who we are

To learn how to prevent animal suffering, please take action here.

Founded in 1979, PAWS is a no-kill animal rescue and spay/neuter group dedicated to saving the lives of companion animals through spaying and neutering, pet fostering and adoption, and educational efforts. We are an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 membership-based organization that receives no government funding.

With the support of our members and donors in an eight-county region, PAWS has spayed or neutered more than 10,000 domestic felines in eight counties since its TNR Program began in early 2004, and facilitated almost 3,000 surgeries in 2008.

If you have stray cats and are not sure how to manage them, please click here.

For the record, PAWS does not support Mandatory Spay/Neuter Legislation, Cat Licensing nor relocation of unowned feral cats. Why? Because it only ends up killing more cats.

PAWS has expanded its website to include educational resources:Stray, feral and free roaming cat library and thePet Resource Library. This is in addition to offering Spay/Neuter TNR Clinics for cats and the reduced-fee spay/neuter voucher program. We continually strive to do more. Why? Because our supporters demand it. They also believe that PAWS is the organization to forge ahead with their initiatives.

Together, we are forging a brighter better and more humane tomorrow for our four-footed friends and our community's.

Mission:

PAWS saves lives and prevents suffering by implementing the no-kill philosophy through aggressive spay/neuter programs for owned and unowned animals; by rescuing, fostering, and seeking permanent homes for endangered dogs and cats; and by raising awareness of the plight of homeless animals.

• Facilitating the spaying and neutering of owned and unowned animals.
• Rescuing, fostering, and finding permanent homes for stray, abused, abandoned and otherwise homeless animals.
• Collaboration with other humane organizations.
• Raising awareness of the plight of homeless animals and ways in which individuals can reduce overpopulation.

PAWS aspires to best practices established by well-respected organizations such as Best Friends, Alley Cat Allies, Neighborhood Cats, Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project, and Best Friends' No More Homeless Pets movement, and understanding what the No Kill Movement is all about - and how it relates to PAWS which subscribes to the No Kill Philosophy, please visit the following - and do some research on their sites, sign up for their newsletters:

Learn more, subscribe to the The No Kill Advocate
http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/enews/index.html

Read from the following:

No Kill Advocacy Center
http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/
http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/faq.html

Alley Cat Allies
http://www.alleycat.org

Neighborhood Cats
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org

Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project
http://www.feralcatproject.org

The No More Homeless Pets Campaign
initiated by Best Friends, http://www.bestfriends.org
From their website, definition:
End the killing of animals who are labeled "unadoptable" in shelters, by bringing about a time when every pet can enjoy a loving home and when every family can find their special companion through humane sources.  (We call this our No More Homeless Pets campaign.)
Also
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/

PAWS is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1979, focusing on spay/neuter, foster/adoption and humane-education programs to save the lives of abused, abandoned or otherwise homeless dogs and cats throughout south-central Pennsylvania. It serves eight counties in the region with a local presence and local volunteers in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties. Its efforts include no-cost Trap Neuter Return (TNR) clinics, a reduced-fee spay/neuter program for companion animals, rescue and re-homing of needy animals, emergency medical treatment for injured or ill homeless animals,and a broad humane education program through local events and schools.