fbpx
GO BIRDS! HELP PAWS WIN THE 2025 SHELTER SHOWDOWN!
GIVE NOW >

Help PAWS win the 2025 Shelter Showdown!

Support the Philadelphia Eagles and help PAWS win the 2025 Shelter Showdown!

This friendly Super Bowl-inspired competition pits shelters from the final four teams’ cities against each other to raise the most funds. Every donation fuels lifesaving work, and the winning city earns ultimate bragging rights. Make a gift to show your PAWS and Eagles pride today!

SHOW YOUR PAWS PRIDE

Fosters needed: help save lives!

Foster homes are at the heart of PAWS’ ability to save lives. When you foster one animal, we rescue the life of another. With a brief commitment, you can be a hero for cats, dogs, and small animals. We provide supplies and support; you provide love and care!

Start fostering

Adopt Cletus

Meet Cletus, a lovable and energetic 9-month-old pup ready to bring endless fun and affection to your life! This goofball adores games like fetch and tug of war and never misses a chance for a cuddle. Cletus is crate trained and working on his manners, so he’ll thrive with a patient, active family eager to help him grow into his full potential.

Meet Cletus

Adopt Passie

Looking for top-notch rodent control? Meet Passie, a five-star professional hunter ready for the job! Passie is part of our Working Cat Program and is eager to patrol your property. She would thrive in a country setting where she can stay stimulated and active. If you have space for a dedicated mouser, Passie is your perfect match!

Meet Passie

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.

VIEW JOBS

Meet your new best friend!

Reggie
Foster Care

I'm a short, stout, and beefy boy with a heart as big as my underbite! I've lived with other dogs and at 7-years-old, I enjoy the couch potato life.
Ace of Spades
Foster Care

If you're looking for an adventure buddy, look no further! I'm a sweet, fun-loving dog who’s ready to find a family that shares my enthusiasm for the great outdoors.
Kona
Foster Care

I'm a loving, smart, and snuggly 6-year-old pup looking for a cat-free home where I can be your BFF and maybe share life with another dog!
Lucy
Foster Care

I love being the center of attention in any room, and I even enjoy belly rubs (it's not a trap, I swear!).
Choco Taco
Foster Care

I'm a sweet treat who just wants to relax, befriend everyone I meet, and be near my people where I'm happiest!
Dr. Tom
Foster Care

I'm an expert birdwatcher and devoted companion who loves to be near my people and even enjoys rocking snazzy bow-ties at home!
All Available Dogs
All Available Cats

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.

Get Started

More ways to give


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

Learn More

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.

Get Care

Recent News

12.18.24

Lori and Bella: A Lifelong Journey of Rescue and Care with PAWS


It all began with a simple online search. Lori, a musician and lifelong animal lover, discovered a stray kitten in Brewerytown and turned to the internet for help. That search led her to PAWS. As a West Philadelphia resident, Lori initially became involved in animal rescue through her work with Project Meow, a fellow rescue […]
Read More
12.17.24

Gateway Book Club: Teaching Compassion and Change


Sometimes, life gives us unexpected opportunities to make a difference — not just for ourselves, but for others, too. For Elizabeth, a dedicated Philadelphia-based teacher and animal lover, that opportunity came in the summer of 2011 when her scheduled class was canceled. Instead of viewing it as a setback, she embraced it as a chance […]
Read More
View All

41,324 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.

381,725 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.

154,819 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

🏈 It’s game time, Philly! The Eagles aren’t the only team chasing victory — PAWS is suiting up for the Shelter Showdown!

This friendly fundraising competition features animal shelters repping the final four NFL cities. PAWS is proudly representing Philly and the @philadelphiaeagles as we go tail-to-tail against:

🐾 Great Plains SPCA (Kansas City Chiefs)

🐾 SPCA Serving Erie County (Buffalo Bills)

🐾 Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (Washington Commanders)

Just like the Birds, we need your support to fly high!🦅 Every donation helps PAWS pull ahead in the showdown, bringing Philadelphia one step closer to ultimate victory 🏆— and giving pets in need a brighter future.

Let’s make Philly proud and prove we’ve got the most passionate fans on AND off the field! Donate via Instagram, Venmo (username phillypaws), or through our #linkinbio to help PAWS clinch this win for animals in need 💚

#Phillypaws #gobirds #FlyEaglesFly #ShelterShowdown #TeamPAWS
...

366 3

Hours left: start a monthly donation by midnight and have a $300 gift made in your honor for pets like Bodie! This affectionate boy is safe at PAWS now, but he faced an uncertain future when he arrived at the city shelter.

He had suffered serious wounds during his time as a stray, and was at immediate risk of euthanasia if a rescue wasn’t prepared to care for him. Thanks to supporters like you, we were able to welcome Bodie and provide him with the long-term veterinary care he needed. After purring and snuggling through weeks of wound care and bandage changes with PAWS’ medical team, Bodie is continuing to heal in a foster home and will soon join a family who cherishes him.

Every year, thousands of pets like Bodie find second chances at PAWS thanks to the monthly donors who sustain our work. Through midnight tonight, a generous supporter will donate $300 to PAWS in honor of every donor who commits to a new monthly gift or increases an existing one by $10 or more. There is NO LIMIT to this incredible matching opportunity, but time is running out: please join us so we can save and serve the pets who will need us in the year to come!

Sign up today at our bio link. Your commitment today will change countless lives tomorrow!
...

367 6

Tiny Timmy was in very poor health when he was found outside, but he’ll have a bright future ahead of him with your help ❤️‍🩹 Through midnight, a supporter is donating $300 to PAWS for every monthly donor who joins the Constant Companion Challenge, which means you’ll have a BIG impact right now while sustaining our vital work for pets like Timmy all year long.

This sweet pup was rushed to PAWS by a Good Samaritan who’d been alarmed to find him in such heartbreaking condition. They’d spotted him running in traffic near a junkyard in below-freezing temperatures, and it was clear he’d been without care for some time. In addition to being underweight and very scared, he was mostly blind due to an eyelid condition called cherry eye, as well as severe ocular swelling that had damaged his left eye beyond repair.

Timmy was in need of immediate medical attention, long term care, and lots of love. Thanks to supporters like you, PAWS was ready to give this sweet pup all of that and more.

PAWS’ medical team got to work assessing Timmy’s condition and devising a treatment plan, and our animal care team began working to help him feel safe and comfortable. He was very nervous and scared, but also incredibly gentle and clearly eager for love.

After several days of evaluation, nourishment, and care, Timmy underwent successful surgery to restore sight to his healthy eye and remove the damaged one that had caused him so much pain. We saw more tail wags on the day following his surgery than we’d seen during his entire stay with us — and that was before he left with his new foster mom. Now on the road to recovery in foster care, Timmy is enjoying what may be his first experience in a home, with soft beds, a full tummy, and someone to reassure him that he’s safe and loved.

Every year, thousands of pets like Timmy find care and safety at PAWS thanks to the monthly donors who sustain our work. This is our first unlimited match, and it ends tonight at midnight! Don’t miss this special chance to unlock a bonus gift of $300 in your honor when you start or increase a monthly gift. Your commitment today will change countless lives tomorrow! Sign up now at our #linkinbio.
...

334 5
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
There has been a problem with your Instagram Feed.

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

Get Involved