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Fall fosters needed: Help save lives!

Foster homes are at the heart of PAWS’ ability to save lives. We currently have more animals than we have capacity for, and when you foster a homeless pet, we rescue the life of another. With a brief commitment, you can be a hero for cats, dogs, and small animals. We provide you with supplies and support; you provide the love and care!

SIGN UP TO FOSTER

Perfectly Impurrfect: Name your fee adoptions

Not spooky, just special! Because of individual needs, many animals face longer shelter stays due to simple daily meditation routines, manageable age-related conditions, preferences for being the only pet, or socialization needs. From October 24 – November 9, Perfectly Impurrfect aims to celebrate these cats and dogs, match them with the right adopters, and create space for more animals who are waiting for the same chance!

 

MEET YOUR IMPURRFECT MATCH

Shop our Wishlist: Send essential supplies for shelter pets

Looking for an easy way to support at-risk pets? You can help by sending essential supplies for the animals waiting at the shelter right now! With our kennels at capacity, our most-needed items run out quickly. You can be a hero by sending wet kitten food to keep tiny rescues nourished, paper towels to keep living spaces clean and comfortable, and much more. Shop our most-needed items and make sure pets have the essentials they rely on every day.

SEND SHELTER SUPPLIES

Adopt Dasher

Dasher’s the total package: clever, cuddly, and just the right amount of sassy to keep life interesting! Don’t let his age fool you — this 10-year-old gentleman has plenty of pep in his step and brains to spare. He’s a foodie who loves treats, peanut butter, and showing off his good manners (he’ll even resist snacks left on the coffee table!). He’s house-savvy and happiest soaking up attention as your one and only pet.

Meet Dasher

Adopt Cardi

How can you say no to this face?! Cardi is a 13-year-old lovebug who’s happiest when she’s on your lap or gently head-butting you for attention. She’s not big on playtime but adores her scratching board and will chat to remind you it’s time for cuddles. She takes a daily steroid and GI diet to keep her tummy happy—and she’ll go home with a three-month care package to get you started!

Meet Cardi

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!

Barbie Dreamhouse
Foster Care
Barbie’s my name, abd being your future dreamboat is my game! I’m a gentle house hippo who loves nothing more than playing with toys, soaking up attention, and even hanging with other pups.
Meet Me >
Meeyo
Foster Care
I’m the full royal package: 20 pounds of charm, sass, and silly — and I prefer to be the only dog king in your home!
Meet Me >
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!
Meet Me >
Johnny Cash
Foster Care
"Hey there, I'm Johnny Cash" — a sweet, squishy homebody. If you need a relaxation coach for naps, toy time, and guilt-free TV binges, I’m your guy!
Meet Me >
Andre
Foster Care
I'm a gentle and mellow senior who loves to rock a bow tie and gets along with dogs and cats!
Meet Me >
Lady Zinnia
Foster Care
I’m a shy but sweet little panther who’s learning to blossom into my playful, affectionate self! With patience and love, I'll reward you with head bonks, zoomies, and plenty of purrs once I feel at home.
Meet Me >
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

10.22.25

PAWS Announces ‘Perfectly Impurrfect’ Adoption Promotion

Just as every pet has their own quirks and charms, every bond we share with them is uniquely ours. That’s why PAWS is proud to announce the return of its Perfectly Impurrfect adoption promotion, kicking off on Friday, October 24 and running through Sunday, November 9. With shelter intake alarmingly high, loving adoptive homes create space […]
Read More
10.06.25

19TH ANNUAL PAWS MUTT STRUT RAISES OVER $135,000 FOR PHILADELPHIA’S AT-RISK PETS

2025 MUTT STRUT PHOTO ALBUMS: 2025 Mutt Strut – Pawtrait Pop-Up Photos 2025 Mutt Strut – Katie McMenamin Photos 2025 Mutt Strut – Edo Photos Over 750 dog lovers and their furry friends gathered on Saturday, October 4 at the Navy Yard to celebrate the 19th Annual PAWS Mutt Strut — Philadelphia’s biggest fall festival […]
Read More
View All

43,001 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.

401,109 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.

162,606 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

Oct 22

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18062989271608905
Little Girl is a little delight! This pint-sized pup was found outside in a crate before being brought to the city shelter, but she’s now safe with PAWS and more than ready for a fresh start. We’re still getting to know this aptly named sweetie petite-y, but so far she’s shown herself to be a gentle, loving dog who just wants a calm and cozy foster home where she can decompress and have some stability. Little Girl is more than a little anxious in our kennels, which has translated into a lot of stress-induced barking (we can’t blame her — we’d be stressed out too)! Because we don’t know how much her barking may carry over into a home, fosters should be prepared for some chatter on her end (that means a little extra patience, and thicker walls so neighbors aren’t grumpy)! Little Girl would do best in a calm, reassuring home without young kids or overly active pets, ideally with someone who’s home most of the day to keep her company. If you can open your heart and home to Little Girl and help her feel safe again, please email foster@phillypaws.org for more information about fostering this 5-6 year old, 13 pound cutie!

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Oct 21

Open post by phillypaws with ID 17921735691169430
Not spooky, just special! Every pet has their own quirks and charms, and the bond we share with them is just as unique. That’s why starting this Friday, you’ll be able to name your own adoption fee for select “Perfectly Impurrfect” PAWS pets who’ve been waiting for love! These are cats and dogs who’ve spent a bit longer waiting for their match, just because they have a common medical condition or need a quieter home. From October 24-November 9, the Perfectly Impurrfect promotion will celebrate these pets and help them find the right homes while creating space for more animals still waiting for their chance! Want to be ready to adopt when the promo begins? Head to phillypaws.org/adopt and get your application in now, then keep an eye out for pets with the “Perfectly Impurrfect” designation on their profile starting this Friday!

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Oct 21

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18059774519624625
It took a lot of catnip for Oliver to poke out of his hidey hut today! This shy boy is terrified at the shelter and is looking for a foster to show him that everything’s going to be alright. He just lost his home, and is having an understandably hard time after finding himself in such a strange new place. Oliver was found as a stray kitten a little under a year ago, and while he’s very nervous at the moment, he was a social and affectionate guy with the folks who rescued and cared for him for the first 11 months of his life. He’d be very grateful to move to a quiet foster home where he can come out of his shell, and he may even be okay with mellow furry friends once he’s had some decompression time to himself (he’s lived with female cats and calm big dogs and reportedly did fine with them). If you have a spare space for Oliver (and some extra catnip to share), email foster@phillypaws.org to learn more about this sweet boy! Ps. Can’t foster, but want to help? We’re running low on hidey huts for nervous friends like Oliver, and our shy cats would be grateful if you’d like to send any from our wishlists (link in bio).

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

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