Organization: PAWS CHICAGO
Mission: PAWS CHICAGO IS A NATIONAL MODEL IN NO KILL ANIMAL WELFARE, OFFERING ROBUST ADOPTION AND SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAMS.
Activities: ANIMAL HEALTH & BEHAVIOR: COMMITTING TO THE LIFE OF EACH TREATABLE PET AND PROVIDING ALL MEDICAL TREATMENT AND BEHAVIORAL ENRICHMENT NEEDED TO OPTIMIZE HEALTH AND WELL BEING ARE TWO OF THE MOST CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF NO KILL. DUE TO OUR EXPERT VETERINARY AND BEHAVIOR TEAMS, PAWS CHICAGO IS ONE OF THE FEW SHELTERS IN THE COUNTRY THAT CAN TREAT AND REHABILITATE A LARGE VOLUME OF SICK, INJURED AND BEHAVIORALLY CHALLENGED ANIMALS. IN 2019, PAWS CHICAGO HAD A 97.9 PERCENT SAVE RATE, EVEN WHILE TAKING IN A VULNERABLE POPULATION OF ANIMALS. THE MEDICAL CENTER IS THE FIRST STOP FOR HOMELESS ANIMALS WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT PAWS, WHERE A WORLD CLASS VETERINARY TEAM TREATS 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. 3,003 ANIMALS WENT INTO FOSTER CARE IN 2019. AS THE ANIMAL WELFARE MOVEMENT CONTINUES TO GROW IN CHICAGO, HEALTHY ANIMALS ARE BEING SAVED IN RECORD NUMBERS AT THE CITY POUND, WHICH MEANS THE POPULATION OF ANIMALS IN NEED OF RESCUE INCREASINGLY REQUIRES MORE SIGNIFICANT MEDICAL RESOURCES TO TREAT. TO SAVE MORE LIVES, IN 2019 PAWS CHICAGO BEGAN CONSTRUCTION ON A MAJOR EXPANSION OF ITS MEDICAL CENTER AND SHELTER MEDICINE PROGRAM TO INCREASE CAPACITY TO RESCUE SICK AND INJURED ANIMALS. THE COMPLETED MEDICAL CENTER WILL TRIPLE THE NUMBER OF ISOLATION SUITES FROM 30 TO 90 AND WILL BE THE PREMIER HOMELESS PET HOSPITAL IN THE NATION. THE PAWS CHICAGO TRAINING CENTER IS HOME TO AN INNOVATIVE DOG TRAINING AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAMMING. THROUGH THIS CENTER, A TEAM OF BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS AND TRAINED VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE ABUSED, NEGLECTED AND UNDER SOCIALIZED HOMELESS DOGS WITH ONE-ON-ONE AND GROUP TRAINING, AGILITY AND ENRICHMENT TO HELP THEM BUILD CONFIDENCE AND COMMUNICATION, WHICH LEADS TO SUCCESSFUL ADOPTIONS.
PREVENTION & SPAY/NEUTER: PAWS CHICAGO PERFORMED 15,174 SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES IN 2019. THE MAJORITY OF STRAY, FERAL AND UNWANTED PETS ORIGINATE IN LOW-INCOME, UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES. WITH THE PAWS CHICAGO LURIE CLINIC LOCATED IN LITTLE VILLAGE AND THE GUSMOBILE SPAY/NEUTER VAN, WHICH BRINGS LIFE-SAVING SOLUTIONS DIRECTLY TO NEIGHBORHOODS MOST IN NEED, PAWS OFFERS SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST AND WHERE THEY MAKE THE MOST IMPACT. IN 2019, PAWS CHICAGO OPENED ITS ENGLEWOOD OUTREACH CENTER, A NEW HOME FOR THE PAWS FOR LIFE OUTREACH PROGRAM WHICH GOES DOOR-TO-DOOR, HELPING PEOPLE IN CHICAGO'S MOST UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. SINCE 2014, THE PRIMARY NEIGHBORHOOD OF FOCUS HAS BEEN ENGLEWOOD, WHERE MORE THAN 49 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION LIVES BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. THIS IMPORTANT NEW SPACE SERVES AS AN ANIMAL WELFARE ANCHOR IN ENGLEWOOD, ENABLING PAWS TO PROVIDE EVEN MORE PREVENTATIVE RESOURCES BEYOND FREE SPAY/ NEUTER AND TRANSPORTATION. THIS NEW LOCATION IS EXPANDING SERVICES INTO COMMUNITY MEDICINE, PROVIDING VETERINARY CARE TO SICK, INJURED AND SUFFERING PETS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE NEVER SEE A VETERINARIAN, PET FOOD PANTRY, THE GUSMOBILE, VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONS, FERAL CAT SHELTER BUILDING ASSISTANCE, TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN SUPPORT, EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS AND MORE. IN 2018, PAWS FOR LIFE ALSO ADDED THE BACK OF THE YARDS COMMUNITY. BY INCREASING SPAY/NEUTER OUTREACH AND MEETING PEOPLE WHO WOULD NEVER KNOW ABOUT PAWS CHICAGO'S SUPPORT AND RESOURCES, THE NUMBER OF STRAY AND UNWANTED PETS HAS DRAMATICALLY DECLINED. 95% OF THE PETS PAWS FOR LIFE MEETS ARE UNALTERED; THROUGH SIMPLY REMOVING BARRIERS, PAWS ACHIEVES A SPAY/NEUTER CONVERSION RATE OF 83 PERCENT OF ALL UNALTERED PETS MET THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. PAWS CHICAGO'S FERAL CAT TRAP NEUTER RETURN (TNR) PROGRAM IS ANOTHER CRITICAL ASPECT OF PREVENTION THROUGH TARGETED SPAY/NEUTER. 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 SHELTERING SYSTEM EACH YEAR WHILE ALSO SAVING KITTENS AND FINDING THEM ADOPTIVE HOMES. IN 2019, PAWS PERFORMED 2,244 SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES ON FERAL CATS. THESE PREVENTION EFFORTS ARE CRITICAL TO ENDING THE KILLING OF HOMELESS PETS, WITH THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A 91 PERCENT REDUCTION IN KILLING SINCE 1997. TWO-THIRDS OF THIS REDUCTION IS THE RESULT OF FEWER PETS ENTERING SHELTERS.
ADOPTION: RESCUING HOMELESS PETS AND UNITING THEM WITH THEIR NEW FAMILIES IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT PAWS CHICAGO DOES DAILY. THROUGH PAWS CHICAGO'S ADOPTION CENTERS, OFFSITE EVENTS AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING, 5,271 ANIMALS FOUND LOVING HOMES IN 2019. THE PIPPEN FASSEAS ADOPTION CENTER IN LINCOLN PARK, WHICH OPENED IN 2007, REDEFINED ANIMAL SHELTERING AS THE FIRST CAGELESS, STATE-OF-THE-ART, NO KILL SHELTER IN THE MIDWEST. PAWS CHICAGO'S FIRST SATELLITE ADOPTION FACILITY, THE GLENN L. FELNER ADOPTION CENTER, LOCATED INSIDE A PETCO IN THE CHICAGO SUBURB OF HIGHLAND PARK, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 452 ADOPTIONS IN 2019. CRITICAL TO ADOPTION IS RAISING AWARENESS AND BRINGING IN THE COMMUNITY. PAWS HOSTS INNOVATIVE ON-SITE ADOPTION EVENTS, LIKE A MULTI-DAY ADOPT-A-THON IN THE SPRING AND FALL, TO RAISE AWARENESS AND BRING IN THE COMMUNITY, RESULTING IN MORE LIVES SAVED. IN ADDITION, THROUGH OFF-SITE ADOPTION EVENTS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS CHICAGOLAND, PAWS BRINGS ADOPTABLE ANIMALS TO HIGH-TRAFFIC SHOPPING CENTERS AND RETAIL STORES WHERE PEOPLE WILL STOP, PLAY WITH THE ANIMALS AND THINK ABOUT ADOPTING.
NTEE category: Animal-Related