My name is Xena!

The adoption fee is $65 for a cat or $85 for a dog unless we have incurred significant medical expenses. We do not adopt out dogs as guard dogs, or animals that will be "outside only" pets. Our feline residents are required to be adopted as inside-only pets.

Thanks to our small staff and a couple of very dedicated volunteers, we have a wonderful group of socialized and happy dogs and cats at the shelter. We are open to the public Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. just a 2 minute drive from downtown Bryson City. Give us a call for more info at 828-488-0418 and say you found us on Adopt-a-Pet.com!

We are a small no-kill shelter founded in 1990. We are the only shelter in the county and rely solely on donations and the sales from our thrift store. We are small enough that each dog (15 max) and each cat (16 max) get individual attention. We have created a home-like environment in our shelter to give the animals as close to a real home while they wait to be adopted. HSUS had dubbed us "the little shelter that could" when the state rep came out and saw all that we accomplish as a very small organization. We have adopted out over 2,500 animals and have financially assisted the community in over 9,000 spay/neuter surgeries. We have 2 full-time staff and rely on volunteers to help us with all there is to do. Volunteers are very important to the success of P.A.W.S. and there are many opportunities not only at the shelter, but in our thrift store, fundraising, administrative, festivals and media contact.