DRIGGS, Idaho — As PAWS of Jackson Hole celebrates 25 years, the team wishes to express gratitude for the support that has allowed PAWS to make a meaningful difference in the lives of both pets and their owners.

Addressing local pet-related issues has always been at the core of PAWS’ mission, and even though it was founded in Jackson, PAWS has been providing services and funding to Teton County, ID, and Star Valley, WY, for more than a decade. PAWS is here to help, and thanks the community for trusting PAWS with generous donations to sustain the mission then, now and in the future.

PAWS’ achievements in all three local communities over the last 25 years speak for themselves. PAWS has: 

  • Assisted more than 10,000 local pet owners spay and neuter their pets. 
  • Provided over $600,000 in funding for critical vet care to those who could not afford it. 
  • Removed over 1 million piles of dog waste from our public lands. 
  • Tackled pet evacuation with the Disaster Animal Response Team.
  • And most recently, acquired the Teton Valley Animal Shelter as it faced closure. 

Tulip’s Throwback MedFund Story!

A core program, PAWS Medfund was started by a local family in 2001 who believed no animal should be denied medical care due to an owner’s financial distress.

In the winter of 2010, a good Samaritan found a small, gray poodle roaming alone in a horse pasture. Blind, covered in mats and snowballs, unspayed, with multiple mammary tumors, it was clear she was in desperate need of assistance. Without an owner, she was taken to the Animal Care Clinic, prompting a call to PAWS to explore options for her care. An employee at the clinic was instantly drawn to Tulip and chose to bring her home.

“She had a hefty vet bill at the clinic, so PAWS’ Medfund really helped with that. I don’t know if we would have been able to adopt her without that assistance,” said Katie Kavanaugh, Tulip’s mom.

Thanks to funding from the PAWS MedFund, Tulip went on to live many more joyful years with Katie, Kevin and the entire Kavanaugh family. She passed away peacefully, knowing she was loved and cared for.

Every year, hundreds of local pets like Tulip are abandoned, neglected, injured and in need of care right here in the community. Please consider a donation to PAWS to help local pets and their families! Visit pawsofjh.org.