PAWS continues to connect pets with the Crested Butte community

—looking for volunteers—

By Kendra Walker

The Paradise Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a valuable resource for both the two-legged and four-legged community members of Crested Butte. Not only does PAWS work to reunite lost pets with owners, help animals find their forever home and provide pet resources to the community, the organization’s animal rescue services are done entirely through volunteers and donations. 

Most often, PAWS takes in lost pets and works to get them back to their owners. Just this year, PAWS reunited 55 pets with their owners. When a lost pet is found in the area, PAWS is available 24/7 to take the animal. “Typically, lost pets are either brought in by people who found them or the police,” says PAWS president Rita Clement. “If someone finds a dog, they call us and we will come down at the drop of a hat and meet them here at any time during the day. Hopefully the animal is microchipped and registered, and we advertise and post about it.” If an animal is not recovered by the owner after five days, it legally belongs to PAWS and will be put up for adoption, explains Clement.

The PAWS building includes nine kennels, an isolation room and a cat room. “It’s not a big shelter and we try to keep no more than four dogs unless they have puppies. And we always keep two open for the police if they bring in any lost pets,” says Clement. Each kennel has a guillotine door so the dogs can go out in their own backyard. 

“Thanks to a generous donation, we were very fortunate to add a huge run area this past summer and we are getting a roof over the smaller play area so that we don’t have to shovel snow,” says Clement. She also says that PAWS plans to build a “catio” next spring/summer so that the cats can go outside as they please, thanks to another generous donation. “We’re looking forward to that,” she says. “Having a catio to be built and the new large exercise area we have added is important for the health and well-being of the animals that will be using it.”

PAWS also facilitates pet adoption and foster care, and this year helped find homes for 26 dogs or puppies, and 13 cats or kittens. Sometimes the pets are lost animals that have been brought in and never claimed, and PAWS also works with other groups and shelters in Colorado that rescue dogs from puppy mills.

All cats and dogs that come to PAWS are spayed/neutered before they become available for adoption, and PAWS volunteers work with the animals to help socialize them and make sure they’re ready for adoption. 

“We keep our animals until we find the perfect home,” says Clement. “We’ve had dogs for as long as six months or even a year, until we found the right home for them. We really try our best to find the right family.”

Currently, Clement says PAWS has one dog, four puppies, one cat and three kittens available for adoption. Visit the PAWS website at www.pawscrestedbutte.org to learn more. 

Additionally, PAWS provides pet microchip/registration and offers spay/neuter assistance for animals in the community. In 2024, PAWS held three free microchip clinics this year where 69 pets were microchipped. But PAWS’ microchip services don’t stop there, anyone can get their pet microchipped for free at any time. “Any time people want to microchip their pet, we will do it for free. You just have to give us a call,” says Clement. 

Clement is grateful to the generous local community that has helped keep PAWS operating over the years. “It’s all voluntary and we depend on our donations to exist. Every one of our board members and volunteers have taken pets home, and most of us have been involved for the last 15 years.”

Clement says PAWS is currently in need of volunteers. “We definitely need more volunteers right now. Volunteers are really a necessity.” She notes that volunteers don’t have to follow specific or regular hours and can sign up for what shifts they want. You don’t have to do it every week,” she says. “It’s your free time and you can help as much or as little as you want.”

Clement says volunteers will often walk the dogs in town and along the nearby trails. “We love to take the animals ‘off-campus’” she says. “We walk them all over, we’ll take them on long hikes and introduce them to people. We take them out on the Nordic trails, Baxter’s, Peanut Lake.”

PAWS runs entirely on donations and impound fees, and welcomes monetary donations and pet supplies including bedding, crates and unopened food. “That’s how we exist, and I’m glad we’re here and people are happy we’re here,” says Clement. 

To learn more about PAWS, adopt a pet, or volunteer visit www.pawscrestedbutte.org.