JACKSON, Wyo. — PAWS’ mission is to prevent pet homelessness, protect pets from harm and suffering, and to promote responsible pet ownership. These key pillars of pet service help pets and their people and is done throughout Jackson, Star Valley, and Teton Valley, ID.

Prevent

PAWS prevents pet homelessness by continuing to offer spay/neuter vouchers to people for their pets. PAWS Spay/Neuter program has made significant impacts on our local pet overpopulation problem. Thanks to veterinary participation and your support, PAWS funded over 1,165 altering surgeries in 2019.

PAWS MedFund program was extended beyond Jackson/Teton County this year to assist the increased unexpected vet bills people saw in our neighboring communities. PAWS MedFund enabled 114 pets to receive required, and often urgent, medical care to stay alive. As animal shelter medical budgets are often stressed, PAWS MedFund is also available for pets at local shelters.

Protect

PAWS protects pets from harm and suffering by supporting animal shelters that take care of homeless pets. In 2019, PAWS ShelterFund granted funds to Teton Valley Community Animal Shelter to purchase and install a new pet washing station, critical IT needs, and funds for dog training. In addition, we supported Jackson/Teton County Animal Shelter with dog training and a PAWS staff member who spends part of her day assisting at the shelter and oversees the volunteer program. A huge meow of thanks to Pet of the Week sponsors, Graham-Faupel-Mendenhall & Associates and Spring Creek Animal Hospital, as they helped highlight adoption of local homeless pets.

SafePAWS, our partnership with Community Safety Network, supports pet needs of domestic violence victims. With a dog yard and a newly created cat safe haven at Community Safety Network, more pets are allowed to safely stay with their families during challenging times.

The cat safe haven at Community Safety Network.

The PAWS Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) was not activated in 2019 but continued their hands-on training to help pets during a local disaster. Our partnership with Teton County Emergency Management continues to thrive, volunteers are highly engaged, and we remain very active with Jackson’s Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).

Promote


PAWS is the backbone of responsible pet ownership through our local communities. Through PAWS Mutt Mitt program we maintained 23 mutt mitt stations and provided over 150,000 mutt mitts for dog owners. PAWS Poop Fairy Brigade and PAWS-itivity Ambassadors remain a positive influence on pathway and trail users and are easy to spot when out walking dog-friendly trails. Thanks to Snake River Brewing, Persephone, Teton Tails, and Pet Place Plus who reward pets and their people for good etiquette.

PAWS Education and Outreach programs taught Humane Education to over 450 students in Teton Valley ID and Etna Elementary. The children learn empathy and compassion for both pets and people and an array of topics that aid them in becoming pet advocates in their communities.

PAWS remains at the forefront of advocating for a year-around Dog Park in Jackson. The Winter Dog Park at the fairgrounds experiences thousands of dogs from November – April. Over in Idaho, PAWS has partnered with the City of Victor to help provide financial support to add a second entrance, create a fenced section for small dogs, and donated five Mutt Mitt Stations for the Victor Dog Park.

With thousands of rescue shelters and animal welfare organizations nationwide, what makes PAWS of Jackson Hole unique is that we focus on both pets and their people. PAWS has received a generous end-of-the-year challenge donation that will match dollar for dollar up to $35,000 through December 31, 2019. Donate Today! If you have any questions about PAWS of Jackson Hole please call 307.734.2441, email info@pawsofjh.org, or visit our website www.pawsofjh.org.