The Foundation of Our No Kill Model
Animals are the victims of the pet overpopulation problem. People can be the solution.
It is only by engaging people in the cause of homeless pets that we will build No Kill communities. People adopt. People spay or neuter their pets and prevent them from breeding. People volunteer their time, donate financially, and spread awareness in their network.
By inspiring and mobilizing people, we are able to create a collective impact that brings about change. This is why community engagement is the foundation of what we do at PAWS Chicago.
Raising Awareness
Making people aware of the killing of homeless animals has been our founding mission since day one.
In May 1998, we launched PAWS Chicago with the first Angels with Tails adoption event on Michigan Avenue and Oak Street. The event brought awareness to the wonderful pets available for adoption—and the shocking number of pets killed each year in Chicago.
More than 25 years later, that spark continues to grow. In 2025, PAWS Chicago hosted Angels with Tails and dozens of additional offsite adoption events throughout Chicagoland, expanding the No Kill mission into local communities and connecting hundreds of pets with loving families.
Shining a light on pet homelessness—and the resultant killing—has mobilized thousands of people to get involved in our cause by adopting, volunteering, fostering and donating to homeless pets. We continue to raise awareness through:
Media engagement is one of the most powerful ways PAWS Chicago raises awareness of pet homelessness and mobilizes the community to take action.
In 2025, this engagement resulted in 4,681 media coverage moments, helping connect thousands of people to adoption, fostering, volunteering, and supporting lifesaving programs. See some of our latest media highlights here.
Through consistent news coverage, PAWS Chicago’s mission reaches far beyond our walls, ensuring more animals find the help and homes they deserve.
With a circulation of 200,000, this publication is seen by more people than any other local Chicago magazine. Its goal is to raise awareness about our mission, dig deep into important animal topics and encourage conscious action on behalf of animals. Read the latest issue.
Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media channels have become some of the most effective channels for promoting the cause of homeless pets. These platforms drive adoption, volunteering, fostering, and critical financial support, while also serving as vital forums to raise awareness about animal welfare issues and inspire supporters to share the No Kill mission with their networks.
In 2025, PAWS Chicago’s social media presence continues to deliver impressive reach and engagement across platforms—connecting millions of people with lifesaving impact. Facebook alone generated 11.6 million views and 560,000 interactions, while Instagram reached 21 million views and more than 2 million interactions—amplifying our mission and helping more pets find loving homes.
Our website is the most comprehensive expression of PAWS Chicago’s mission—raising awareness about pet homelessness while making it easy for people to take action through adoption, fostering, volunteering, and giving.
In 2025, our website engaged more than 1.4 million users and generated 19+ million pageviews, serving as a critical gateway to lifesaving resources and impact. A cornerstone of this experience is our ComPETibility Quiz, a mission-critical tool designed to match adopters with the pets best suited to their lifestyle—helping set both people and pets up for success. In 2025 alone, 26,883 ComPETibility Quizzes were completed, deepening engagement and supporting successful, lasting adoptions.
Engaging Volunteers
Since our founding in 1997, volunteers have been the lifeblood of PAWS Chicago. In 2025, volunteers donated 125,010 hours to PAWS. They work in every facet of our organization, from intake and adoption counseling to humane education and community outreach.
It is our volunteers—and our foster families—who have enabled our growth over the years. Because of them, we can expand our services to save even more animals.
Find out more about becoming a volunteer or foster parent with PAWS Chicago.
Conscious Action
By spreading the word about animal homelessness, pet overpopulation and the killing that results, we’re spurring people to take action when it comes to animal welfare.
That means that now they make the choice to adopt an animal, rather than buy from a breeder. It means they choose to spay/neuter their pet(s). It means they become advocates—spreading the word about the work we do to the people they know as well.
