PAWS Atlanta

No kill shelter, they pay for heart worm treatments and other ailments a dog may have coming into the shelter. This place takes all animals, even when people abandon their pets loose in their parking lot. They also have a foster care program for certain animals. We fostered an older dog until his death, and adopted two more that we have in our happy home. The workers here really care. If you need a pet, adopt!

Please don't leave your animals in the parking lot though. If you need a place to give them, give them here. But talk to the shelter workers, it isn't a crime to need to give an animal to a shelter. I say this because sometimes the animals left in the parking lot will run into the street and get lost or hit by a car. Paws has a drop box now if you absolutely need to leave your animal without a word. But please leave the animal in a cage, or at the very least tied to the drop box so they don't run off and get hurt. It's always best to just talk to the workers though.

I came looking for a pet cat to adopt when i got there i had to let myself through the entrance gate. It wasn't no one there to greet me. The office sit in the back. I walked to the office and ask about cat adoption. The lady at the desk seem like she didn't want to be bothered so she pointed me to the part they had the cats in. I got to the cat building & it was 4 rooms but i barely workers in sight. I didn't just wanted to walk in there. You would think rules would be in place. I finally found someone and they told me I could go in the rooms. Im like okay.. i went to each of the rooms but the last room was to much to bare. One cat was locked up because she doesn't like other cats which is
understandable. The other cat was sleeping and the last cat was trying to run out the door. I finally got him to come around and he played with me alittle then i felt teeth & nails.
I had to shake my arm just to get him away. It was no worker in sight. If you know he have mood swings why not put him in the cage...

I can't begin to express my love and respect for everyone at PAWS Atlanta. Everyone puts their hearts and souls into every pet that comes to their shelter. The shelter is well maintained and it keeps getting better, thanks to a lot of hard working people and donations from supporters.

The passion for rescuing, saving, and finding pets their forever homes is obvious from the moment you meet anyone who works or volunteers at PAWS.

PAWS does a lot for the community of pet parents as well. They offer food drives and medical care, for those pet parents who may have fallen on hard times.

PAWS is a staple in Atlanta. I'm so proud to be a little part of helping this amazing organization, through donations, so they can continue their awesome work!

I kept bugging the hubby about getting a little furry friend. He finally relented and off we went to search for a boy fur baby. I believe PAWS is one of the oldest (if not THE) no-kill shelter in Atlanta.

The staff at PAWS are super friendly!!! They take your license, have you complete a quick form, and ensure all members of your household are there or can confirm they are pet friendly.

Also, PAWS doesn't smell terrible like some other unnamed shelters we went too. The animals are treated very humanely.

We saw quite a few smaller dogs, but one caught our eye. He was so sweet and beautiful.

We've since renamed him and have gotten him checked out at the vet, where he received a clean bill of health.

The adoption fee is $250, but for those who would complain regarding price, many of these puppy mills disguised as stores charge far more.

Moreover, the animals are microchipped, spayed/neutered, fed quality food, and are on heartworm and flea medicine.

When we are ready for our next dog, we will be adopting again from PAWS!

I'm so happy I followed up with this shelter to locate my new fur baby, Tiger. He walked right up to me when I walked in the door. OMG! I love him already and its only been a week!!!
The online application was easy! It just took awhile for them to review it and approve me.
The facility was clean and orderly. The staff was friendly and efficient in getting my "walking papers" together.
I initially thought the price was a bit high considering the cost of another facility but once they told me what it all included I knew it was a great price. Would definitely recommend using this place to find your next pet.

I'm really happy that I found this shelter. They were so kind, and the cat I got was shy at first but then very Active and playful, they gave me a free bag of cat food a free toy for the cat I really recommend this shelter!

absolutely great charity and shelter. Ive fostered and adopted. The vet they use is great and its so lovely to know there are such kind and caring people in the world. Support this charity even if you cannot take a pet.

I was told that my application "looked good" but then it seemed like every dog I asked about, there was a reason why I couldn't adopt it. Dogs that are listed as cat friendly on the website(I have cats) I was told weren't friendly with cats. When I asked if I could possibly be able to come in to view the dogs in person, the question was just not answered. I don't understand. It seems like they don't want the dogs to be adopted? Idk. The prices are insane as well for shelter animals. I put 2 stars because they are a no kill shelter.

I've heard of PAWS Atlanta for quite some time, but I never made the effort to actually get involved. It wasn't until last month (August 2018) when my dog died from a tumor (4 yrs old.), that I searched for PAWS. Not only would volunteering help bring love to animals, it would definitely help me cope with the loss of my Rottweiler.

Volunteer Sign-Up: The volunteer process is EASY. Go online to their website and complete the volunteer form. This asks for basic information as well as what you'd be interested in doing as a volunteer. There are different options, but I selected dog care, cat care, and photography. I love dogs and I'm a photographer, but I selected cats as well to use this experience to be around them more and see if I like them or could see myself as a kitty owner.

* Once the form is submitted, you'll receive an email, followed by another email that tells you to sign up for an orientation. In order to be an official PAWS Volunteer, it is required that you take orientation. Orientation is held at PAWS Atlanta every Saturday morning at 10:30am and lasts about two hours. You only have to go to ONE orientation.

Orientation: Once we arrived to PAWS, we were taken to the outside trailer, where the room is set up "office meeting" style. Upon arrival, you must sign a waiver. They email them and ask you to print them, but they'll pass out copies if you don't have yours. We then had an ice breaker, where everyone introduced themselves, how we heard about PAWS, and what ultimately brought us here to volunteer. After that, our host have the history of PAWS, what they do as a organization, and what we'll be doing as volunteers and other safety issues. After the orientation, we were taken on a tour of the campus.

Cats: First on the tour was the cat facility. For obvious reasons, the cat facility is separate from the dogs. Inside, there are different rooms that holds several cats for different needs. For example, one room is called "Weight Watchers" where all the kittens inside are considered over weight, another room holds cats that have been at the facility for over a year, another room holds kittens, etc. There was even a cat segregated in the hallway completely by itself. We were told this cat had FIV, the cat version of HIV and that it doesn't affect humans. After getting the rundown, we were given 15 minutes to play with cats, which my wife and I spent that time in the kitten room. Definitely fell in love with sooooo many kittens! If you're low enough to the ground, they'll jump on your back. I could've stayed in this room ALL DAY. I really didn't want to leave.

Dogs: There are two dog facilities on the PAWS campus, one for the small-medium dogs/pups and one for the large dogs. We first went inside the small-medium dog facility and these pups were adorable. I literally wanted to adopt TWO on the spot. I'll never forget Perry. She was this cute Pitbull Terrier mix that couldn't keep my fingers out of her mouth. Once I fell in love, we were taken outside to see the grounds of where volunteers are allowed to play with the dogs, walk them, etc. Next was the large dog facility. THIS room was way more intimidating. These HUGE dogs looked like they wanted to bust through their cages and eat us. I've never heard so many deep barks in my life. I felt like a visitor in a psychiatric ward looking through the window of each patient, while monitoring their activities on a clipboard. I'm sure these big guys and gals are just as friendly, but I think I'm gonna babystep my way into those big'uns.

Overall, we had a great time at PAWS Atlanta. I'm DEFINITELY coming back at least weekly. After the tour, we could basically do what we wanted, so we went back to the cat facility and played with more kittens. I'm almost 100% sure we'll eventually adopt a pet from here, but in the meantime, this is definitely a great way to practice being pet parents.

I've volunteered and fostered four dogs from PAWS Atlanta, and all four of them have been so precious and well-behaved (and luckily all of them have been adopted)! The amount of love and dedication the staff and volunteers give to the animals and this organization are insurmountable. The shelter is well-kept, and there's an on-site veterinarian who helps with the animals' health issues. The adoption fee for dogs is $250 ($150 if you're 65+) and for cats is $100 ($50 if you're 65+). It may seem expensive, but since PAWS is a non-profit, no-kill shelter, these "elevated" costs go towards food, shelter, vet costs, etc. PAWS is truly a special organization, and I recommend to anyone thinking of adopting to check out PAWS Atlanta.

P.S. Attached are pics of the four dogs I've fostered