My name is Nerissa!

Finding the right pet for your home and the right home for every pet is a challenging goal. Every adoption requires a completed and approved application and at least one visit to our shelter in Norwalk, CT, to meet with an adoption counselor.

Your adoption donation helps us defray the cost of the animal's food, boarding and medical care. Any additional donation you would like to make above the minimum is greatly appreciated. Your contribution is fully tax deductible. An average stay at PAWS costs about $500 and your donation helps off-set these costs and allows us to help another animal in need.

Please see PAWS' website for current feline adoption donation: www.pawsct.org.

The feline adoption donation include age-appropriate vaccines such as Rabies and Distemper, Spay or Neuter, testing for Feline Aids and Leukemia, and a Microchip. (Please Note: No test is 100% accurate for these viruses). We spay or neuter all cats and kittens old enough for the procedure before they are adopted.

If a kitten is too small or too young to be spayed or neutered they are sent home as a Foster To Adopt and come back to us when they are big/old enough for the surgery. They can then be officially adopted.

Please see PAWS' website for current canine adoption donation: www.pawsct.org.

The canine adoption donation include age-appropriate vaccines such as Rabies and Distemper, Spay or Neuter,testing for heartworm, and a Microchip. We spay/neuter all dogs and puppies old enough for the procedures before they are adopted.
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If a puppy is too small or too young to be spayed or neutered they are sent home as a Foster To Adopt and come back to us when they are big/old enough for the surgery. They can then be officially adopted.
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We accept Cash, Checks, VISA, Mastercard. Please make checks out to: PAWS.

PLEASE NOTE: PAWS does not perform long-distance adoptions or ship pets to other parts of the country. You must be able to come into our facility to meet the pet you are interested in adopting. All adopters must be within a reasonable driving distance.

https://linktr.ee/pawsct

ALL VISITS ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. You MUST submit an application and be approved prior to coming in.

When coming to see pets, please expect to spend at least one hour at PAWS with the pets. It is important that you spend time with the animals in order to select a pet that is a good match for your family.

Please understand that we have limited staffing. We want your experience in adopting a pet to be the best possible and want to give potential adopters adequate time to meet & spend time with the pets they are considering adopting.

ABOUT PAWS:
PAWS is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in continuous operation since 1962 by Westport, Connecticut resident Betty Long to rescue homeless dogs and place them in permanent homes. In the early 1980s, our rescue efforts were expanded to include cats. PAWS rescues & rehomes approximately 200 dogs and 400 cats annually. Many of the dogs come from local pounds and most of the cats that we help are strays or abandoned cats that roam our streets. A portion of the pets that come to PAWS have been relinquished by their owners who are no longer able to care for them.

As we are a registered non-profit, all contributions to PAWS are fully tax-deductible as allowed by law.

PAWS has a handful of paid staff and a team of dedicated volunteers that help with everything to fundraising, to kennel work, to walking dogs and much, much more. Every person at PAWS is a valued & needed member of our team - without them we could not accomplish the miracle that happen every day!

For 37 years, PAWS rented space from local boarding kennels & veterinary hospitals. Over time, the demands placed on us by the community increased and we felt that in order to increase & expand our services, we would need our own shelter. In 1999, PAWS undertook the task of building a shelter of our own. We moved into our own shelter in 2001 and have since greatly increased the number of pets we have been able to help.

We constantly seek to increase the number of lives we can save by finding adoptive homes for the animals in our care, working closely with other animal groups, and raising funds to secure the supplies and facilities necessary for our operation.

PAWS also seeks to decrease the number of unwanted pets by informing and educating the public about the importance of spaying and neutering. We can sometimes offer financial assistance for stray and feral cats.

PLEASE NOTE: PAWS does not provide low cost spay/neuter programs for pets. For low cost spay/neuter resources, please visit the Resources page on our website at www.pawsct.org.