PAWS Chicago

PAWS Chicago is hitting the problem of pet overpopulation head-on by attacking it in the neighborhoods where the need is greatest. The Lurie Family Spay/Neuter Clinic was the first-ever high-volume spay/neuter clinic located in and serving Chicago’s most disadvantaged communities. By focusing efforts on high-volume, affordable sterilization of owned pets, PAWS Chicago significantly reduced the number of unwanted animals born and thereby slowed overpopulation, and the resulting euthanasia, at its source. This program has successfully reduced the annual kill rate of animals in Chicago by more than 50 percent from 40,000 to only 20,000. Most importantly, it has elevated the conversation and built awareness for the problem of animal overpopulation.