PAWS

I just got my pup from there yesterday! I had him on reserve for over a week. At first it was frustrating not being able to leave with my dog, however once it was explained to me that he had to clear his cold before getting neutered and handed over I was totally ok with it. He is healthy, up-​to-​date on shots, vaccinations and micro chipped. In the packet they give you once you adopt there is a free visit to a vet, 1 months free insurance, coupons for dog food, and information on how to license your animal. They really get you started off right. I’m so glad I decided to go with a rescue and I’m even more glad I went there.

UPDATE — I got a call from the shelter manager, Lisa, in response to the below email. If every staff member was like her, this would be the ONLY shelter I would refer people to, adopt from and donate to. Listened, acknowledged the problems and said they would be resolved. I also went in and met with her. She was great! Even gave me more info on foster home dogs and ones coming in from out of state soon. Overall good experience with her.
Sent them the below email:
I just have to ask, what is with your staff? After having my own multiple negative interactions with your staff, yesterday I was waiting to speak with the office manager at the Lynnwood shelter and overheard 2 women in front of me also complaining about an interaction they had with another staff member named Eric. Their complaint wasn’t that different from what I experienced. They were talking to a staff member named Jennifer. And the condescending way that Jennifer was talking to them was only making the situation worse. If PAWS, like so many other shelters, would like people to adopt from them and not a breeder or puppy mill or Craigslist, maybe your staff can work on their God-​complex and learn some people skills. Cutting people off, raising their voices, rolling their eyes, etc… you don’t have to act this way in order to show your compassion for the animals. Every time you have to put a needle in a dog or cat to end their life because they weren’t adopted, think of how many people you turn off from wanting to deal with the attitude of staff like Jennifer and Eric.
I talked to the 2 ladies in the parking lot after they left visibly upset. I told them to try the Everett shelter since they seemed to be able to speak to people on an adult level. They said «you’re the nicest person we’ve talked to and you don’t even work here.» It was actually pretty easy to be nice to them.
My own problem was that after adopting the best dog I’ve ever had, Lebowski, from PAWS in 2010, I wanted to get him a brother or sister. I have no hesitation on bringing in a second dog because he hasn’t been aggressive to any dog, cat, child or adult since I got him. The ladies at Petsmart grooming know him as the licker every time I take him in for a nail clipping. And yet, 2 times that I’ve went back to PAWS and filled out an application, I have been told no flat out simply because my dog is a pit mix. Don’t care about anything else, just as soon as they see he’s a pit mix, that’s when I’m told no to any other dog I want to visit. I start telling them that he’s the friendliest dog I’ve ever had or that he plays with a 1 year old and older kids — that’s when I’m cut off and told no we won’t be able to help you. If you’re going to have the same attitude as all the communities that have breed bans without acknowledging that each dog is different, then stop offering them. Or at least tell people that they will be immediately put on your Do Not Adopt To list for as long as they have their pit. And I am really hoping that it’s because you have a pre-​judgemnet problem with my dog and not the color of my skin.
I would be more than happy to talk about this more with the Annette Laico or Leslie Chandler. I’d like to know if they purposely train their staff to treat people this way or if they think it might be time to remind staff that getting the pets to go with good people is supposed to be the goal of a shelter. And you can’t find out who’s good if you quickly escalate the conversation into a negative exchange.
Just treat others the way you would want to be treated.

We adopted a young dog from PAWS a couple of months ago. Overall, it was a great experience and we are very happy with our new pet. The staff really do go the extra mile to ensure that is a good fit for the family and the animal concerned. They even helped facilitate an introduction with my senior dog to ensure that they would get along together. If I could say one negative, it is that our new dog did have kennel cough. This did resolve with treatment though, and we were aware of the situation.

I adopted my dog Boe (A miniature pinscher) from Paws a little over 2 months ago. At first site I knew I wanted Boe but he was on hold until 5 because someone was supposed to come adopt him that day. I then decided to see this other dog, he seemed so sweet sitting in his cage so we went outside for a visit. The gal behind the front desk was super honest about how the dog would bite sometimes and how much it barked. With the information from gal behind the desk I decided to not adopt that dog. By the time I was done it was about 6 and the people who were supposed to get Boe never showed, I was able to get a dog visit with Boe the same day! It was love at first site and I couldnt wait to take him home. I love having Boe in my home and I can’t thank Paws enough for helping me find the perfect little partner in crime!

PAWS has been doing wonderful things for animals for a lot of years. If you’re considering donating to an animal charity, PAWS is a great choice.

I wish no one experience the pain I feel after making 3 visits to this shelter. Poor animals, how do you live together with those rude and non professional people from the reception? (hope you do not intersect with them at all).
My husband and I fell in love with one cat from the shelter. I had to make 3 visits to meet her «in person». On the 2^nd visit she wasn’t available while on the website she really was in the list of available cats. On the 3^rd visit I was told that our home (!) doesn’t fit that cat. Answers on the“why” were different from «you had a small cat history, or wait you had 3 cats?» to «we do not go into breeding, ah ok, you did not do it in the past». Anyways they said no.
I think it’s such a situation when bureaucracy and perfectionism doesn’t work with people, animals and their feelings.
I wish I had a chance to prove them that things that we make in the past are not what identifies our future intentions. We learn and we grow.
I wish that place will live and all those adorable pets will get adopted. But please, please, teach your personal to be friendly, to feel people and to understand the MOTIVATIONS that bring them to shelters. I feel that they listen to the key words from the history like «not spayed cat» and close their eyes and ears on everything else.

Back for another rescue. As always, the staff at Paws has been exceptional. They continue to strive to make sure that the right dog/​cat goes to the right home. They will certainly keep animas longer if means finding that right match. When we are looking to add a new dog to our home we always check rescues and PAWS is always first in the list.

I came in during the Animal Planet road to Puppy Bowl adoption event. There was a long line for adoption so I was a little sad that I may not get a dog. But most of them were families with children so I knew there may be little dogs left to see. I looked all around and saw many faces peering at me in the kennels but mostly bigger dogs already going to good homes. Finally I got to the very last kennel and there he was peering up from a blanket… a tiny 4lb chihuahua. He saw me and the tail began to wag. He came right up to me and started licking my fingers right through the bars of his kennel. I knew that this was the one. He picked me! The adoption was easy and painless. They let me in a room where I spent time to get to know him just to make sure we were a good pair. They even waived the adoption fees due to the event. I had to wait a few days to pick him up because he was scheduled to be neutered.
I came back to get him and that tail wag said it all. I couldn’t have found a better snuggler than Pepe.
Thank you PAWS!!!

It makes me so sad to see some of the horrible reviews on this place :/​Having concerns about the way staff may have treated you is definitely understandable but for those up in arms about the interview process, I dont understand why thats such an awful idea! Theyre doing their absolute best to ensure these pets have the best possible outcome considering what a lot of them have been through and I have to stand behind that 100%. After talking to a volunteer for some time she said a huge concern of theirs is they dont want to let the dogs go with just anyone just to find out it wasnt a good match and the dog ends up coming right back. Talk about the ultimate tease :(But anyways, enough about the other reviews, let me write about my own experience :)
I went into PAWS last weekend and found 2 beautiful pitties and wanted them right this very second but one of them had a pending adoption so I wanted to round up the family to bring them to meet the other guy. I go back the next day and to my surprise he was already gone! As sad as I was I was also so happy for him. Fast forward to yesterday and I go back again. I walk in, walk down the first aisle and my heart melts. I find another big ol’ amstaff boy named Otis who unfortunately had a pending adoption until 530 that evening. I literally stalked the poor boy until 530 to see if the pending adoption would fall off and give me the chance to take him. While I was sitting with him for like an hour and a half, a volunteer named Jennifer just kept chatting it up with me and you can just tell she loves dogs with all of her heart and the dogs there are so lucky to have her.
In the time that I was there, they had walked the dogs twice and fed them their dinners as well as giving them some hang out time in their kennels. The dogs also seemed soooo excited when a volunteer would come by which tells me that the volunteers are good to the dogs and that was awesome to see.
And lastly, the thing that I love the absolute most is that they rescue pitbulls from kill shelters to give them a chance at life. I know they take in a lot of pits from the everett animal shelter because they legally cant adopt out pits due to some city ordinance. A pit was my very first dog as a young girl and it hurts my heart knowing theyre given such a rough time when they deserve just as much love as any other dog. PAWS is doing a great thing and hearing people say they should be put out of business is absolutely selfish. That place is mostly run by volunteers so theyre not losing out if they close down but the cats and dogs who need forever homes are the real victims in that scenario.
Anyways, PAWS youre awsome! Keep up the good work! I appreciate you :)

We came in on a Saturday with the intentions of just looking at animals and getting a feel for the adoption process. First off, it was incredibly busy, and not many people working up front, so patients was necessary. When we were helped they were very friendly. Told us to go back, take a look at the animals, and bring their paperwork upfront if we wanted to learn more about them and meet with them.
The dog kennels are a decent size and all of the animals look well cared for. We found a little cattle dog that, while shy, seemed like a real sweetheart. Before we met with him they went over all of his history and potential behavioral issues (being timid, needing a lot of time to adjust to new surroundings). Based on the reviews I was expecting them to try to talk us out of adopting him, but they seemed to think we would be a good match. It didn’t take us long to decide we wanted him, and they offered to hold him for use while we went out and got supplies.
The actual adoption process was very quick. They had no problems with us renting from an apartment since it was pet friendly. Went over some forms, signed a document and payed the $ 150 adult dog adoption fee, and we were sent home with our new friend. Everyone we interacted with was friendly and helpful. And our new dog is doing amazing in his new home!

I came here last year to visit but did not adopt. Until this week, I decided to adopt a dog. I went there on Friday and saw Pepsi (aka Sally Mae). We fall in love with her instantly so we wanted to get more information on her. We went to the front desk and did the adoption survey, then we saw an adoption advisor, he asked us to take her paper out, so we did. Then he asked us some basic questions like: Do we have dog before? Do we have any other animals in the house etc… And he asked us if we would like to have a visit with her, so we did. The volunteer took her and led us to a separate room, provide us some treats for her and left us with her. She came back a while after and asked us if we would like some more time, and we said yes. Finally after the visit time, she took Pepsi back and let us know that if we would like to adopt her, we can go ahead and let the adoption advisor know, we can also put a one day hold on her. We decided to put a hold on her so we can go ahead and get everything ready for her. We went back to finish the adoption process the next day and unfortunately the windstorm caused the power outbreak. They lost power, so they had to shut down the shelter for safety reasons. But they still let us finish the adoption process! The volunteer that helped me that day were so nice and friendly, she let us know everything we should know and constantly asking if we have any questions. We got two visits to veterinarian for free in her package, one for VCA and the other for the vet of our choice. Pepsi is such a sweet dog, I’m so glad that I adopted her from PAWS!

In my experience with PAWS Lynnwood, I can say I support them 110% because the animals need homes and medical attention and they get both there. It is run by volunteers so I am not going to talk poorly of individuals that are under much stress and mean well by doing volunteer work. I think the system is as good as it can get for adoption. They also try to educate people on what to expect with their new pet and you get 2 free office visits for your new pet as well. One with the VCA and another with your own vet. There are more perks in your packet too! I lost my cat Alice after 19 years and found a new cat there that has been a blessing to me and my other cat who was so lonely. I also liked that they help people figure out what pet will work best for their situation. I had several very sweet people help me. I adopted a Siamese mix they named Bob that I changed to Theodore. I had to get a kitten because I have a 6 year old at home. Otherwise I would have loved to adopt an adult cat too.
Thank You Paws! A special Thanks to the lovely african american lady and the sweet teenaged to early 20’s caucasion female that helped me in the adoption process.

We cared for a baby goldfinch after hours of research what to do, for 5 days, feeding every ½ to hour all day (it slept during the night, better than my children when they were newborns). We gave so much time and love, but this sweetheart became less active, although still eating well. I contacted whomever I could online and received two helpful replies that lead me to Paws in Lynnwood. I also learned it is illegal to care for a baby bird! We drove up north. We entered and a woman took the baby, not acknowledging my comment that he’d eaten an hour ago and would need to eat soon (as if I didn’t say anything!) while my daughter and I were instructed to wait to fill in forms. We gave all the information and then we were asked for a donation and dismissed. My daughter wanted to know what would happen to baby Oro. «Well, when people illegally keep birds and feed it whatever they find online the chances of survival aren’t high. He most likely has intestinal damage and we don’t know how long he’ll survive.» We asked to say goodby to Oro, but we were denied this as it is against their policy. We left and sat in the parking lot, holding each other crying. The employee was extremely insensitive and I cringe to think how she handed the bird we gave constant attention to for five days.
Maybe she is effective with animals (oh, please), but she is certainly inhumane.
I wish to grant this Wildlife reserve no stars, but one is the lowest possible.

My wife and I finally decided to adopt a couple of shelter animals. We have been pet owners for the last 30+years, but had taken a hiatus after losing 4 animals in just two years to old age. My cats were 16 years old when they passed. We also had a German Shepherd/​Husky mix (15 years old at passing), an Eskimo/​Spitz mix (16 years old at passing), and we also had taken in an older Lhasa Apso that was going to have to be put to sleep, as it was cranky, wanted to bite, and had medical issues. We finally had to put Astro to sleep after we had her for four years. She was 18 years old at passing.
Once we had decided to adopt again, we went into the Paws facility in Lynnwood. I was absolutely appalled at these «Humanitarians». We were grilled like criminals… the woman behind the counter was as rude as ANY person I have ever met… ever. She tried to put words in my mouth, telling us «The dogs need to sleep in your bed, but you said you wouldn’t let them in your house!!». I told her that was not what I said, but she would have none of it. I read another review stating «The guy behind the counter was a condescending asshat» or something like that. And sure enough, he lived up to his namesake.
So, we ended up leaving without even being able to give one of the dogs a forever, loving home. Because we were judged as «not a good home» for a Shih Tzu or any lap dog. These people know nothing, but they think they know it all.
And in the end, it is the animals that really lose out. We have references, and could have either of our veterinarians tell these people, most clearly, that they would be hard pressed to find any home as loving and caring as ours. But because of snap judgement and super-​crappy attitudes on the part of the people working at this shelter, we would strongly recommend trying some of the other, far less Nazi-​istic shelters.
Unless you like being verbally abused. Then you will love this place! :-((((

Went here for a dog and the man at the front counter was the most condescending jerk I’ve ever had to deal with. He knit picked everything on our application, we were more than qualified to own a dog we just didn’t have the experience so it wasn’t necessary for him to call us out, when the facts were right in front of him. He assumed that since we are young we cannot afford to care for a dog, and that is not true at all. We ended up going to a breeder thanks to that douche. Hopefully he is fired by now.

First time at a shelter to get our very first dog and it was pretty much like I had imagined it would be!
My husband and I went on a very busy Saturday afternoon and not surprisingly, it was a little hectic there. The staff seemed to be operating at full capacity but they still managed to move things along pretty well. It was pretty unclear when we went in that we were allowed to go back into the kennels area to look before we needed to stand in line with paperwork. Someone did eventually let us know, but I think they could save some space in the line if they had that posted somewhere or if they had an employee designated to talk to people at the door on arrival (at least on busy days).
We looked through all the kennels and I was happy to see that the spaces for the dogs were an okay size, had toys and blankets and all the dogs seemed pretty happy. We eventually picked a couple dogs that we wanted to spend more time with, so we got in line again and waited for our turn. It turned out that one dog wasn’t up for adoption because they knew his owners and they would probably come for him soon (repeat offenders) — I think they should have had a sign on his kennel saying Not Available or something of the sort. Another dog was new and they had no info on him yet and was also not available. So we set up our visit with the third dog.
We didn’t wait too long until another staff member took us to a semi-​outdoor room to meet the dog. The area was clean and they provide you with treats to give to the dog you meet. After about 10 minutes, the staff member came back to see if we wanted more time — which we did. We had an additional 15 or so minutes with the dog and then we weren’t sure what to do because we liked him, but he hadn’t met any other dogs in our search yet.
They offered a 24-​hour hold so we took that and ultimately ended up coming back the next day to pick up our boy. The second day was quieter at PAWS and most of the staff was nice. However, the male staff member that took us to visit our dog again before completing the adoption was a little abrasive.
The actual paperwork portion wasn’t as thorough as I thought it would/​should be. As first time dog owners getting a dog with multiple medical problems (of which they only told us of one of them the day before and told us the other problems while we were doing the paperwork) I thought they’d want to really go over everything — but it was fairly quick and I think they should have been more careful of who this dog went to. Also, they make you stand at a counter for the entire thing. I noticed another shelter has little cubicles where you sit down to do paperwork and go over things about your new pet.
All in all, I’m incredibly happy with my new dog (he’s so sweet), and fairly happy with the process at PAWS. There are just a few things I’d reorganize at PAWS with regards to their process (I’m an administrator, I always have thoughts about reorganization haha).

We went into PAWS Lynnwood 2÷2÷15, after trying to get hold of them via phone to find out if they still had a kitty. I lost my cat of 13.5 yrs, and her 8 yr old sibling really is wanting someone to groom, snuggle with, etc. My wife goes into the shelter, while I stayed with our daughter who was sleeping in the car. She explains that we need a cat that will get along with our shy kitty at home, short haired, that would be good with our almost 3 yr old daughter, that isn’t more than 3 yrs old. My wife found several candidates. When she was done looking we all decided to go in and see what cat I liked best, since it was my cat that died. A big concern is that it would work well with our daughter. Everything seemed to go well. I looked at the choices in our range. Met with one cat, didn’t seem to work. Met with the second cat, who was so sweet, loving, our daughter loved her, and the cat was not spooked by a toddler. On her paperwork it said she was a short haired/​mix spayed female, named Ryder. She appeared healthy. I was a bit stuffed up by the time we left, but I figured that was because we had just been around a lot of pet hair, and there was a Siamese cat near by, which is the only type I am allergic to. We get her home and settled, while I run out to get some more things at the store. I come back and spend some one on one time with her and she is drooling everywhere, not just a little, like a boxer. I also start getting majorly plugged up (like a bad head cold), and was puzzled by this, since I’ve never had any other issues with any other cat breeds. I went and washed my face, hands, arms very well with soap and water, and felt a bit better. About an hour later our daughter came into the bathroom where Ryder was and she was so loving to her. After leaving a while later, I noticed that my daughter was scratching, and I went to put her to bed. She had hives on her face, and forehead. The more I laid down my daughter, the more plugged up I got, since she had rubbed up against my daughters clothing, and hair. My wife and I did more research online, and figured she was a Burmese or Siamese mix.

We agreed we needed to take her back in the morning to get another cat. Less than 24 hrs, my wife returned her with all gift certificates we got, and everything. We even brought back a few toys we had given her, which my wife told the shelter, that she wanted to go home with her, when she was adopted. My wife saw a vet there, and told her about the issues, and also told her about the excessive drooling.
In the end thus far, no refund for a family on a fixed income, who weren’t given the facts. I frankly never thought of even doing a Unilocal check on a shelter. I guess I thought with the name PAWS, I wouldn’t need to do that. I guess I thought wrong!

I had such a FANTASTIC experience today adopting two new kitty member for my family!!!
We wanted kittens that were under a year old; pretty hard to find when it isn’t kitty season. I came right when it was the busiest, around noon and filled out a cat adoption questionairre and patiently waited for about 10 minutes for an associate at the front desk to assist me.
Danica helped me and was extremely kind and accommodating in every way. After some questions, she directed me to the cat viewing room to pick out which kitties I wanted to see.
Once inside, there were two bonded boys that were from the same foster home and immediately I knew they were the two I would take home… they were friendly and loved each other… and we’re very cute.
The process was easy and she made sure to outline every piece of their medical background and what is included upon adoption.
I came back later to pick them up, complete with a cardboard carrier and now they are both sleeping on my lap happy as can be! PAWS really treats the animals well, or these kitties wouldn’t be so happy.
They answered every question and then some. If we ever decide to adopt again, this will be the first place I go.

PAWS has a Community Relations Manager? THAT must be a tough job. This place is terrible, I’ve frankly never been treated so rudely at any business in my life. The staff will not only treat you coldly, but YELL at you. If you love animals, do not support this shelter. This place would do well to go out of business.

I cannot imagine what inspires the negative reviews of PAWS. They rehome thousands of animals a year, rescue wild animals, and help Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and Elijah do their duties (these last three are little known facts, but completely true!)
The staff at PAWS was amazing. I went looking for a fun, kind, adult big dog to join my family of 4 humans and one 12 year old Chihuahua. Rachel talked to me about every dog they had… their personalities, breed info, where they came from, etc. Then I met and played with about 7 dogs. They were infinitely patient, which is key when adding a member to your family.
I ended up falling in love with a 5 year old lab mix. They put him on adoption hold for me so I could bring each member of my family to meet him over the course of two days. When I say every member, this includes my chihuahua. :)
Of course they need to ask questions of you. They have guidelines and data about matches that are typically good and are typically bad. They are probably not going to place an Australian Shepard with in an apartment with someone who works 60 hours a week (I’m looking at you, Microsoft employees). They’ll guide you to a match that works for your space and life «Have you considered a smaller breed? Maybe this Pug Chihuahua mix?»
They aren’t judging you personally, they are just doing the best job they can while doing a very tough job.