PAWS Chicago

Animal health & behavior: ensuring that every single rescued pet receives the medical and behavioral resources needed to not just survive, but thrive is the core purpose of the animal health & behavior pillar of Paws Chicago's no kill model. The expanded and recently renovated 30,000 square foot Paws Chicago nan & wayne kocourek medical center is the most state-of-the-art hospital for homeless animals in the nation, and it's the first stop for every one of Paws Chicago's 4,561 adopted pets. With special quarantine and isolation wards to prevent disease transmission, a team of expert medical and behavior professionals ensures every pet receives the individual care they need, resulting in an industry-leading 98.62% save rate. From upper respiratory infections to deadly diseases like canine parvovirus and feline panleukopenia, from injuries to skin infections, the Paws Chicago medical team sees and heals it all. Veterinary surgeons not only spay and neuter every pet, but also performed 716 advanced surgeries addressing orthopedic conditions such as torn ligaments, eye injuries, hernia repairs, mass removals, extensive dental disease requiring extractions, and many other medical needs. The only surgeries the Paws Chicago internal veterinary team outsources are cardiothoracic surgeries. The medical center and its world-class veterinary team treat the most serious cases on site. A robust foster network cares for pets when they are stable and ready to recover in a home environment with 1,921 cats and dogs spending time in foster care in 2023.as part of the foster program, help me heal (hmh) is a foster-to-adopt program that enables animals with long-term medical recoveries to go into foster care with their adoptive families instead of staying in the shelter for months. For example, a dog undergoing three-month treatment for heartworm will be cared for in its future adoptive home while it is receiving medical treatment administered by Paws in an outpatient capacity. In 2023, there were 199 pets cared for in hmh homes before adoption.recognizing that behavioral health, socialization and enrichment are just as important to a quality life as physical health, Paws Chicago also has four full-time and four part-time trainers who lead an innovative dog and cat training and enrichment program for Paws Chicago's homeless animals. This team of behavior professionals and trained volunteers provide neglected, under-socialized, and previously abused homeless dogs and cats with one-on-one and group training as well as behavior enrichment and behavior modification to help them build confidence and communication, which leads to successful long-term adoptions. Additionally, the training and enrichment program provides critical play groups and field trips for dogs. This team also provides adopters with support in transitioning animals into a permanent home environment with counseling and post-adoption consultation.paws Chicago's training center also has a team that provides virtual and in-person courses to Paws adopters and members of the public. For the public, Paws trainers also led 141 in-person classes with 1,062 dogs in 2023. They also conducted 24 group zoom training classes with 139 dogs.

Adoption: rescuing homeless pets and uniting them with their new families directly connects the public with homeless pets on the deepest level and provides a tangible way for people to make an impact for animals. Through Paws Chicago's adoption centers and innovative adoption events, Paws united 4,561 animals with loving homes in 2023. By the end of 2023, the cumulative number of adoptions since Paws Chicago's founding in 1997 was 82,234. Using a proprietary competibility quiz, Paws uses technology to match pets with prospective adopters based on their lifestyle needs, helping to ensure a long-term fit and match expectations.paws trainers and volunteers offer on-site support and advice, provide detailed pet background and assessment information, conducting resident pet introductions and ensuring a smooth transition into the home. Volunteers offer detailed adoption counseling and follow-up to ensure post-adoption success. Showcasing adoptable pets in highly trafficked places outside of the Paws adoption center expands the reach of the mission and inspires action for animals. In 2023, Paws hosted 24 offsite adoption events, including high-profile angels with tails adoption events around the chicagoland area where local retailers, professional sports teams and grocers welcomed homeless pets in their locations for onsite adoptions.

Prevention & spay/neuter: Paws Chicago performed 16,587 spay/neuters in 2023, making it the largest local provider of free and low-cost, high-volume spay/neuter surgeries, and the only clinic located in and serving under-resourced communities where the majority of stray, feral and unwanted pets originate. Through the Paws Chicago lurie clinic in little village, located less than two miles from Chicago's animal care & control, the city impoundment facility, Paws offers spay/neuter services where they are needed most and where they make the most impact.preventing unwanted pets from being born is key to building a no kill Chicago because pets breed exponentially. A single female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 kittens in seven years. For dogs, the number is 96,000. Spay/neuter surgeries are the solution to pet overpopulation, and as such, are at the core of Paws prevention initiatives.at the end of 2023 Paws Chicago has performed 315,347 free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries since the lurie clinic's opening in 2000, which has been a driving force in Chicago's reduction in euthanasia during that time.as an ancillary service to the lurie clinic, Paws Chicago has operated an extensive community outreach program in 2014 to expand access to spay/neuter and pet resources in Chicago's most under-resourced communities. Of the pets community outreach meets, 95% are not yet spayed or neutered, but once Paws for life works with people, 83% end up sterilizing their pet at paws.since launching in 2014, the primary neighborhood of focus has been englewood, where more than 49% of the population lives below the poverty line, but services have in recent years expanded to nearby west englewood, back of the yards, and woodlawn as well. Paws performed 1,405 free spay/neuter surgeries through this community outreach program in 2023.this outreach program also operates a community medicine program that provides 1,614 appointments for wellness, preventative and acute veterinary care to pets who would otherwise never see a veterinarian.additionally, 54,989 pounds of food were distributed through the Paws Chicago pet food pantry program, which offers free pet food and supplies to communities in need.paws Chicago's feral cat trap-neuter-return (tnr) program is another critical aspect of the prevention pillar. By proactively sterilizing and managing the free-roaming cat population, the source of thousands of unwanted kittens born each year, tnr reduces the number of animals entering the shelter system while also saving kittens and finding them adoptive homes. In 2023 Paws performed 2,428 spay/neuter surgeries on feral cats. Paws also hosts an annual workshop to build outdoor cat winter shelters, which are distributed in the community.

Community engagement: community engagement is the foundation for creating lasting change for animals and is the basis upon which all of Paws Chicago's programs are built. People cause the pet overpopulation problem and people have the power to solve it; animals are the voiceless victims. The way to inspire and create real change for animals is to mobilize people to be their caretakers and advocates and provide needed support in under-resourced communities.when Paws Chicago was founded in 1997, the mass killing of homeless pets was a hidden crisis. The public had no idea that more than 42,000 homeless cats and dogs would be euthanized in the city of Chicago that year. Paws Chicago was founded to bring attention to the plight of these vulnerable animals and to mobilize public support to develop humane solutions and build no kill communities. Shining a light on pet overpopulation and homelessness and the resultant killing has mobilized tens of thousands of people to get involved in the cause by adopting, fostering, volunteering, advocating for and donating to homeless pets.with its no kill model in action, Paws Chicago is leading a movement that ripples throughout the country. Every year, Paws Chicago welcomes shelters, rescue groups and individuals nationwide to shadow its operations. Paws Chicago also helps start-up adoption/rescue groups and spay/neuter clinics around the world. In Chicago, Paws helps chicago-area rescue groups and shelters by providing low-cost medical services at the lurie spay/neuter clinic and by increasing exposure of their homeless animals through angels with tails adoption events.by raising awareness about pet homelessness and engaging people in lifesaving efforts, Paws Chicago makes lasting change for animals. This includes Paws Chicago magazine, with a distribution of 225,000; the Paws Chicago website, with more than 1.3 million unique users and 12.8 million pageviews in 2023; and the Paws Chicago e-newsletter, with a monthly distribution averaging 160,000 and an open-rate of more than 50%. These vehicles inspire people to take action for animals and become advocates for homeless pets.volunteers:volunteers are the life force behind Paws Chicago's operations and an essential ingredient to building a no kill Chicago. In 2023, 3,176 volunteers dedicated 106,221 hours of service, the equivalent of 51 full-time employees. And this doesn't include foster families who took in and cared for 1,921 animals in need in 2023. In addition to the time volunteers commit to Paws Chicago, they are also ambassadors, reaching new people and engaging new communities in the cause of homeless animals through their everyday interactions.animal welfare is incredibly labor-intensive work, and volunteers work alongside our staff to amplify our lifesaving. From shepherding the adoption process to attending to the needs of sick pets at our medical center to manning our off-site adoption and community events, our volunteers support the work of every department.only through volunteers is Paws Chicago able to execute all elements of the comprehensive no kill model and advance on the mission of building no kill communities.