Tennessee Paws and Claws

Paws and Claws...A New Direction

In 2009, in response to concerns about the number of stray animals in the Sequatchie Valley, a group of citizens organized to form a group named "The Pikeville Animal Shelter Committee". Through a school contest the name of the group became "Paws and Claws Animal Shelter" and was chartered and registered as a 501(c)3 charitable organization with the intent of establishing a brick and mortar animal shelter somewhere in the valley.
The group tried for 9 years to find funding to purchase land and build a physical shelter to have a place to put these abandoned animals. Alas, after years of trying, a sustainable source of income could not be found. It takes quite a bit of money and resources to equip and staff such a facility. Therefore, the officers and members of Paws and Claws needed to change our focus and set a more reasonable goal to help address our stray animal issue.
In March of 2020, a new set of Bylaws were presented and approved by those members who were in attendance. We are setting a new course but we need the public's help. We need foster homes. Folks willing to take in a cat or dog for a period of time while we work to find them a forever home. Paws and Claws will supply food, limited fencing as needed, we will loan the foster family a kennel to secure the animal in the home if needed, and we will pay any veterinary expenses incurred by the foster animal.
The other avenue Paws and Claws is pursuing is animal population control via an assisted Spay/Neuter program. If someone has a pet but cannot afford to have them spayed or neutered, Paws and Claws will assist that person with that expense via a voucher program we have in place with area veterinary service providers. We are trying to expand the list of service providers as we speak. For more information about our voucher program, please contact us at 423-447-4297.
On line applications for becoming a foster family and/or applying for a spay/neuter voucher can be found by clicking on Apps in the tool bar above.
Lastly, Paws and Claws is proud to support and to have the support of other area animal welfare groups such as: www.Critterz.org, www.MaringaAnimalSanctuary.com, and East Tennessee Animal Alliance (ETAA) among others. We are all working together to address the issues our area has with animal control and welfare.
Sincerely,
The Officers and Members of Paws and Claws

How we got started.....

In 2009 Debbie Smith, fearing that one of her tenants would get bit by a stray dog, took the initiative to start a petition for something to be done about all the stray dogs running loose in the Sequatchie Valley Tn. area. After getting a petition signed, Debbie started the foundation of making a difference for the safety and care of cats and dogs. Paws and Claws is the product of this gathering of people who care.

MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission shall be to provide the resources necessary to support the rescue, care and adoption of stray and unwanted dogs and cats in the greater Bledsoe County area, and also to promote outreach programs that will build a community where people will value animals and treat them with kindness and compassion. We will accomplish this through educational programs, spay/neuter support and public relations activities.

A Vision for Animal Care in Bledsoe County

When we look down the road , P.A.C members have a vision to provide veterinary care and an adoption agency for abandoned and stray animals. The definition of a shelter will be in the form of a physical location for Paws and Claws, foster homes, or outreach programs coordinated with agencies in nearby counties.

PO Box 1135 Pikeville, Tennessee 37367 423-447-7297