Here’s a world that can make your life richer.
Here’s a world that can make your life richer.
Companionship on an ordinary evening. Laughter you didn’t see coming. Wonder in a wild moment. Care that quietly changes who you are. WOW Paws shares the many ways animals make human life richer, and the love that so often grows along the way.
An animal doesn't need to achieve anything to matter.
“Hi, I'm Haniel. I watch the humans. Somehow, they end up noticing more about themselves.”
Haniel, Chief Human Observer
Haniel is a 14-year-old Miniature Pinscher and the much-loved dog of Marcela Onyx, founder of WOW Impact. Curious, observant and occasionally cheeky, she is the heart behind WOW Paws.
In her own words
“I've crossed an ocean, settled into a new country and walked more parks than I can count. Humans are complicated. I keep it simple. I watch, I wait, and I remind you to look up.”
Haniel's series
A dog’s-eye view of the curious ways humans behave. Why we rush past the good smells. Why we check our phones when a perfectly good stick is right there. Why we say “five more minutes” and mean twenty. Short, observant and occasionally cheeky, these notes invite us to see ourselves a little more clearly.
It started with a dog who wasn’t ours. My husband and I were living by the sea in Brazil when we found a little white dog wandering alone near the beach. We took her home for the afternoon, and in just a few hours the whole house felt different. That evening her family came to collect her. When she left, we looked at each other and knew. We wanted a dog of our own.
Soon after, we drove an hour to meet two puppies. One of them jumped straight from the owner’s arms into mine and covered me in kisses. It didn’t feel like meeting a puppy for the first time. It felt like recognition. We had gone there to choose a dog. But Haniel had already made her choice.
She moved with us from Brazil to the UK. She shared our happiest days and our hardest ones. Through it all, she has stayed close. Her story is the reason WOW Paws exists.
Marcela Onyx, Founder, WOW Impact
WOW Paws reaches far beyond the sofa. The rescue greyhound and the house rabbit. The ferret with a secret sock stash and the guinea pig who squeaks when the fridge opens. The farm cats and working dogs of country life. The hedgehog in the garden, the badger trundling home at dusk, the bear or tiger glimpsed on a journey far from home.
Science that surprises, stories that move, and a few that will make you smile.
Tell us about the moment an animal made your life richer. Everyday or life-changing. Hilarious or tender.
Charities, conservation projects, vets, trainers, photographers, artists and businesses with an animal story to tell. If you’d like to share expert insight, show the work you do with animals, collaborate with WOW Paws or discuss a commercial partnership, start here.
This route is separate from personal stories, which are always free to share.
Send a photo, a short video or a few words. A photo with a one-line caption is enough. If you’d like to write more, up to 500 words is perfect.
Selected contributions may be shared on the WOW Paws website, WOW Impact channels or in the magazine. If we’d love to feature yours, we’ll email you first.
“My best side? All of them.”
Haniel
We’ll use your details to review your contribution, contact you about it and credit you if shared. If you choose to receive WOW Impact news, we’ll also email you updates. To ask us to remove it, email connect@thewowimpact.com.
Not at all. Everyday moments are often the ones that touch people most.
No. Any animal with paws, anywhere in the world, is welcome. Hamster or lion, we’d love to hear.
Yes. A photo with a one-line caption is welcome.
We can’t share every contribution. If we’d love to feature yours, we’ll email you first.
We may shorten it or crop a photo to fit. We’ll never change what you meant.
You do, or the person who gave you permission to share them. You simply give us permission to use them.
Of course. Choose “Keep me anonymous” on the form.
Yes. Email connect@thewowimpact.com and we’ll remove it from our website and the channels we control. We can’t recall printed magazines, or copies other people have already shared.
Personal stories are always free to share. Any paid features or partnerships are arranged separately and clearly labelled.
