PAWS Chicago is the largest No-Kill humane society in our great city. Last year, based on their commitment to build a No-Kill Chicago, their life-saving efforts helped more domesticated animals, dogs and cats, than in previous years. Their No-Kill efforts have helped Chicago to decrease unnecessary euthanasia of homeless pets by more than 50% since 1997. They also strived to once again help the Chicago Animal Care & Control, otherwise known as the City Pound. PAWS Chicago is so focused on their No-Kill goal that they save 97% of all animals in their care and under their protection.
Seventeen-thousand, five-hundred and nineteen spay/neuter surgeries were performed in 2012 at the PAWS Chicago free Lurie Clinic. The Clinic serves Chicago’s most at-risk and under-resourced neighborhoods. These are the areas of the city that contains the most stray and unwanted pets.
A portion of the spay and neuter surgeries were performed on the GusMobile in conjunction with vaccines and other animal treatments. A total of 611 dogs and cats were serviced this way. If it were not for the GusMobile, the animals would most likely not have any available treatment whatsoever.
Since PAWS is Chicago ACC’s largest transfer partner, they proudly took in more than 2,850 animals last year alone into their Rescue and Recovery Center. Overall, the organization saved 5,606 individual pets which embodied a 31% growth in their adoption from the previous year.
Not only does PAWS take in homeless animals, but they do not turn away animals that require special care. In fact, more than 2,100 dogs and cats were treated in the Rescue and Recovery Center in addition to their full annual medical treatment ordinarily given.
PAWS Chicago does more than help animals in crisis and get them adopted, they also have a Crisis Care Pet Food Bank Program. In 2012, the Food Bank dispensed 52,000 pounds of food and pet supplies to people in the community that may not have been able to keep their pets otherwise. In this down economy, without such help, many of the animals ran the risk of being relinquished and ending up in kill shelters.
Canines are a large part of PAWS Chicago, but so are the felines. PAWS created a Community Cat Program in order to assist with the Trap, Neuter and Return, or TNR, in Chicago that serviced 1,078 cats last year. This program keeps from having more homeless cats produced in the city.
Of course PAWS Chicago would not have been able to achieve even a portion of their great accomplishments last year without their volunteers. The great group donated more than 94,000 hours. This is equivalent to 45 full-time employees – that is a whole lot of devotion!
PAWS Chicago has gained their reputation by all that they have done. They plan to continue their focus in 2013 and making even more strides toward accomplishing a No-Kill Chicago.
They should be able to do even more after they receive the donation from the Filini Bar and Restaurant after Puppy Bowl IX tonight!
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