What are your hours? Right now Paws and Claws is open from 10-4 each day and we are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Can you email me pictures of the dogs and cats? Once an animal is available, they are placed on AdoptaPet.com and our website.
How much is it to adopt? Adoption prices depend on many factors including the age of the animal, breed, and how long the animal has been at the shelter. Adoption fees are listed on each animal's adoption listing. From time to time we run special discount programs.
Can you spay/neuter my dog? No, but you may contact a local vet.
I have a litter of kittens/puppies. Can you take them? Probably not. We are not staffed or equipped to take care of unweaned animals at our shelter. If we do have space available, you would need to relinquish the mother and pay for the spay/neuter fees. If the kittens/puppies are weaned and space is available, the spay/neuter fees would need to be paid for the litter. Unfortunately each spring we are flooded with requests to take in 100+ kittens and puppies. We typically only accept about 15 due to space, staffing, and funding. A litter with a mom cat and 5 kittens costs the shelter about $700 to feed, vet, and care for until they are 12 weeks old.
Someone dumped a dog at my house, can you come get it? No, we are not an animal control facility. If you live inside the city limits, contact the police department. Outside the city limits unfortunately has no leash law, but you can still contact the Sheriff's department or your county commissioner.
I'm moving and need to get rid of my dog/cat. Can you take it? We accept relinquished animals by appointment. There is a fee to relinquish an animal to the shelter if the animal is not current on vaccines and spayed/neutered. Because our shelter is typically full, there is often a waitlist to relinquish. Waitlist for cat placements can be 2+ months long and dogs are typically a 3-4 month wait for placement. Waitlist priority is given to animals who have already been spayed/neutered and are current on vaccines. To be placed on the waitlist, you must contact the shelter AND provide us with a photograph of the animal you need to relinquish.
Why can't I just bring a dog to the shelter and you take it? We help rehome hundreds of animals per year. Prior to rehoming, animals must be spayed/neutered, vaccinated against rabies and other diseases, dewormed, treated for fleas and ticks, and tested for heartworm. We can only accept new animals when we have the space and resource available to prepare them for adoption.
I want to adopt, what do I need to do? The first step is to fill out an adoption form and bring it to the shelter or email it to us. Then , you need to meet and greet the animals you are interested in. All adopters must have a photo I.D.. Adoption fees can be paid by cash, check, or via Paypal.
Why do my other animals need to be spayed/neutered to adopt? Paws and Claws would love it if there was never another homeless animal. Each year nearly over 7 million animals enter shelters in the U.S. and between 2-3 million of them are euthanized. The biggest cause of homelessness among dogs and cats is over population when animals go unaltered. As much as we want an animal to go to a new home, our animals cannot be placed in homes that are contributing to the pet overpopulation problem.