Paws Chicago

PAWS CHICAGO IS BUILDING SOLUTIONS TO END THE KILLING OF HOMELESS PETS.

ANIMAL HEALTH & BEHAVIOR: COMMITTING TO SAVING EACH TREATABLE PET AND PROVIDING ALL THE MEDICAL TREATMENT AND BEHAVIORAL ENRICHMENT NEEDED TO OPTIMIZE HEALTH AND WELLBEING ARE TWO OF THE MOST CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF THE NO KILL MODEL. 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 BEHAVIORIALLY CHALLENGED ANIMALS. IN 2021, 8,646 SEPARATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSES WERE TREATED, INCLUDING 1,098 RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES; 969 GI CONDITIONS LIKE PARASITES AND WORMS; 443 MUSCULOSKELETAL ABNORMALTIES; 154 ABNORMAL HEART CONDITIONS; 78 HEARTWORM-POSITIVE CANINES AND 29 NEUROLOGIC CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION TO PERFORMING 12,272 SPAY/NEUTER PROCEDURES, VETERINARY SURGEONS PERFORMED 304 ADVANCED SURGERIES ADDRESSING... ORTHOPEDIC, DENTAL, HERNIA REPAIR, MASS REMOVAL AND OTHER MEDICAL NEEDS. THE MEDICAL CENTER - THE FIRST STOP FOR HOMELESS ANIMALS WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT PAWS - 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. 2,641 ANIMALS WENT INTO FOSTER CARE IN 2021. AS THE ANIMAL WELFARE MOVEMENT CONTINUES TO GROW IN CHICAGO,HEALTHY ANIMALS ARE BEING SAVED IN RECORD NUMBERS AT THE CITY IMPOUNDMENT FACILITY, MEANING THE POPULATION OF RESCUED ANIMALS INCREASINGLY REQUIRE MORE SIGNIFICANT MEDICAL RESOURCES. PAWS RECENTLY CONDUCTED A MAJOR EXPANSION OF ITS MEDICAL CENTER AND SHELTER MEDICINE PROGRAM TO INCREASE ITS CAPACITY TO SAVE SICK ANIMALS.

PREVENTION & SPAY/NEUTER: DESPITE THE CONTINUED EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC SLOWING DOWN BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND FORCING MASSIVE CHANGES TO OPERATIONS PAWS CHICAGO REMAINED THE ONLY LOCAL PROVIDER OF HIGH VOLUME SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES, PERFORMING 12,272 IN 2021. THE MAJORITY OF STRAY, FERAL AND UNWANTED PETS ORIGINATE IN UNDER RESOURCED COMMUNITIES. THROUGH THE PAWS CHICAGO LURIE CLINIC IN LITTLE VILLAGE, LOCATED LESS THAN TWO MILES FROM CHICAGO'S ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL, PAWS OFFERS SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST AND WHERE THEY MAKE THE MOST IMPACT. PAWS CHICAGO IS NEARING THE MILESTONE OF 300,000 LOW-COST AND FREE SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES SINCE THE LURIE CLINIC'S OPENING IN 2000 WHICH HAS LITERALLY CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE OF PET HOMELESSNESS. PREVENTING UNWANTED PETS FROM BEING BORN IS KEY TO... BUILDING A NO KILL CHICAGO. 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 THE PAWS PREVENTION INITIATIVES. AS AN ANCILLARY SERVICE TO THE LURIE CLINIC, PAWS CHICAGO LAUNCHED THE PAWS FOR LIFE DOOR-TO-DOOR OUTREACH PROGRAM IN 2014, AND OPENED THE ENGLEWOOD OUTREACH CENTER IN 2019. PROGRAM STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS EXPAND ACCESS TO SPAY/NEUTER AND PET RESOURCES IN CHICAGO'S MOST UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. OF THE PETS PAWS FOR LIFE MEETS, 95% ARE UNALTERED. SIMPLY BY REMOVING BARRIERS, PAWS ACHIEVES A SPAY/NEUTER CONVERSION OF 83%. 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 2021, PAWS PERFORMED 1,602 SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES ON FERAL CATS. THESE PREVENTION EFFORTS ARE CRITICAL TO ENDING THE KILLING OF HOMELESS PETS. THERE HAS BEEN A 91.06% REDUCTION IN KILLING OF HOMELESS PETS IN CHICAGO SINCE 1997 AND TWO-THIRDS OF THIS REDUCTION IS THE RESULT OF FEWER PETS ENTERING SHELTERS.

ADOPTION: RESCUING HOMELESS PETS AND UNITING THEM WITH THEIR NEW FAMILIES CONNECTS THE PUBLIC WITH THE PLIGHT OF HOMELESS PETS ON THE DEEPEST LEVEL. THROUGH PAWS CHICAGO'S ADOPTION CENTERS AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING, PAWS UNITED 4,046 ANIMALS WITH LOVING HOMES IN 2021. ON JUNE 28, 2021 AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR OF CONDUCTING VIRTUAL ADOPTIONS, PAWS CHICAGO WAS ABLE TO REOPEN FOR IN PERSON ADOPTIONS. USING OUR PROPRIETARY COMPATIBILITY QUIZ, PAWS USES TECHNOLOGY TO MATCH PETS WITH PROSPECTIVE ADOPTERS BASED ON THEIR LIFESTYLE NEEDS, ENSURING A LASTING COMMITMENT. OUR TRAINERS OFFER ON-SITE SUPPORT AND ADVICE, CONDUCTING RESIDENT PET INTRODUCTIONS AND ENSURING A SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO THE HOME. OUR VOLUNTEERS OFFER DETAILED ADOPTION COUNSELING AND FOLLOW-UP.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & VOLUNTEERS: 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 HOMELESSNESSAND THE RESULTANT KILLINGHAS 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. VOLUNTEERS: VOLUNTEERS ARE THE LIFE FORCE BEHIND PAWS CHICAGO'S OPERATIONS AND AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT TO BUILDING A NO KILL CHICAGO. IN 2021,VOLUNTEERS DEDICATED 96,035 HOURS OF SERVICE, THE EQUIVALENT OF 46 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. AND THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE FOSTER FAMILIES WHO TOOK IN AND CARED FOR 2,641 ANIMALS IN NEED IN 2021. 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 OFFSITE 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.