PAWS CHICAGO
Programs
Program 1 [2020]
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 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 2020, PAWS CHICAGO HAD A 98.17% SAVE RATE, EVEN WHILE TAKING IN A VULNERABLE POPULATION OF ANIMALS. IN TOTAL, 9,606 SEPARATE MEDICAL DIAGNOSES WERE TREATED, INCLUDING 1,299 RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES; 1,163 GI CONDITIONS LIKE PARASITES AND WORMS; 463 MUSCULOSKELETAL ABNORMALITIES; 143 ABNORMAL HEART CONDITIONS; 111 HEARTWORM POSITIVE CANINES AND 24 NEUROLOGIC CONDITIONS. THE MEDICAL CENTER IS 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. 2,834 ANIMALS WENT INTO FOSTER CARE IN 2020. 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. IN 2019, PAWS CHICAGO BEGAN CONSTRUCTION ON A MAJOR EXPANSION OF ITS MEDICAL CENTER AND SHELTER MEDICINE PROGRAM TO INCREASE ITS CAPACITY TO SAVE SICK AND INJURED ANIMALS, WITH THE RENOVATED CENTER FULLY OPERATIONAL AT THE END OF 2020. THE COMPLETED MEDICAL CENTER TRIPLED THE NUMBER OF ISOLATION SUITES FROM 30 TO 90 AND IS THE PREMIER HOMELESS PET HOSPITAL IN THE NATION. THE PAWS CHICAGO TRAINING CENTER HAS FOUR FULL-TIME AND NUMEROUS PART-TIME TRAINERS WHO LEAD AN INNOVATIVE DOG TRAINING AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FOR PAWS CHICAGO'S HOMELESS ANIMALS, PAWS ADOPTERS, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. FOR PAWS HOMELESS PETS, A TEAM OF BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS AND TRAINED VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE ABUSED, NEGLECTED, AND UNDER-SOCIALIZED HOMELESS DOGS WITH ONE-ON-ONE AND GROUP TRAINING AS WELL AS BEHAVIOR ENRICHMENT TO HELP THEM BUILD CONFIDENCE AND COMMUNICATION, WHICH LEADS TO SUCCESSFUL ADOPTIONS. PAWS TRAINERS LED 88 IN-PERSON CLASSES WITH VOLUNTEERS AND SHELTER DOGS IN 2020. THEY ALSO CONDUCTED 160 GROUP AND ONE-ON-ONE ZOOM TRAINING CLASSES WITH PAWS DOGS AND THEIR TEMPORARY FOSTER FAMILIES. PAWS' GOAL IS TO PLACE SENSITIVE, ANXIOUS AND FEARFUL DOGS IN LOW-STRESS FOSTER HOMES. ADDITIONALLY, MORE THAN 1,000 CANINES ENROLLED IN A VARIETY OF TRAINING AND OBEDIENCE CLASSES IN 2020, WITH 66% ATTENDING VIRTUALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC, WHEN IN-PERSON CLASSES WERE SUSPENDED.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$4.4MProgram 2 [2020]
PREVENTION & SPAY/NEUTER: DESPITE THE PANDEMIC SHUTTING DOWN BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND FORCING MASSIVE CHANGES TO OPERATIONS, PAWS CHICAGO REMAINED OPERATIONAL, INCLUDING ITS MEDICAL CENTER AND LURIE CLINIC, PERFORMING 9,453 SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES IN 2020. THE MAJORITY OF STRAY, FERAL AND UNWANTED PETS ORIGINATE IN LOW-INCOME, UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES. THROUGH THE PAWS CHICAGO LURIE CLINIC IN LITTLE VILLAGE AND THE GUSMOBILE SPAY/NEUTER VAN, WHICH BRINGS LIFESAVING SOLUTIONS DIRECTLY TO NEIGHBORHOODS LACKING RESOURCES, PAWS OFFERS SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST AND WHERE THEY MAKE THE MOST IMPACT. PAWS CHICAGO IS NEARING ON THE MILESTONE OF 300,000 LOW-COST AND FREE SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES SINCE THE LURIE CLINIC'S OPENING IN 2000.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 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 OPENING THE ENGLEWOOD OUTREACH CENTER IN 2019. PROGRAM STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS GO DOOR-TO-DOOR, EXPANDING 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 RATE OF 83%.SINCE LAUNCHING IN 2014, THE PRIMARY NEIGHBORHOOD OF FOCUS HAS BEEN ENGLEWOOD, WHERE MORE THAN 49% OF THE POPULATION LIVES BELOW THE POVERTY LINE, BUT SERVICES HAVE IN RECENT YEARS EXPANDED TO NEARBY BACK OF THE YARDS AS WELL. THE ENGLEWOOD OUTREACH CENTER SERVES AS AN ANIMAL WELFARE ANCHOR, ENABLING PAWS TO PROVIDE EVEN MORE PREVENTATIVE RESOURCES BEYOND FREE SPAY/NEUTER AND TRANSPORTATION. THIS IMPORTANT NEW LOCATION IS EXPANDING SERVICES TO INCLUDE A COMMUNITY MEDICINE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES VETERINARY CARE TO SICK, INJURED AND SUFFERING PETS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE NEVER SEE A VETERINARIAN. IT ALSO ACTS AS A HUB FOR THE PET FOOD PANTRY, THE GUSMOBILE, VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONS, FERAL CAT SHELTER BUILDING ASSISTANCE, TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN SUPPORT, EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS AND MORE. 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 2020, PAWS PERFORMED 980 SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES ON FERAL CATS. THESE PREVENTION EFFORTS ARE CRITICAL TO ENDING THE KILLING OF HOMELESS PETS. THERE HAS BEEN A 91% REDUCTION IN KILLING SINCE 1997 AND TWO-THIRDS OF THIS REDUCTION IS THE RESULT OF FEWER PETS ENTERING SHELTERS.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$2.3MProgram 3 [2020]
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 AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMMING, PAWS UNITED 4,100 ANIMALS WITH LOVING HOMES IN 2020. PAWS CHICAGO'S RESCUE AND ADOPTION PROGRAMS DID NOT CLOSE FOR EVEN ONE DAY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, IMMEDIATELY SHIFTING TO A VIRTUAL ADOPTION PROCESS AND CONTINUING TO SAVE THE LIVES OF AT-RISK ANIMALS. WHEN OTHER STATES PROHIBITED TRANSPORT OF AT-RISK HOMELESS PETS DURING THE PANDEMIC, PAWS CHICAGO STEPPED IN TO SAVE LIVES. IN 2020, PAWS CHICAGO ALSO LAUNCHED THE COMPETIBILITY QUIZ AND MATCHMAKING PROGRAM, DESIGNED TO ASSIST ADOPTERS IN FINDING PETS THAT FIT THEIR HOME ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE. THIS INNOVATIVE PROGRAM WAS ESSENTIAL FOUNDATION TO BUILD A VIRTUAL ADOPTION PROCESS AND SAVE THOUSANDS OF ANIMAL LIVES.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$2.2M
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