Donate to PAWS Animal Shelter!

Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, more commonly known as PAWS, is a rescue center with different Philadelphia buildings to house the variety of furry friends they have. Old City Adoption Center houses cats and guinea pigs, and is free to the public to just browse and interact with the animals. Other centers such as the Grays Ferry location don’t allow people without the intention to adopt to just wander through the building, especially since to even get to look at the dogs you need an appointment.

“Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS, is an amazing organization that does so much to not only help homeless or unwanted animals but also help families who are struggling to keep their beloved pets in difficult times,” says English teacher and Book Club advisor, Mrs. Desmond.

She continues, “PAWS offers a no-kill shelter space for a myriad of animals in multiple locations, and they also have a low-cost vet clinic so pet owners can get the care their animals need. In addition, they have great programs like the Safety Net program, in which a volunteer can foster a pet for a family that is facing housing insecurity–in that way, that family can at least know their beloved pet is cared for while they deal with the daunting task of finding affordable housing,”

Once a pet is rescued, PAWS takes care of every need the animal could have, and they continue to care for these animals all the way until they find a loving home. PAWS has saved nearly 5,000 dogs with their dog program being highly successful due to their commitment to training the dogs.

The PAWS adoption process starts by putting in an application. Currently, they are only accepting applications for the animals within their shelter, which you can find on their website or social media pages. When adopting a pet at a PAWS center you of course have to pay a fee ranging (when it comes to dogs at least) $150 for large older dogs to $250 for smaller dogs and puppies. These fees are due to the fact that the pet you adopt will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, treated for fleas, and microchipped. Adopting prices are much lower at a shelter than a pet store, and the pets come with all the medical procedures they need already done.

When looking for your next pet keep in mind that,  “…pets are family members who enrich our lives–just like my cat Junebug who is a PAWS alumnus!” shared Mrs. Desmond. 

Fundraising and donations are majorly how PAWS has remained successful in providing a caring and loving environment for these animals who have been left loveless for so long (though PAWS does more than just rescue animals they also hold animals for families in financial crisis or who can’t take care of the pet at the current moment). One of PAWS’ biggest events is the Mutt Strutt they hold every year in October. This year, on October 5th, PAWS will hold its 18th Mutt Strut and for those reading who feel like you’ve heard of this before, likely you have from Gateway’s morning announcements.

Every year Gateway’s Book Club, run by Mrs. Desmond, fundraises for the Mutt Strutt as the club’s community service project. Almost every year the club raises over 500 dollars for the animals in need just by going door to door during morning meetings. Donations are highly appreciated by the PAWS organization, and you can even donate directly to PAWS through their website. Even just giving some spare change to the students coming to the morning meets can make a difference!