Paw Works

Adopted my cat at this location they were quick and efficient with the adoption process! They are friendly and the place is very clean! If your looking for a pet and a organization that cares about animals then you found a great place!

I am sad to give Paw Works only 1 star as I was a supporter and donated to assist with the vet bills. I am posting this review to make others aware. My friend, on my recommendation, adopted a dog from Paw Works with the assumption that they only put dogs up for adoption that have a clean bill of health from a qualified vet. Unfortunately she found out the hard way that this is not true. My friend was not only told but was provided with written documentation that the dog she adopted was 4 yrs old, spayed and in good health. Well months later her dog became very ill. Rushed her to a local vet and was told the dog was seriously ill as a result of not being spayed and was roughly 8 yrs old not 4 yrs old. She had to stay overnight at the vet and emergency surgery the next day to save her life. Note the vet could tell her wasn’t spayed and her real age within the first few minutes of examining her.
When she contacted Paw Works they really didn’t care that they misrepresented everything about the dog and said she should have brought her back rather than having her vet take care of her. This tells me that they really don’t care.
Please be aware if you are thinking of adopting from this org. I will never contribute to this org again nor recommend someone adopt from them again. I have made my family members and friends that also were supporters and donators aware too.

Around Christmas time I adopted a kitten from this Paw Works location. I was very excited to bring him home. The employees were very eager to quickly get the new kittens into homes, which I’m sure came with the best intentions. Upon going to our first vet trip with what I assumed was a happy, healthy kitten, I was very surprised and saddened to find that he had a few problems that I would have hoped had been checked before his coming home with me. For starters, he had a tape worm from what they assume was ingesting fleas. Although I was told he had been given flea treatment he also had fleas and some flea dirt on him upon inspection by the vet. We had another cat in the home who also got fleas because of this. He also developed a respiratory infection rather immediately upon bringing him home. The vet said this was likely caused by some type of herpes virus found in cats. I’m not sure how easily that would have been to predict, but I still would have liked to have more confidence in the initial examination that I thought he had before coming home.
I probably would not adopt again from this location. Although our little man is now in perfect health, it has been a very stressful and expensive first few months home with him.

Absolutely heartless! Their focus is in making money. We had an unfortunate reason to have to give our dog back and their answer was «bring him back asap». Did not give our children a chance to say buy. Just heartless, cold and rude!

Such horrible «service» here. I just walked in to look at their pets and products and could not even get a hi or eye contact from anyone who works there. Expressed interest in a particular animal and still no one offered up information or a conversation. I would never recommend this place to friends or family!
Sorry these pets are surrounded by such people.

They suck they kill pits and then tell people they are adopted, I cant not believe they have not been busted yet. And C. A is not a dog trainer why was fired from sparc duh. All evil comes to surface.

Love this rescue! They helped place three puppies that were in desperate need of care into wonderful, loving homes. Their shop is always clean and the volunteers friendly and professional. They go to great lengths to help the dogs they take in and have been a bright spot at the mall and within the community. Thank you Paw Works!

Princess, a beautiful three-​year-​old Pom, was homeless, malnourished, and had lost most of her hair. She had been bred at least once and then found herself alone and out on the streets of Oxnard. Paw Works introduced me to this little sweetheart, and I adopted her for my elderly parents. Princess has changed their lives and added so much love to their home. And I am so pleased to have a new niece! Thank you Paw Works!
I am always so impressed with the Paw Works people, their ability to love unconditionally, their sense of dignity, and the lengths to which they will go to do the right thing for all those sweet babies that they take into their care. We are how we treat each other. In the case of Paw Works, they are how they treat all of our soon-​to-​be companions. They are beautiful.

«UPDATE FROM PREVIOUS POST»
Today I found out more information on Doug, the innocent AmStaff Terrier mix who was recently killed for behavioral reasons by your so called «no-​kill» rescue group. Doug was never really adopted out in July. He was being boarded at a local facility in Santa Paula. I know this because I visited him often since I am currently sponsoring an AmStaff terrier mix from another rescue group being boarded there. Whenever I visited the dog I am sponsoring, I’d also visit Doug. I am a huge large breed and «pittie» lover. I donate my time and money to help rescue and save this often misunderstood breed. Of course when I met Doug, I saw a beautiful, sweet and playful pup and it was love at first site. He was dog selective while there, and so your group sent him away for a month or so for training. I am familiar with the trainer and facility you used, and the independent trainer that you used this past summer.
When Doug returned back to the boarding facility in Oct, I was thrilled to see him. I would scratch his head and he would show me nothing but love. Training did do him wonders, because he behaved so much better. He seemed like a different dog. Often times dogs like Doug just need lots of exercise and direction to be able to blossom into a carefree, loving companion. He continued to be boarded since there were no fosters or adopters available. That is not unheard of though for true no kill rescues. Sometimes you hold on to a dog for months, maybe even years until you are able to find a special dog like Doug a forever home. True No kill rescue groups commit to dogs for the remainder of their life. Doug was in a great boarding facility where he was well taken care of, exercised and loved by the staff and volunteers.
In Jan, out of nowhere, you pulled him from that boarding facility. Doug was transferred to another boarding facility in Oxnard that I am also very familiar with. Doug did nothing to deserve to be transferred. He was very well behaved and loved by the staff. When I went to visit him, I was informed that you pulled him to go to training. The boarding facility did not know that you had lied to them and to me. Your «no kill» rescue group in fact took Doug out of boarding and murdered him. Doug was not suffering. He was happy and healthy. Death was obviously a cheaper solution for you than rather than commitment.
If anyone is wondering what took so long for my family to make the decision to want to adopt him, it was because we needed to make sure we were ready for him. Taking on a dog as a family member is a life-​long commitment and we were not about to do it until we had everything in place. There was no sense of urgency since Doug was supposedly in a «no kill» rescue group. Had he been adopted by another family, we would have been ecstatic for him and waited for another perfect fit to come along.
You responded by saying that, «We do not believe in „lifers“. We believe it is detrimental to the health and well being of the animal to be locked away in a cage for the majority of its life.»
Wow. Just wow. You obviously don’t know the lengths that real no kill rescue groups and the boarding facilities go to in order to enrich the lives of these animals while they are boarded. Let’s just call it what it is, your ignorance. The dogs that I have witnessed to be «lifers» in no-​kill dog rescues are walked and played with every day. They go out on outings with volunteers to the beach, on hikes, to parks, etc. They are safely introduced to playgroups to learn to socialize with other dogs. They are happy and healthy and surrounded by love. For you to say that a healthy animal is better off dead than boarded in a facility where they are surrounded by staff and volunteers who love them and give them the opportunity to be a dog is the most selfish and heartless thing one can say. You are not a true rescue. You are obviously in this for your own selfish reasons. You do not understand what the true meaning of no kill is. The standard No Kill policy is as follows «no-​kill shelter, meaning that we do not euthanize due to time or space constraints, reserving euthanasia for animals who are suffering mentally or physically, terminally ill, or considered dangerous to humans.» You do not follow this.
True No Kill Rescues are as follows; Second Chance Cocker Spaniel Rescue, Pet Adoption Fund, TLC, DAWG, CARL, All For Love, Shadow’s Fund, Marley’s Mutts, Villalobos Pit Bull Rescue. .. .. .. . the list goes on.
In response to your last paragraph, if I won the Lottery I think everyone can guess what I would do with that money. I would never want to walk in your shoes. I couldn’t sleep at night knowing that I was personally responsible for murdering so many innocent animals. It breaks my heart knowing that Doug is probably not the only dog murdered by your group. Especially since you consider 9 mo to be such a a long time to rehabilitate and animal and adopt them out!

Paw Works is an amazing establishment that rescues animals and works very hard to have Ventura County as NO KILL… I’m a volunteer and have been since mid November and love going to help whenever possible. I encourage all animal lovers to come and lend a helping hand.

My wife and I adopted a dog from paw works in April of 2014 and we couldn’t be happier with our decision. The founders are a busy crew, but they were kind and patient and had a tremendous knowledge base of all the dogs they had at the time. They followed up with us after we adopted Bobby to make sure things were going well. He is such a joy and we feel good about our decision to rescue vs. Buy. They did not have an adoption facility at the time and we are so happy to see how far they have come in such a short amount of time. One can only imagine the amount of time, money and energy that goes into rescuing animals from a shelter and we commend them for what they have accomplished. The fact that they are able to help ventura county to be a «no kill» county says a lot!!!

Amazing rescue! Christina and Chad are very devoted and passionate about the animals they save! I recommend Paw Works rescue to all friends.

The Paw Works Store is clean and inviting. The staff that work at the store are caring animal people. They are not working there for the money… Some of the merchandise is provided by local businesses. All the treats are made in the USA, and they sell the merchandise that they use on their own animals.
I have also been a volunteer for Paw Works since last March. I currently have two of their dogs as a foster. I can tell you that they have the best interest of the animal in their thoughts at all times. They take the dogs that no one else is willing to take. The elderly, the sick, and the breeds that are hard to adopt.
The adoption fee for a dog is $ 250 which doesn’t even begin to cover the costs associated with the rescue of the dogs. The animals are well taken care of, the store is clean, and the staff are dedicated. The founders do not make a salary, in fact they put their own money in to save the dogs.

I have fostered 2 animals through Paw Works AND hosted a fundraiser for them at my place of business. I don’t have extra money to spare, but I have an abundance of time. Paw Works actually GAVE ME MONEY to purchase a special dog food for my later foster.
These people truly care about the animals. When you purchase from their store you’re helping pay for a dogs meal & vet care. I’ve never experienced anything negative. They’re super down to earth, recognize you in public like you’re an old friend. Do all you can to keep this company afloat. So many happy endings because of these people!

As a volunteer for Paw works, I was there on the day of question that Nancy V is writing about. Our scheduled meeting was for 1:00 PM in the afternoon. However, she came into the store an hour early for the scheduled appointment and the owner was doing his product invoices that needed to be done for that day. So, he was focused on the task at hand.
I am on the volunteer event design committee for the gala in 2015. I am not in charge of running the event, I am only a volunteer in trying to accomplish a very successful event for this organization. We were looking for a person to help us with the floral arrangements for the tables.
No one had decided exactly what we were doing for the floral arrangements, the meeting was for us to throw out ideas’s that might work for this event. Which we did, unsuccessfully. We were looking for someone to give us several options that might work for the event. However, we only had one idea that was presented to us. We needed an arrangement that would fit to scale of the size of the table that we were using. As well as, fit the atmosphere and theme that we had decided on.
We also need to work with people who are flexible and patient with us during this process. Especially when this is our first event. We want to make an amazing event for all who attend.
This meeting was not about rejecting her as a volunteer. It was about the idea that was presented.
It is very unfortunate when people make negative statements when they don’t know all the correct facts .
For one, Paw works volunteers are required to go through training prior to starting our volunteer process.
They are very thankful and grateful to all the volunteers and they let us know personally how much we are valued on a regular basis.
When the volunteer schedule is created and people are requesting certain day’s to volunteer, some days have a full staff of volunteers. So, if that date is not available, Paw works asked for an alternative day or hours that you can volunteer.
All of the Paw works volunteers are from young high school teenage kids to more mature people. I am a non-​blonde 55 year old woman that is a volunteer. As well as many of of our fellow volunteers. So, to make a generalized statement that they only want cute blondes as volunteers is inaccurate.
We are also advised not to slander any pet store or any other rescue organization that might be in the animal service industry.
Paw works takes pride in their integrity and holds themselves to a higher standard.
This organization is 110% for the well-​being and the care for animals they take the dogs people throw away, that need medical care, dogs that get too old, dogs that are abused and neglected. Therefore, they spend thousands of dollars every month to give them quality of life. I can guarantee that when you have spent $ 250 a dog, that fee has not even come close to what it actual cost for that dogs care. That dog might have cost $ 1500 in medical fee’s. Some dogs are $ 400 due to their special needs. They are a 501© not for profit organization. every dime they receive from the adoptions, Donations etc. go right back into the animal care.
I adopted a Golden retriever from another animal rescue about two years ago. They did not disclose to us that the dog had several birth defects that we’re leading to very high cost surgeries in the amount of about $ 20,000. We chose not to throw him back into the system, we chose to have the surgeries even though putting us into financial hardship for a period of time.
Paw works discloses all the health conditions of the animals. That includes all the medications, medical tests, even surgeries that the animal has had, Before putting the animal up for adoption.
As for the boutique, the store was to offset the medical cost of the animals. when they are spending several thousands of dollars a month on veterinary cost, they can’t just rely on a fundraiser or donations.
So, the founders of Paw Works, had a wonderful opportunity presented to them by the Thousand Oaks mall, that they could not turn down. Any money they make on merchandise goes right back into the animals.
As for the adoption process, when a dog has been at Paw Works for a period of time (which I don’t know), and have not been adopted, they are fortunate to be sent to other rescues to increase their chance for adoption. By the way has been very successful. If you find a dog that you want, don’t wait. In the best interest for the dog they need to be sent to a facility that gives them a better chance for placement. If you go to a no-​kill shelter, some dogs are there for years. Paw Works avoids that trauma on the animal.
In conclusion, judging Pawworks based on the fact that you were not greeted with eye contact, you were in it for the wrong reason. you should visit the storefront based on wanting to save an animals life and give it a forever home not based on the fact you did not get what you think is a proper greeting.

We love this store! They have unique items and organic treats and shampoo for dogs and cats. The staff has always been friendly and helpful. My son also enjoys playing with the dogs who awaits adoption. I am glad there is finally a store like this in my area.

I have followed them since day 1. Before they had a retail space and would host adoption events in the mall food court. The staff is compassionate and love doing what they do simply for the cause, not the profit. They take animals of all ages, all breeds, and all sizes. They provide care, love, and medical expenses for each and every animal they take in (which is about 5 to 10 every 2 weeks, if not more) the team is on call ²⁴⁄₇ and they put the animals needs before their own. The staff keeps the adoption center clean and sanatized and they sell the cutest animal products and goods. With a small team and volunteer base days can be busy and they do their very best to provide knowledge about each animal to prospective adopters.
They have single handedly helped vcas achieve a 90% no kill rate in just 1 year. Numbers that have never been seen in vcas history.
GO PAW WORKS! !

Paw Works is an amazing organization. I found them through a friend, and really enjoy following them on Facebook. They post the cutest stories and updates that are all about the dogs and they are currently rescuing, as well as the ones they have had adopted.
I adopted my chihuahua mix (Roxy) from them and she is the sweetest dog ever!
The miracles this organization has facilitated amaze me. They were able to get almost 800 animals (dogs and cats) adopted in 2014. That is an astounding number. It speaks for the amount of time and dedication the entire staff has put forth to achieve it’s common goal.
Their boutique at the Oaks mall is dazzling. I can’t stop by without finding some item, big or small, that I have to have. So many cute things.
The staff is incredibly helpful and friendly. They are always willing to take the time to assist with any of my questions, and if they don’t have an answer they point me in the right direction to find one.
This is a top notch organization, definitely earns 5 stars.

I don’t know why theres all these bad reviews, but this place is great. I went to a number of shelters and pet adoption places before finding my perfect pup at paw works in the Oaks mall. Every other place I went had very judgmental volunteers, and they didn’t even seem like they wanted anyone to adopt their animals. At paw works, everyone was very welcoming and helpful throughout the whole adoption process. I recommend this place if you’re looking for a furry friend