Paws Humane needs community support to remain a no-kill shelter. How to help
Paws Humane Society in Columbus has declared a state of emergency after reaching 547 animals in its care, with hundreds of other animals waiting to be surrendered. The nonprofit organization now is asking the community for help to remain a no-kill shelter.
The Columbus Council approved a contract in January for Paws to take over management of Columbus Animal Care & Control after previous issues at CACC.
“We’ve been at capacity since day one. I mean, there’s never been a moment where we weren’t at capacity,” Paws executive director Courtney Pierce told the Ledger-Enquirer.
She said adoption in the large dog population is one of the areas Paws is struggling with the most.
“We tend to do pretty well with cats and kittens,” she said. “They come in, they go out. Their length of stay is very short. So again, it is just our 40-pounds-plus that we’re really struggling with.”
A news release from Paws says 57 animals are waiting to enter the shelter through the Neighborhood Pets program, 219 animals in foster care and 380 active-surrender applications that are pending assistance.
How to get help with pet affordability
Pierce said the reasons people surrender their animals are “all over the place.” She said some reasons include relocation and affordability.
Paws can help people afford their animals through its pet food pantry and vet clinic, according to Pierce.
One person dropped off a donation of over 1,200 pounds of dog food, along with blankets and other materials while Ledger-Enquirer visited Paws this week.
Pierce said Paws is using temporary crates and transitioned some of its cat rooms to accommodate dogs. During the L-E’s visit, dogs were in crates in various areas, including office spaces and conference rooms in the former CACC building.
“We’re just seeing an influx, and we cannot keep going at this rate,” Pierce said. Paws saw this increase in intake in the last couple of months, according to Pierce.
“At the rate they’re coming in,” she said, “it feels like one dog goes out and three come in.”
“We definitely need support from our community to keep our promise to remain no kill,” Pierce said.
“We’re OK at this moment, being able to care for them, but with this capacity and the way that it’s heading, we’re scared what that may lead to,” Pierce said.
Will Paws consider euthanasia if capacity problem persists?
Asked whether Paws will consider euthanization of animals for non-health related reasons to make room at the shelter if problems persist, Pierce said, “We can’t warehouse animals. We can’t get to a point where we can’t care for them. It can turn into an inhumane situation. So, at that point, I guess the answer would be yes. I am hoping that we don’t go down that path.”
“So, I’m not going to say no, that we would not consider it,” she said. “We’re just exhausting all possible options before that’s talked about.”
Pierce said Paws is not considering euthanasia of animals for non-health-related reasons. Paws has had to “make some hard decisions for animals that are unsafe,” she said.
How the community can help save animals
The community can help by adopting and fostering dogs as well as volunteering, according to the news release.
Other suggestions Pierce offered included owners spaying and neutering their animals and talking to neighbors if you find a lost pet before taking to Paws.
Paws has seen some instances of people finding dogs in other counties but telling Paws they found the dog in Muscogee County, according to Pierce. She said this reduces the chance of the dog being reunited with its family.
“I understand, you know, we have made a commitment to be no kill, so I think people are wanting to bring an animal that they have found because they want a positive outcome,” she said. “But that’s just created bigger issues for us.”
What Paws is doing to solve the shelter’s problems
Paws has hired additional staff because of capacity for care and has asked for more volunteers to address the issues, according to Pierce.
She said a new position has been added for off-site adoptions, an effort Paws wants to increase.
“I think, so far this year, we did about 75 events, the large portion of that being adoption events,” Pierce said.
Paws has taken other steps, including hiring an outcomes coordinator to develop rescue and transfer partnerships, running continuous adoption specials since June and assisting families with keeping their pets at home, according to the news release.
Those efforts have led to “1,101 positive outcomes,” which include adoptions, returning animals to their owners and safe transfers to partner shelters, the news release says.
This story was originally published August 21, 2025 at 11:09 AM.