Initially intended to be
an advocacy
organization that would raise awareness about pet overpopulation
through citywide events,
 PAWS Chicago soon developed into a comprehensive humane
organization, dedicated to bringing the proven lifesaving No Kill methadology to
Chicago and eliminate the killing of homeless pets.
Pippen
did not live to see the fruits of his inspiration. He passed on October 25,
2005, two years before the grand opening of PAWS Chicago’s Pippen Fasseas
Adoption & Humane Center in Lincoln Park, the first state-of-the-art, cageless
No Kill shelter in the Midwest and one of only a few in the nation.But
Pippen’s legacy lives on with every life that is saved. His unique spirit and
personable characteristics serve to remind us of the love, personality and
devotion that every homeless pet possesses. Homeless cats and dogs wish only to
devote their lives to a family of their own. PAWS Chicago is working so that one
day, every one of them will be celebrated for their individuality and the joy
they bring to this world.
~Alexis Fasseas
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