PHILADELPHIA ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY

Our ultimate goal is to reduce the homeless animal population in Philadelphia until only pets who are unsavable due to severe medical or behavioral issues are euthanized in shelters. Specifically, by rescuing animals and providing services to community pets in our clinics, we aim to:

• Reduce the city's use of euthanasia as a means of population control;
• Reduce the number of stray and unwanted pets entering the city's animal control shelter;
• Prevent the birth of unwanted litters born to owned pets; and,
• Enable communities to humanely manage feral and stray cat colonies more effectively and affordably, and in the process, curb the number of stray litters born (which are vulnerable to the elements, susceptible to disease and injury, and potential victims of cruelty).

Our efforts are based out of our boutique-style Adoption Center in the Old City section of Philadelphia, which showcases adoptable animals in an inviting setting, our Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic in the Grays Ferry section, and our Northeast Adoption Center and Low-Cost Clinic, which brings our services to a community that previously lacked them.

Through these locations, combined with our strong and ever-expanding foster care network, PAWS is expanding the safety net for the city's most vulnerable animals. Our rescue efforts match homeless pets with loving fosters and adopters. Our prevention efforts provide struggling pet owners with affordable basic veterinary care. Over time, these services both increase homeless pets' chances of leaving the city's animal control shelter alive and finding safe, caring homes, and decrease the overall number of animals entering the overburdened shelter in the first place or being born on the streets.

RESCUE: Each of our adoption centers can house 2-4 dogs and approximately 40 adoptable cats at any given time. Our no-kill shelters can house a total of 36 sick cats in isolation, enabling them to recover from common illnesses and become ready for adoption. We can also house as many as 80 kittens (with or without their mothers) in our nurseries, while they await placement in temporary foster homes where they can grow in a safe and nurturing environment until they reach an adoptable age. Our shelter's kennels can house up to 17 dogs while they await placement in foster or adoptive homes. In addition to safety, housing, and proper nutrition, all animals in our care receive veterinary attention, daily TLC, socialization, and behavioral enrichment from staff and volunteers. Our goal is to prepare the animals we rescue for a successful transition to a forever home, beginning as soon as they arrive at one of our facilities, and to support that transition even after the animals have left our care, to help ensure success in their new homes.

PREVENTION: Our clinics provide high-quality, high-volume, low-cost basic veterinary care seven days a week. We serve more than 38,000 pets each year, performing thousands of spay/neuter surgeries and providing vaccinations and management/treatment of the most common health conditions (upper respiratory infections, parasites, skin conditions, etc.). The goal of these services is to stop the birth of unwanted litters and to enable pets to remain as cherished family members, rather than face abandonment due to unaffordable or inaccessible veterinary care. We also extend our services to other rescue organizations, so that they can stretch their limited resources and maximize their lifesaving capacity.

PAWS has steadily increased the number of animals it saves and serves, from nearly 3,000 in 2009 to more than 43,000 in 2019. We have done so by constantly working to engage the community in our efforts, making it as easy as possible for them to join our mission by adopting, fostering, volunteering, or donating. We have also expanded our physical presence to include three facilities, making our low-cost clinical services available to as many struggling pet owners as possible.

The primary indicators of our success are the overall intake and euthanasia rates at the city's animal control shelter. Intake and euthanasia rates at the city shelter have been steadily decreasing since 2011 -- both signs that our efforts are making the desired impact on the city's homeless animal population. We must and will continue expanding the safety net we provide to the city's neediest pets until every healthy and treatable pet is guaranteed a home.