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Fee-waived adoptions for Clear the Shelters

This Saturday, August  29, Clear The Shelters culminates with fee-waived adoptions for all cats and kittens at PAWS’ Old City Adoption Center and PAWS’ Broad and Washington PetSmart Adoption Center. Apply ahead of time to become an approved adopter, then stop by to meet your new best friend this weekend! When you adopt, you’re not just changing one life — you’re making room for us to save another.

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Sip beer, save lives: Found Friends IPA release party

Celebrate the return of Dock Street’s Found Friends, a hazy IPA brewed to support PAWS, with a release party on Wednesday, September 2 from 5-8PM at Dock Street Brewery South! This dog-friendly event will feature a raffle, info to learn about providing temporary care for pets in need, and weather permitting, doggie pools for pups to cool off! For every 4-pack sold, $1 will be donated to support PAWS’ lifesaving efforts.

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PAWS 20th Birthday Celebration: Tickets available now!

Join us on Thursday, November 5 at FringeArts as we celebrate 20 extraordinary years of lifesaving and the community that has made it all possible! Enjoy an unforgettable evening featuring delicious vegetarian and vegan bites, festive cocktails, music and dancing, a silent auction, adoptable PAWS dogs dressed to impress, and more! Purchase your tickets today. 

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Affordable vet care: PAWS is here to support you

PAWS’ two wellness clinics in Grays Ferry and Northeast Philadelphia are open to the public by appointment to provide accessible spay/neuter and veterinary care for pet owners, rescue organizations, and community cat caretakers. Whether your pet needs preventative care, treatment for an illness or injury, or spay/neuter surgery, PAWS is here to help!

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Fetch your 20th annual Mutt Strut tickets

The Mutt Strut returns to the Philadelphia Navy Yard on Saturday, October 3 for our 20th anniversary! Join us for Philly’s favorite dog walk and fall festival featuring a scenic walk, live music, food trucks, games, vendors, and costume contests, all while raising lifesaving funds for the city’s most at-risk pets and the people who love them.

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Shop our wishlist to support pets in PAWS' care

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.

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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.

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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

08.10.26

Dog owner support survey

Philadelphia dog owners, we want to hear from you! PAWS is exploring new ways to support dogs and the people who love them — and your input can help us understand what resources would make the biggest difference. Whether it’s help with veterinary care, training, pet supplies, or something else entirely, we want to know […]
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08.06.26

PAWS Medical Relief Fund Expands Access to Lifesaving Veterinary Care for Homeless Pets

Since 2006, the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has played a leading role in transforming animal welfare in Philadelphia, helping to drive a nearly 50% decrease in animals entering the city shelter and increasing the survival rate for those who do. But as Philadelphia has made great lifesaving progress, the animals currently most at-risk in […]
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44,695 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.

421,793 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.

171,686 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

Aug 26

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18100190276570894
Beer enthusiasts and animal advocates, rejoice! @dockstreetbeer is reintroducing Dock Street Found Friends for its fourth year, a delectable hazy IPA crafted to support PAWS. For every 4-pack sold, $1 will be donated to support PAWS’ mission of making Philadelphia a place where every savable pet is guaranteed a home, and pet owners have the resources they need to keep their family whole. Join us at the Found Friends release party on Wednesday, September 2 from 5-8pm at Dock Street Brewery South! This dog-friendly event will feature a raffle with great prizes, a PAWS foster table where you can learn about providing temporary care for pets in need, plus information on other ways to get involved with and support our work. We hope to see you there!

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Aug 25

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18125197484507619
Sweeter than dessert, overflowing with love, big on cuddles, and perfectly built to be your little spoon, Strawberry Short King may just be your happily-ever-after! When it comes to showing adoration, physical touch is his love language! Equally happy settled down directly on top of you or glued to your side, Strawberry Short King is NOT shy when it comes to asking for more pets. He loves nothing more than to be as close to his person as possible and he’ll gladly give your face or hand a gentle nudge if he feels he’s not been given the love and attention he craves. Whether your ideal day involves neighborhood walks, adventures with your loyal sidekick, or marathon snuggle sessions on the couch, Strawberry Short King is ready to be right there with you — preferably touching you if possible. This smart, sweet, attentive, and endlessly affectionate young man can’t wait to be the king of your castle (or at least your 50 lb weighted blanket)! Short King is 5 years old, and his adoption fee is waived through August 31 for #ClearTheShelters! 🐾 Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society📍 2900 Grays Ferry Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19146 (by appointment only) ⭐️ PA License # 06172

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

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