Help Make Philadelphia a No-Kill City.

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Meet your new best friend!

Cobalt
Foster Care

I'm a goofy and affectionate grandpa who will take every chance I can get to let you know how much I love you!
Alice
Foster Care

I'm a playful, affectionate, cat-friendly girl who starts out shy but warms right up with some chin scratches!
Cody
Foster Care

I'm a friendly senior couch potato who'd love to spend my golden years snuggling with you!
Shae
Foster Care

I have some special needs, but what really sets me apart are my sweet lap snuggles and endless capacity for love!
Miss Honey
Foster Care

I'm an affectionate sweetheart who loves all humans and will snuggle with you for hours if you let 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!
All Available Dogs
All Available Cats

Support Our Lifesaving Efforts

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

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

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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.

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

02.27.24

After 393 days in our care, Coffee Cake is FINALLY home!


At last, the day we’ve been eagerly awaiting has finally arrived! After 393 days in PAWS’ care, we are overjoyed to announce that Coffee Cake, our lovable canine with a heart of gold, has found a family to call her own. Her journey – from the streets, to the city shelter, to PAWS, and finally […]
Read More
02.19.24

Tooth Fairy Fund: Help PAWS DOUBLE the Number Lifesaving Dental Surgeries We Can Offer


While a healthy mouth may not be top of mind when considering the challenges cats and dogs face in a shelter, dental disease poses a significant threat to these already vulnerable animals. Often, the barrier between life and death for these animals is a rescue organization’s ability to afford costly dental surgery, and thousands of […]
Read More
View All

39,396 animals saved to date


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.

358,846 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.

144,500 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

Happy #ManateeAppreciationDay from Loki! We rescued this sweet sea cow from the city shelter after he lost his home, and it’s clear he was very well-loved by his previous family.

After such a big upheaval, Loki was grateful to find a quick placement with a PAWS foster so he could get back to doing what he does best: dispensing smooches, collecting squeaky toys, and charming every person he meets!

Living at the shelter can take a toll on even the most well-adjusted dog, so foster homes are absolutely vital to preventing kennel stress and ensuring every dog has their best chance at a new beginning. Plus, each time a dog leaves the shelter for a foster home, we can use that space to rescue another dog in need 🐶❤️

If you’d like to change a dog’s life and enable us to save another pup who’s counting on us, visit our foster page to learn more and sign up (link in bio)!

Ps. Loki isn’t available for adoption just yet, but keep an eye on our adoptions page as we’re always adding new pets!
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Poor Gary is having a hard time at the shelter 🥺 This kind grandpa is underweight, healing from dental surgery, and has become so nervous that he spends most of his day hiding. He loves affection, but thinks everyone who opens his kennel is there to medicate him 😭

Gary has been with us for over two weeks without any leads for a foster home, and he’s desperately hoping his big break will come soon! Do you have a spot in your home where this friendly fellow can get back on his feet? Please email our team at foster@phillypaws.org! Gary will thank you with lots of sweet purrs and tiny bleps ❤️

Gary was exposed to feline leukemia in his last home, so he should be in a space without other cats (and ideally no dogs for now since he seems to be a sensitive boy).
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Together, we will make Philadelphia a no-kill city.

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