These puppies arrived via our PAWS Placement Partner Program. We work with a large network of shelters and transporters throughout the U.S. who move animals from areas overwhelmed with homeless cats and dogs to safety at PAWS where they have as long as they need to be adopted. (Photo credit: PAWS.)
PAWS’ mission is to help cats, dogs and wild animals go home and thrive – whether home is the family room or the forest. We do this by rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, sheltering and adopting homeless cats and dogs, and educating the community to inspire compassionate action for animals. The inspiration behind this mission is the recognition of the intrinsic value of animal life. We’re driven by a host of core values based on the principle that animals do not have a voice, and therefore it is up to people to speak up for them and protect them.
Many people come to know PAWS seeking the services of PAWS Companion Animal Shelter in Lynnwood and PAWS Cat City in Seattle through adoption, lost and found animal services, and owner surrender. PAWS adopts around 3,000 cats, kittens, dogs and puppies each year to loving families in our community.
Those who interact with PAWS companion animal services are sometimes surprised to learn of the PAWS Wildlife Center and our work to rehabilitate wild animals unless they have personally brought in an injured wild animal or sought wildlife conflict assistance. Those interacting with the companion animal side can come and go from the Lynnwood campus and not even realize that across the parking lot is a wildlife trauma hospital and rehabilitation facility.
PAWS Wildlife Center is the largest wildlife center in Washington. We care for more than 260 species of injured and orphaned mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles with the goal of restoring them to full health and returning them back home to the wild. PAWS is only one of two permitted facilities in Washington State to rehabilitate American black bears and marine mammals, primarily harbor seals. We’re entering the spring and summer baby season; more than 70 percent of the year’s intake of wild animals come to PAWS from April through September. To accommodate, we hire seasonal workers and increase our volunteers.
Surgery on a bear cub. PAWS has the wildest rehabilitation center in Washington. (Photo Credit: PAWS)
This past summer, PAWS received three orphaned black bears who were burned in the devasting wildfires. The cubs received many rounds of treatments by our wildlife medical experts for their severe burns. The Dodo produced this short documentary that was shared with millions of animal lovers worldwide. These bears are currently hibernating at PAWS Wild Center and are expected to be released back to the wild in late spring 2022.
There are a number of ways you to join the PAWS family. First and foremost, we welcome your donations and have a variety of ways available to give at paws.org/donate. We also welcome corporate and individual participation in PAWS Signature Events. These annual fundraisers include PAWSwalk, April 16 – May 6, and PAWS Wild Night, October 15 at Bell Harbor International Conference Center, Seattle. We also have a tool called “Celebrate” for individuals and businesses to hold their own third-party fundraisers. For those who want to interact with like-minded animal lovers and share our content, we invite you to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and join PAWS Uplifters, a Facebook group for PAWS community champions. For those who want to give their time, we suggest you continue monitoring the volunteer section of the PAWS website for individual and group volunteering opportunities. And, of course, we encourage people looking to welcome a dog or cat into their family, to consider adopting from PAWS.