Niki Dawson and her team are virtually the only civilians walking through the streets of Pacific Palisades today. They are not residents: rather, they are volunteers, looking for pets that owners cannot reach.
In the scramble to evacuate the area on January 7 as the fast-moving Palisades Fire raced in, driven by the Santa Ana wind, many residents were forced to leave beloved dogs, cats, and other animals behind. Now, with the National Guard and Los Angeles Police Department patrolling every access point to deter looters, residents cannot return to rescue their pets.
“Paws of War” has stepped in to help. The organization, which is based in New York, is aimed at helping veterans and first responders house rescued animals, and form therapeutic bonds with them. But in the Palisades Fire, Paws of War is providing a key lifeline for pet owners who are desperately worried that their pets have been lost.
Dawson told Breitbart News that her group responds to specific requests from pet owners. They have already located several pets and returned them to their owners. If they cannot find a specific animal, they leave food and water near an address where the pet is normally housed.
Dawson’s phone number is (908) 966-3098 in case anyone knows of an animal that is missing.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
