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:

• Senior Cats for Senior Laps: Reduced adoption fee & other forms of support for senior citizens adopting cats 7+ years.
• Pets for Patriots: We joined this established program to help members of the military adopt “at risk” pets.
• Dog Training Program: We have partnered with a local dog training & daycare facility to help overcome the behavioral issues that resulted in dogs being relinquished to our shelter.
• Spay/Neuter: Over 90% of our pets are spayed/neutered prior to leaving PAWS. All kittens are spayed as soon as they reach 3 lbs. All pit bull-type dogs are altered prior to being adopted.
• Our Community Support Program helps low income owners with food assistance or medical assistance (including spay/neuter) so that they can keep their pets in their homes rather than relinquish them to a shelter.
• 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, ads on “DMT TV” (ads shown on TV at the motor vehicle office) through flyers in our community, social media, newspaper classifieds & Craiglist.
• PAWS partners with other organizations to continue to explore ways we can increase adoptions & educate others. We reach out to organizations such as Animal Farm Foundation & FeralCare so we can educate not only the public but also other rescue organizations on issues such as pit bull type dogs & the importance of TNR.