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We’re not joking when we say Joker is a truly kind soul 🩷 This sweet boy lost his home yesterday when his heartbroken owner had to part with him, and his pet surrender form told us the story of a dog who was deeply loved. He’s understandably scared and confused in our kennels, and would be very grateful to find a foster home ASAP!

Joker is as lovable as they come – he’s really just a big baby. His previous owner wrote that he’s “very smart, has a super friendly personality, and the cutest thing is when he sunbathes on his back.” Here are some other tidbits they shared:

❤️ Joker is generally well-behaved when left loose in the home, although he may feel a little sad at first when you leave.
❤️He’s good on walks with the occasional burst of energy, and enjoys playing in a yard for exercise.
❤️While he’s been great with kids of all ages, a home with older children may be the best match right now since his play style can be a bit rambunctious.
❤️He’s lived or spent time with both large and small dogs, as well as cats, and is generally friendly when meeting new people and animals.

Joker is 4-5 years old and is ready to bring joy, sunshine, and nose boops to your life. If you’d like to help, please email foster@phillypaws.org!

🐾 Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society📍 2900 Grays Ferry Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19146 (by appointment only) 🗳️ PA License # 06172 ...

This scruffy little lad is Buckie! He’s a very friendly former stray who’s definitely feeling stressed at the shelter. He’d love to find a cozy foster home where he can rest, recharge, and get ready for his forever family!

We don’t know much about Buckie’s past or how he is with other pets, but we do know he’s been sweet and social with everyone he’s met so far. He has a wobbly knee (a common issue in small dogs) but it doesn’t slow him down one bit — he’s still full of pep and ready to explore!

Buckie has been pretty vocal in the shelter, and while he might be quieter in a home, any interested fosters should be prepared to manage barking, especially as he adjusts to a new routine. He’d do best with a patient foster who can give him time to settle in, help with basic training like housetraining and alone time, and get to know him better so we can learn more about what he needs.

If this cutie has captured your heart, email foster@phillypaws.org to learn more about fostering 3 year old Buckie!

🐾 Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society📍 2900 Grays Ferry Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19146 (by appointment only) ⭐️ PA License # 06172 ...

We’d like you to meet a very special dog named Johnny Cash 🩷 He’s a sensitive guy who’s ready to find a family of like-minded homebodies who can appreciate his sweet, introverted vibe.

Johnny is a gentle soul, and it takes him time to warm up to new friends. He looks to his people for reassurance in anxious situations, and benefits from calm, patient humans who can make him feel safe. Once he’s comfortable, his foster parents describe him as a big, goofy, snuggly baby with the most soulful puppy dog eyes. He loves food and adores his toys, cuddling up to them in a pile when he sleeps (even his hard chew bones)!

Johnny also gets excited for indoor activities to keep his brain busy, like food puzzles and practicing training. He now knows sit, down, come, and touch! Johnny’s favorite place is curled up on the sofa, where he will gladly snooze the day away.

While Johnny can be shy and afraid of a lot of things, he’s actually a very curious boy once he has time to adjust. You can see him slowly push out of his comfort zone, pause to build up more courage, and then continue at his own pace — it’s incredibly sweet to watch it unfold!

Johnny can become easily overwhelmed while outside, so he would love some outdoor space to call his own. Because he feels more fear and anxiety-based than the average dog, he’s on a special medication that has helped him feel more comfortable in his own skin.

We’re still learning more about how Johnny would feel about living with other animals, but we’re optimistic that he’d do well with a confident and patient dog pal to encourage him to come out of his shell a bit more. Johnny would appreciate a home with adults or teens, since younger kiddos would likely be overwhelming for him.

If you’re looking to open your heart to help a very special, shy guy, Johnny is waiting for you. Adopt Johnny Cash today and let the music play (and if you can’t, please share this post to help get the word out)!

🐾 Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society📍 2900 Grays Ferry Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19146 (by appointment only) 🗳️ PA License # 06172 ...

Mick update: he pulled through and was discharged from the emergency vet last night!

This first clip was sent by the wonderful team at PASE after Mick was okayed to head home yesterday (he had a lot to say about the crazy day he had)! He’s now staying with PAWS’ foster manager Tammy, who’s fostering him while he recovers and shared these sweet updates of him playing this morning.

Mick needed an emergency blood transfusion and supportive care after experiencing complications post-surgery. We are so grateful to the PAWS and PASE medical teams for providing amazing care to ensure he pulled through, and to all of the incredible animal lovers who donated to support Mick’s recovery. This little one is on the mend and has a bright future ahead of him thanks to you!

If you’d like to make a gift to help Mick as he continues to heal, you can do so via Instagram, Venmo (username @phillypaws), or through our #linkinbio. ...

HAPPENING NOW: Mick is fighting for his life and needs our help. This young kitten arrived with a severe leg injury that recently required amputation with PAWS’ medical team, but this morning it became clear that something wasn’t right. His surgical incision wasn’t clotting the way it should have been, and he was lethargic with a dangerously low temperature.

We rushed Mick to @pasevets for an emergency blood transfusion, which he is receiving right now. Their medical team is working hard to stabilize this little one, but he’s not out of the woods just yet, and he’ll need continued medical support in the days and weeks to come.

Your gift of any size towards Mick’s care will have a profound impact for this brave boy, and bring him one step closer to being happy and healthy again. If you’d like to help, you can via Instagram, Venmo (username @phillypaws), or through our #linkinbio. ...

This cheeky charmer is Havoc, and yes, he often lives up to his name 😉 He’s looking for a foster home where he can finish healing after some misadventures during his time as a stray — we don’t know what happened, but we do know he arrived with a fractured jaw. Ouch! The “button” on his chin is there to help his jaw continue healing after surgery, but it doesn’t hurt that it makes him look even cuter than he already is 🥰

Havoc spent some time in foster care previously, but had to come to the shelter after he learned to open the door to his foster room. His escape artist tendencies were *not* appreciated by the resident cat in the home, so he’s now looking for a foster setup where he can be the only pet and eventually free roam in the entire home. What can we say, he loves people and just wants attention! When he’s had enough, he’ll be sure to let you know with a gentle hand nibble.

Havoc has handled all his medical care with grace and is ready to recover in style at your place. If you’d like to help out this sweet and silly goofball, Havoc would love to meet you! Email foster@phillypaws.org for more info🖤 ...

These friendly felines are desperate for foster homes! Truffula, Edmund, and Eureka are all stuck in our ringworm ward while they complete their lengthy treatment, and all they want is love and companionship. Medical isolation can be lonely, but if they can find foster homes, it doesn’t have to be!

Any one of these sweet friends would be overjoyed to finish their treatment with you! Email foster@phillypaws.org to learn more about fostering or adopting Truffula, Edmund, or Eureka.

Meet our fungal felines:

🐾 Truffula is about 2 years old, and was named for her adorable Dr. Seuss-esque tail, which is currently looking quite silly to some hair loss patches (it should grow back, but we have to admit it would be kind of cute if it stayed that way)!

🐾 Edmund is also around 2 years old, and is especially eager to leave since he’s been stuck in our isolation ward for over 3 weeks! He greets us with lots of chatter and head bonks every time we come to visit him, and his shelter record is full of notes gushing over how social and good-natured he is.

🐾 Eureka starts out quiet, but after a few minutes of one-on-one time she’ll go nuts for scritchies and roll over while getting pets! We can see a happy, goofy girl behind that shyness; she just needs a little help to come back out!

Ringworm fast facts:

♥️ It’s not a worm — it’s a fungal infection of the skin that usually shows up as small patches of hair loss in pets⁠⁠. ⁠⁠

♥️ It’s a mild infection, but contagious to people and pets, so a separate room for fosters is the best way to prevent it from spreading during treatment.

♥️ It usually takes 4-8 weeks to clear up (and most of these babies are already a few weeks into their treatment)! ⁠

♥️ We have twice weekly “dip days” at our Grays Ferry clinics for ringworm fosters/adopters to drop their kitties off for medicated baths — no need to do it at home! ...

Dog fosters are urgently needed! PAWS’ kennels are completely full right now, and our ability to save at-risk dogs from the city shelter is directly tied to the number of fosters who can open their homes. Fostering is an incredibly rewarding experience, and spending even a couple of weeks in a home can have enormous health and behavior benefits for homeless dogs!

PAWS can make a foster match for many types of households (although pet-free adult homes are especially needed!) and we’ll provide you with all the support you’ll need for your new friend, including:

🏥 Medical care at our clinics ⁠
🐶 One-on-one behavior and training support⁠
🐾 Supplies like collars, leashes, and crates⁠
📝 Adoption screening ⁠
⁠💻 Advice and support through our foster community page

Our foster team would love to get you started, so if you’d like to help us save lives and take in a canine companion in need, learn more and sign up at through our #linkinbio or email foster@phillypaws.org! ...