North Beach PAWS provided veterinary care, spay/neuter procedures, transfers, and adoptions for 1,600 cats and dogs in and around Ocean Shores, Hoquiam, Aberdeen, and other Grays Harbor County locales in 2023
North Beach PAWS provided services for roughly 1,600 animals in and around several municipalities and rural areas throughout Grays Harbor County including Hoquiam, Ocean Shores, Aberdeen, Moclips, and beyond in 2023. North Beach PAWS provided adoption, shelter, foster, and facilitated medical services to 1,200 cats and 400 dogs in 2023. That number includes dogs and cats who were either spayed or neutered through the shelter’s voucher and assistance programs, and those that were vaccinated and/or microchipped at one of two vaccination clinics.
In 2023, North Beach PAWS implemented and participated in numerous initiatives to try to alleviate overcrowding at the shelter including reducing adoption fees for cats and kittens by 50% for much of the year, partnering with the Best Friends Animal Society and Petsense for adoption weekend events, as well as raising funds through numerous activities including local festivals and events, digital media campaigns, and the nationwide Giving Tuesday program. Although lower than usual adoption rates resulted in fewer dog and cat intakes in 2023 compared to 2022, North Beach PAWS saw an increase in the number of sick and injured cats and dogs for which the shelter was able to facilitate emergency veterinary services.
“Congested dog and cat shelters mean we are not able to get the cats and dogs that need a safe place to go into our facility in a timely manner,” said North Beach PAWS Vice President Carol Jamroz. “The majority of our intakes are malnourished, and many have untreated, often severe, medical conditions. The community has been great in responding to our appeals to help with the worst cases and we have reached out with spay/neuter, vaccination programs, and food assistance to try to help pet owners keep their companions healthy.”
In 2023, North Beach PAWS provided spay, neuter, and vaccination services to over 800 family pets through our spay and neuter programs and vaccination clinics and services, facilitated the adoption of close to 500 cats and more than 120 dogs, relocated more than 200 animals to partner shelters with higher adoption demand, and continued to provide rewarding volunteer opportunities for numerous members of the local community.
North Beach PAWS also held two vaccination clinics — one at Grays Harbor College and the other at the Ocean Shores Lions Club — where more than 300 pets were vaccinated against a host of diseases and/or microchipped.
“Washington State law requires all dogs and cats to be vaccinated against rabies. Other diseases such as distemper are prevalent in wildlife and can infect unvaccinated pets,” Nanette Sparrow, North Beach PAWS’ dog shelter manager, told The Daily World in August 2023. “Thanks to vaccinations, parvovirus, and distemper in dogs, and panleukopenia (feline distemper) and leukemia in cats, are entirely preventable. Microchips are the only permanent identification that can reunite you with your beloved lost pet. Unlike collars and ID tags which can break or get lost, a microchip will last for the life of your pet.”
According to Shelter Animals Count, “New estimates show there are nearly 245,000 additional pets waiting in the shelter system this holiday season compared to last year. This means the shelter population has grown by nearly a quarter million animals in 2023. This is critical for shelters, who were already overwhelmed and overcapacity at the end of 2022.”
In November, North Beach PAWS successfully brought back its annual Dinner Auction fundraiser with 250 people attending the sold-out event at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. The shelter also had a presence at numerous events in and around Ocean Shores including the Ocean Shores Community Club Holiday Bazaar, the Associated Arts of Ocean Shores Arts and Crafts Festival, Antiques at the Beach Renewed Antiques Show, Hog Wild, Woof-a-Thon, Winter Fanta-Sea, the Silver Bells Bazaar.
Hello. I talked to a lady at PAWS the other day about a female husky that I rescued from a drug house. She told me to contact this site to get a voucher to get the dog spayed. How do I get the voucher? My name is Shirley Mundell and my phone number is 360-589-3061. The dog looks and acts like she might be around 2 years old or younger. She doesn't have any tartar on her molars, as far as I can see and her nipples are not swollen. She is too dirty to see if she has already been spayed. I cannot see a scar on her stomach area. I want to find her a forever home because…