PAWS of Hertford County

I think it’s pertinent to note that I volunteered at an animal shelter in Georgia for a time, and I remember that one of the challenges was finding enough qualified applicants to cover even a tiny percentage of the animals that need homes. I as a married, employed-​but-​work-​from-​home adult homeowner was a bit surprised at this organization’s reaction to me and my family at their adoption event today. Initially my impression was that the entire process was completely disorganized. They tell you to fill out an application online to expedite the process. which i did. when I arrived there were a number of people milling around filling out their applications there, and then the applications were being reviewed immediately upon completion. I guess that’s nitpicky, but it was irritating to have to wait even though I did the thing they said would make me NOT have to wait. There were approximately 8 – 10 people affiliated with the shelter. Of those 8 – 10 people, ONE person was equipped to make decisions about cats. I waited for her to finish with the couple in front of me and i asked her what the process was. I told her that I had filled out the application online. She shuffled some papers and said she didn’t have it. She picked up her cell phone, checked her email and confirmed, that i had indeed filled out an application. As this is going on, she’s getting steadily more brusque and irritable. I explained that we (my husband and children) were looking for a cat. Didn’t have one in mind, but those kittens were awfully cute. She interrupts me to tell me that she would NEVER place kittens in a house with children. Okay. I get it. Kids aren’t your thing. That’s fine, but if you have to emerge out into the glaring light of civilization, you might have to deal with them occasionally. I move on; she’s the expert. maybe she has a kid friendly adult cat that she would recommend. She interrupts me again. do I have any other animals in the house? As a matter of fact we have an ancient lab mix. She interrupts me AGAIN to inform me that she would have to do a «meet and greet» with my 12 year old neurotic, (but so lovable) arthritic dog. A meet and greet. The man who signed on the dotted line in front of me told me while i was waiting that they were going to keep the cat for a week and then give it to a friend. Do the human friends have to do a meet and greet or is that just dogs? I’m assuming they would all meet at a nice restaurant of the cat’s choosing. We COULD have just paid the adoption fee and brought the cat to a good home where it would be safe and loved.
The really annoying aspect of this is that the primary reason we were there today was to see how my children reacted to the animals. I wanted to see how they interacted to confirm that the cat would be safe and feel secure in our home. I understand how imperative it is to have a good fit with a pet and was hoping that we might be able to form a bond with one of their animals. So, to sum up, if you don’t mind chaos, disorganization, being interrupted, having someone treat your children like they’re a public menace and being told in no uncertain terms that you’re unfit to care for an animal that poops in a box, you should definitely give this place a look.

My wife and I were headed to the Raleigh Farmer’s Market a little over a year ago, and she decided to stop on the way in Cary at a fabric store. Bored as I would be with that, I walked over to PetSmart to watch the rats and lizards and all. Turns out there was a representative from PAWS there with a kennel full of kittens looking for homes. Needless to say, one of them came home with us that day, and we’ve been better for it.
PAWS did a great job keeping up with the kittens’ medical needs, as all of the kittens were already litter trained, had up to date medical exams, and had been fully vaccinated, dewormed, and spayed or neutered. Considering that, they had the adoption fee set at $ 75, which is pretty reasonable, considering the amount of work they did for you. The animal foster family there that day also had their foster animals on a high quality diet of Innova canned kitten food (our cat’s still on Innova, but we switched her to dry food after a few weeks) and seemed to be very well socialized.
First of all, I support ANY group that tries to keep animals out of high-​kill shelters. Secondly, PAWS makes the adoption process exceptionally easy for any of their animals. And third, they try to find homes for animal stuck in high-​kill shelters (I know that’s a repeat, but it’s important).
I honestly don’t care where you adopt your pet, since that’s one less animal confined to a shelter, but I had to gives PAWS 5 stars for making it especially easy.