We rescue dogs and cats from dangerous, unhealthy situations. They come to us from neglectful homes, abuse cases, from being abandoned by owners, to strays and owner surrenders. Occasionally we work with local law enforcement and the court system to get animals to safety. Our volunteer foster families, a critical piece of our puzzle, take care of our animals until we place them into their forever homes.
We’re located in West Branch, Michigan, USA. Because we do home checks on all potential adopters, at this time we are unable to do adoptions out of state.
Today is truly a day of celebration
Today, May 18, 2021, we brought into our care the two Flint bait dogs from our friends at the Genesee Shelter. We sure are feeling blessed to be the gateway to Gabe & Archie’s happy ever after. It truly does take a village and we could not have a better village. Archie will be seen at a clinic and have his ground down teeth and blindness evaluated. He is most likely blind from blunt force trauma to the head and his teeth have been ground to the gums. We want to ensure a life of no pain and committed to his health. Both boys are heartworm positive and will begin their treatment soon along with sterilization.
Today is a day that brought us to our knees in sadness, anger and absolute thankfulness. We are living our mission in providing a safe haven to the abused, neglected and forgotten.
We offer Quality of Life
Rescued animals go to a warm, loving foster home with cozy couches and beds instead of a cage with a cement floor in what can be a sterile, unsettling environment.
The difference we make during this transition time affects the quality of life for these animals — and increases the odds of them being adopted because they are not as sad or skittish as they often become in a traditional shelter situation.
Meet Ollie, who came to us as a hospice rescue. He was a sweet and gentle old soul that just wanted to love and be loved. We can only imagine the rough life Ollie lived before we rescued him, but we rest easy knowing that he lived the rest of his life completely loved.
Fosters are the heart of rescue
Kind animal lovers sometime see animals running the roads, pick them up and take them home, only to discover that local animal control officers are not available. Others see animals in a bad situation but are not sure what to do.
Volunteer foster families make their homes available on an on-call basis. They often accept animals into their homes during evening and weekend hours — whenever the need arises. Rescued animals stay in foster homes for a few weeks to several months, depending on the situation.
Oftentimes our fosters take our rescued animals to the groomers and veterinarians who support our mission, so there is no direct cost (other than gas for the trip and time) to the foster.
Every day is MOTHER’S DAY
Meet PIPER.
Piper’s momma Wren and her three 24 hour preemie kittens were found living under a home over in the Houghton Lake area when the owner heard faint little meows. The home owners called the rescue and delivered them to us within hours. All three babies were all under 100grams and struggling to nurse. Momma Wren, we believe to be a first-time mom, had a hard time producing milk leading to around the clock feeding by our foster home.
Our Mission is to Save Lives
Claws and Paws Rescue is an established 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization, that has successfully found homes for over 700 animals.
The rescue is guided by an active board of directors that is committed to the no-kill movement and saving lives.
You can help by fostering or adopting
We take it to social media when the time is right for one of our rescues to be adopted. We also tap into our growing circle of supporters to find loving, permanent homes.
Meet Chance (deaf) and his brother Scout who were adopted together and are living their dream life on the farm.
Please support us in any way you can.
Check out our How You Can Help page for options from donating money and time to delivering presentations on our behalf.