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Last call to raise a glass at Pours for PAWS!

Online ticket sales have closed, but a limited number of tickets will be available at the door tonight for our fourth annual Pours for PAWS, hosted by the Young Friends of PAWS at Positano Coast. Join us for an open bar, great food, and a night alongside fellow animal lovers—all in support of PAWS’ mission to make Philadelphia a safe place for pets and the people who love them!

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Be their bridge to a brighter future: foster with PAWS

When you open your home to a PAWS foster, you’re giving a pet a safe place to land when they need it most. With more animals arriving every day, even a short foster stay can be truly life-changing — offering comfort, healing, and hope while making space for another pet in need. We’ll provide everything you need…all you have to bring is the love!

SIGN UP TO FOSTER

Shop our wishlist to help shelter pets today

With our kennels at capacity, our most-needed items run out quickly. From nutritious wet food to keep pets of all ages nourished, to paper towels and cleaning supplies that help us maintain safe, comfortable spaces, every item makes a direct difference. Shop our most-needed items and make sure pets have the essentials they rely on every day.

SEND SHELTER SUPPLIES

PAWS is hiring: join our team!

Join PAWS for a meaningful career in animal welfare! Work alongside passionate animal lovers and help us fulfill our mission of saving lives and building a better future for Philadelphia’s pets and people.

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Meet your new best friend!

Meet the PAWS animals who are most in need of homes! Whether they have special needs or simply have been waiting longer than others, they need your help to find loving families. Every animal we adopt out creates room in our shelters to save another, so each adoption truly saves a life.

View all adoptable pets

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE CATS

All PAWS pets are spayed/neutered, given age-appropriate vaccines, microchipped, and examined by a veterinarian before adoption. Click the button below to browse cats currently available by location. Our thorough matchmaking process allows us to find the best fit for you and your family.

VIEW CATS

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE DOGS

All PAWS pets are spayed/neutered, given age-appropriate vaccines, microchipped, and examined by a veterinarian before adoption. Click the button below to browse dogs currently available by location. Our thorough matchmaking process allows us to find the best fit for you and your family.

VIEW DOGS

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE SMALL ANIMALS

All PAWS pets are spayed/neutered, given age-appropriate vaccines, microchipped, and examined by a veterinarian before adoption. Click the button below to browse small animals currently available by location. Our thorough matchmaking process allows us to find the best fit for you and your family.

VIEW SMALL ANIMALS

PAWS is the city's largest rescue partner.

We are working to make Philadelphia a place where every healthy and treatable pet is guaranteed a home. We do so through rescue, foster care, adoption, and preventing pet homelessness in the first place by offering low-cost spay/neuter and basic vet care.

Support Our Lifesaving Efforts

Donate Today

Make a one-time gift or commit to monthly support. Give in honor or memory of someone special.

Donate

Create a Fundraiser

Raise support from family and friends for your birthday, in honor of your pet, or for any occasion.

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More ways to give

Donate needed supplies, provide for the animals in your planned giving, plan an event, and more.

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Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics

Keeping pets and families together through low-cost basic veterinary services. Our clinics in Grays Ferry and the Northeast serve tens of thousands of pets every year whose caretakers may not afford care elsewhere.

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Recent News

04.21.26

Tiny paws, big needs: PAWS’ Virtual Kitten Shower

Spring marks the start of kitten season, when thousands of vulnerable kittens and nursing mothers begin arriving at the city shelter. At PAWS, our nursery is already filling up with a steady stream of tiny, fragile lives who need immediate care — and we need your help to be ready for what’s ahead. Help us […]
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04.17.26

Grays Ferry shelter & clinic reopen as of Friday, April 17

Dear Friends, We are writing to share an important update following last week’s tragic construction collapse next door to our Grays Ferry shelter and clinic. Demolition of the parking garage was completed on Sunday evening, and the remains of the two missing workers were recovered soon after. Our hearts remain with their loved ones and […]
Read More
View All

43,902 animals saved

We rescue animals, primarily from the city shelter, almost daily with a focus on the most vulnerable: adult dogs, kittens, cats recovering from illnesses, and small animals. Once safe at PAWS, they receive everything they need to become ready for adoption, then are matched with loving homes.

178,607 volunteer hours served

PAWS’ dedicated and caring volunteers are essential in every aspect of our lifesaving efforts.

413,449 clinic patients served

Our low-cost Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics prevent pet homelessness and provide a needed resource in our community, enabling loving pet owners to care for and keep their dogs and cats as family.

167,998 spay/neuters performed

PAWS provides low-cost spay/neuter surgery for owned pets, rescues and community cats to prevent the birth of unwanted litters. Our efforts are working: since our clinics opened their doors, the number of homeless animals entering Philadelphia’s city shelter has declined year over year.

PAWS Partners

Our lifesaving work is possible with the meaningful support of business and community partners.

See our Partners

Current Partners

PAWS' impact grows as our services expand & progress continues

By rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding loving adopters for homeless animals with nowhere else to go, and providing affordable vet care and other services so pets can stay in their homes where they are loved, PAWS provides a vital and growing safety net for Philadelphia's most vulnerable cats and dogs. The pandemic has prompted a shift toward more intensive, individualized care for more complex needs.
2010
7154
2012
16160
2014
26188
2016
36510
2018
40455
2020
33840
2021
34528
2023
34801
Pets Served 100 100
More Shelter Statistics

Join us on social media

View Instagram post by phillypaws

Apr 23

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18123028099617412
A very important wishlist plea from Garlette! Following the tragic building collapse next door, we had to delay a very important shipment of kitty litter for our shelter cats due to lack of delivery access. We’re now severely low on litter as a result, and need your help to bridge the gap until our delivery arrives next week! We are in need of *NON-CLUMPING* kitty litter, and there are a few ways you can assist! 🐾 Send through our Chewy or Amazon wishlists (link in bio)! 🐾 Drop off at any PAWS location during regular hours 🐾 Ship through the retailer of your choice to: PAWS 2900 Grays Ferry Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19146 Can’t donate right now? You can still help us spread the word by sharing this post!

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Apr 22

Open post by phillypaws with ID 17926208172292562
Wanted: dog fosters! If you’d like to welcome an adorable canine houseguest for a few weeks, we’ve got several friendly pups who’d love to be your spring fling. In addition to giving a PAWS dog a loving home, you’ll be allowing us to rescue a new pup from ACCT, which will leave an open spot for the next homeless dog arriving at the city shelter! PAWS provides everything you’ll need to get started, including: 🔹One-on-one behavior plan and support 🔹Medical care at our clinics 🔹Matchmaking to find your foster a great adopter 🔹Supplies like collars, leashes, and crates (food can also be provided if that’s a barrier!) Our team is ready to make you a match, and fosters are needed all spring and summer. Email foster@phillypaws.org to learn more, or sign up to foster now at our #linkinbio! 🐾 Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society📍 2900 Grays Ferry Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19146 (by appointment only) ⭐️ PA License # 06172

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Apr 22

Open post by phillypaws with ID 17898198315429620
Time is running out to protect Philadelphia’s outdoor cats: PAWS triple TNR match ends at midnight! For just a few more hours, your gift will go three times as far to support PAWS’ TNR Voucher Fund — providing critical spay/neuter surgeries, vaccines, and lifesaving care. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a lifeline for the thousands of stray & feral cats in Philadelphia. Without it, countless kittens are born outdoors, and only 1 in 4 survive. By stopping the cycle before it starts, your gift brings relief to cats now and protects future generations from needless suffering. The clock is ticking on this incredible triple-match opportunity: don’t miss your chance to create lasting change for Philly’s most vulnerable cats! Make your gift now via Instagram, Venmo (username @phillypaws), or through our #linkinbio.

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Together, we will make Philadelphia a no-kill city.

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