Description
In the Beginning
Eight years ago, Traci Wood, one of the co-founders of Paws New England, walked into the Tipton County Animal in search of Snowflake, a friend’s lost dog.
Snowflake was not at the shelter (she was found alive and well later that day), but what Traci saw shocked and saddened her. The pitiful dogs and cats that she saw there that morning--some injured, many sick, cold and wet, and the absolute hopeless expressions on their little faces--made her heart sink.
Traci started going to the shelter several times a week, taking photos of the dogs, posting them on Petfinder, and seeking the help of various rescue groups around the country. One-by-one, Traci started pulling dogs out of Tipton County and placing them in loving homes.
Later that summer, a woman from Boston named Kelly Parker noticed all of the dogs Traci was posting and asked, "How can I help?"
Their paths crossed with Jo-Anne Hutchinson who, while working with another rescue, met one of Traci’s dogs at a transport. She had been abandoned by the person who was to pick her up and was going to have to return to Tennessee. Jo-Anne took Daisy home and PAWS New England was born.
PAWS Grows
Approximately one year after its inception, PAWS New England was introduced to Julie Adams, a lone woman rescuer in Missouri.
Julie was a selfless soul who took in abandoned and injured animal in her town of Oran, Missouri, where no shelter was in place. She was known as the dog lady, and people would simply leave their animals on her property in storage bins, tied to her mailbox or just put into her yard when she was not home.
Julie cared for these animals, incurring all their veterinary and day to day expenses. She contacted PAWS New England and asked if we would be willing to list some of her dogs for adoption and find them homes to make room for more dogs in her area who were in desperate situations.
PAWS Today
Eight years later, PAWS now has over 75 volunteers, and a wonderful network of foster homes and rescue partners, including New England shelters, veterinarians and trainers. Based out of Barrington, Rhode Island, Paws New England has become one of the most recognized rescues in the area.
Paws New England started with a simple mission: save lives, one dog at a time. Over the last eight years, more than 7000 dogs from Tennessee, Missouri, our local communities, and various other shelters throughout the country have been put into loving homes.
Thank you Snowflake and Daisy!
