Placing Animals Within Society: P.A.W.S.

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.

We serve Bryson City and surrounding Swain County.