Pet Animal Welfare Society of Connecticut

PAWS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in continuous operation since 1962 by Westport, Connecticut resident Betty Long to rescue homeless dogs and place them in permanent homes. In the early 1980s, our rescue efforts were expanded to include cats. PAWS rescues & rehomes approximately 115 dogs and 435 cats annually. Many of the dogs faced euthanasia at local pounds and most of the cats that we help are strays and abandoned cats that roam our streets. A portion of the pets that come to PAWS have been relinquished by their owners who are no longer able to care for them.

As we are a registered non-profit, all contributions to PAWS are fully tax-deductible as allowed by law.

PAWS has a handful of paid staff and a team of dedicated volunteers that help with everything to fundraising, to kennel work, to walking dogs and much, much more. Every person at PAWS is a valued & needed member of our team - without them we could not accomplish the miracle that happen every day!

For 37 years, PAWS rented space from local boarding kennels & veterinary hospitals. Over time, the demands placed on us by the community increased and we felt that in order to increase & expand our services, we would need our own shelter. In 1999, PAWS undertook the task of building a shelter of our own. We moved into our own shelter in 2001 and have since greatly increased the number of pets we have been able to help.

We constantly seek to increase the number of lives we can save by finding adoptive homes for the animals in our care, working closely with other animal groups, and raising funds to secure the supplies and facilities necessary for our operation.

PAWS also seeks to decrease the number of unwanted pets by informing and educating the public about the importance of spaying and neutering. 

PROGRAMS:

PAWS is always looking for ways to increase our adoptions, improve the lives of the animals in our care & improve the lives of our adopters. To achieve those goals we have the following programs:

• Pets for Patriots: We joined this established program to help members of the military adopt shelter pets.
• Reading to Rescues: Young readers improve their reading skills while also helping our dogs and cats at the shelter. Reading to our shelter pets will offer a non-judgmental environment to children who may be often intimidated to read aloud in their classes. We will provide a relaxed atmosphere which will allow children to practice their reading skills while offering a calm and soothing presence to our shelter animals. 
• Families for Felines: Those who are between the ages of 13 and 17 will have the opportunity to volunteer with a parent or guardian in our cat volunteer program.  Some responsibilities include socializing with the cats, assisting with cleaning of litter pans, doing laundry, and loading / unloading the dishwasher. 
• Foster for Cats and Kittens: Volunteers temporarily care for PAWS cats and/or kittens in their homes until they are ready for permanent placement. There are four areas of foster care: infant kittens who may need bottle feeding, self-sufficient underage kittens, nursing mother and litter, cats in need of lengthy treatment and/or recovery.
• Dog Training Program: We partner local dog trainers & a local daycare facility to help overcome the behavioral issues that resulted in dogs being relinquished to our shelter.
• Sponsor a Pet: Another way to support our mission and makes a great gift to someone for his/her birthday or holidays. Your one-time donation of $50 for a cat will help defray the cost of food and litter, or purchase a hidey box for the new arrival. Your one-time donation of $75 for a dog will help pay for a training session, or an outing for the day.
• Internships: We work closely with local high schools to schedule seniors for weekly hours to help with various animal care and other shelter tasks.
• Spay/Neuter: The pets are spayed/neutered prior to leaving PAWS. 
• TNR: We currently perform limited TNR. Any cats in the colonies that are found to be friendly are brought to PAWS for placement into homes.
• Post adoption follow up: We regularly follow up with adopters to ensure the transition from shelter to home is going smoothly. If there are issues, we will send an adoption counselor to the home, provide following training or other assistance.
• Advertising: We advertise our pets for adoption in multiple channels–including our own website, databases such as PetFinder and Adopt-a-Pet, through flyers in our community, and through our social media platforms.
• PAWS partners with other rescue organizations to continue to explore ways we can increase adoptions & educate others and ourselves.
• PAWS participates in many local community events including St Patrick's Day parades, Westport Dog Festival, Catherine Hubbard Butterfly Party, Norwalk Boat Show, to name a few.