PAWS CHICAGO

PAWS Chicago is a national model in No Kill animal sheltering, committed to bringing an end to the killing of homeless cats and dogs. As Chicagoland’s largest No Kill shelter, and one of the largest in the nation, PAWS Chicago has helped to reduce the number of homeless pets killed in the city by 91 percent since its founding in 1997.
Everything PAWS Chicago does is guided by a common mission to transform sheltering operations to offer life, not death, to homeless animals. Our purpose is to build No Kill communities – starting with Chicago – that respect and value the life of every cat and dog. Our commitment is to end the overpopulation of homeless animals through practical efforts and long-term education. And our goal is to transform animal welfare by setting higher standards and developing sustainable, evidence-based solutions.

PAWS Chicago’s ongoing success is a result of our commitment to our grounding principle of community engagement. It is only by raising awareness of pet homelessness and engaging people in these efforts, can we make lasting change. It is the power of community engagement that fuels our lifesaving efforts and our four core programs: prevention, adoption, volunteering and animal health and behavior.

PAWS Chicago’s four life-saving programs are inspired by eight key values which guides our decision-making to ensure we remain focused on making long-term, sustainable change.
• Respect: for each and every life.
• Community: of people and organizations committed to helping homeless pets.
• Innovation: to constantly improve best practices and seek out new ideas and strategies to save more lives. To be a Learning Center that evolves and grows.
• Pro-activity: to solve difficult problems and to be prepared to offer emergency and crisis support.
• Transparency: that informs the public about the fate of homeless animals.
• Education: that raises awareness about the realities that homeless animals face in the community and across the nation, providing a forum for people to get involved in effecting change. Promote and support reasonable pet ownership.
• Sustainability: through financial management practices that maximize the impact and reach of our resources and ensure that PAWS Chicago will always be a resource for homeless animals.
• Compassion: towards all people and animals.

With strong community support, PAWS Chicago has been able to build the life-saving programs that continue to make a tremendous difference for homeless animals in Chicago. PAWS Chicago's lifesaving success is rooted in our No Kill Model, which can be replicated and scaled in any community. Community Engagement is the foundation of our No Kill Model. It is the power of community engagement that fuels our lifesaving efforts and our four core programs: prevention, adoption, volunteers, and animal health and behavior.

PREVENTION:
The single most effective way to end pet homelessness is to prevent it. Prevention programs are a key focus of our efforts to reduce the number of animals entering shelters each year. Providing free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries in targeted communities was one of PAWS Chicago’s first major initiatives and we opened the Lurie Clinic in 2000. Located in the heart of Little Village, a vibrant but at-risk community with few other veterinary services available, the PAWS Chicago Medical Center and Lurie Clinic are strategically located where the majority of stray and unwanted pets originate. PAWS performed almost 10,000 spay/neuter surgeries last year.

In addition to the work being done at our adoption centers and medical center, the PAWS for Life program provides access to spay/neuter and wellness services to pets living in the most underserved areas of Chicago and enables residents to keep pets in their home. In 2020, the program was able to serve a total of 2,353 pets.

ADOPTION:
A robust Adoption program that increases visibility through welcoming adoption centers, a dynamic social media strategy and innovative programming is also key to building a No Kill city. PAWS Chicago’s cageless state-of-the art adoption centers are thoughtfully located in high-traffic areas. Additionally, PAWS regularly holds adoption events at local retail stores and shopping centers to find loving homes for pets and raise awareness in the community. In 2020, PAWS performed 4,100 adoptions.

VOLUNTEER
Our robust volunteer program made up of dedicated members of our community are essential to every aspect of our life-saving efforts. With many programs being resource intensive, the work of PAWS Chicago would not be possible without the support of our impassioned and charitable volunteers. In 2020, PAWS Chicago volunteers served 84,167 hours; the equivalent of 40 full-time employees.

ANIMAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIOR
PAWS is committed to the life of every pet and will treat every sick, injured and behaviorally challenged but rehabilitatable pet, regardless of the time or resources required. Through our state-of-the art shelter medicine and animal behavior programs, each pet receives full medical treatment and rehabilitation. In 2020, PAWS continued to see an increase in the number of animals we rescued that were sick or injured. Despite these challenges, PAWS once again, was able to achieve over a 98.17 percent save rate.

As one of the largest No Kill organizations in the country, PAWS Chicago has developed a comprehensive No Kill model to build and sustain a No Kill City. Our innovative lifesaving programs can be replicated and scaled in any community.

The PAWS Chicago No Lill model works. It saves lives. Unites communities. Creates a sustainable future.

PAWS works to steadily reduce the number of homeless animals born by operating the Midwest's largest high-volume spay/neuter clinic, conducting more than 271,000 surgeries since our founding at free or subsidized rates. In addition, PAWS has found homes for more than 68,000 animals by redefining the shelter adoption experience through innovative adoption events and a cage-free adoption center. PAWS Chicago volunteer force provides vital support for animal care, community building, fundraising, advocacy and humane education. Without this impassioned labor force, the extent of PAWS Chicago’s lifesaving work would not be possible.

While working toward long-term solutions, PAWS Chicago's daily operations are focused on the health and wellness of every single animal in its care. Through a high-quality shelter medicine and training program, PAWS ensures that each animal is given the best possible medical and behavioral rehabilitation. With this program, PAWS has maintained a 98.17% save rate.

With PAWS’ comprehensive No Kill model, the organization has helped to reduce the number of homeless pets killed in our city by 91%. Real change in the treatment of animals has occurred as these once homeless animals have become essential members of our families. We are close to achieving our goal of a No Kill Chicago, where homeless animals are no longer killed to manage of overpopulation. But we must continue to remain focused on the programs that have brought us this far, to reach and maintain a No Kill City.

PAWS Chicago’s realized early on that curtailing pet overpopulation was key to building a No Kill City and opened the Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic in 2000 as the organization’s first major initiative. The facility, located in the heart of Little Village, is strategically located where a large volume of stray animals originate. By targeting our spay/neuter services to communities who need them the most, PAWS is able to maximize our impact.

PAWS Chicago revolutionized the sheltering of Chicago’s homeless animals in 2007 with the state-of-the-art Lincoln Park Adoption Center. In late 2014, PAWS expanded its footprint with a new North Shore Adoption Center in Highland Park. Since our founding, PAWS has celebrated more than 68,000 adoptions.

In 2008, PAWS Chicago became one of the first animal welfare organizations in the Midwest to integrate shelter medicine into its operations and is now a leading shelter in innovative best practices. Shelter Medicine provides individualized care for each animal in the shelter, while also managing the health of the total population of animals housed in the shelter. This program is key because as we are moving closer towards a No Kill city, the population of pets that needs to be saved is sicker, has more serious illness or injury or requires behavior modification. Since we are one of the few shelters that take in and treat for highly contagious diseases, we are often the last hope for many of these animals.

In 2014, PAWS launched our PAWS for Life Community Outreach Program which provides free spay/neuter and pet wellness services to three of Chicago’s most underserved communities. The program conducts grassroots door-to-door outreach to reach people that would not be reached by traditional outreach methods with pet wellness information and resources. Through the program we are helping pets to say in their homes and reducing the number of pets relinquished to shelters.

PAWS is now focused on expanding our Medical Center which will increase our ability to take in and treat more sick and injured pets. Thousands of the animals coming to PAWS Chicago require treatment beyond the standard care protocols. Many suffer from contagious but treatable illnesses, which require that they be kept in isolation or quarantine. The new facility will be the most advanced homeless pet hospital in the nation, increasing our isolation and quarantine capacity to treat sick and injured animals.