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PAWS Chicago Adoption Center

3.9 (455 reviews)
Closed 12:00 pm - 7:00 PM
Updated 1 month ago

Services - PAWS Chicago Adoption Center

Animal shelters

Pet adoption

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Recommended Reviews - PAWS Chicago Adoption Center

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I went yesterday to adopt a cat. I have been looking for a great fit for quite some time and Scarlett was it! The staff was so helpful in answering my questions and understanding my needs. She is new to the home but she is settling in really well. What a sweet girl! Thank you paws!

Joe C.

We checked out this adoption center for the first time. It's a pretty nice facility. Probably one of the nicer ones I've been too. They had kitty city area and a doggy town area. Looks like they just had an adoption event but we still got to meet some sweet fur babies. Definitely check it out if you looking to adopt. Great facility and great informative staff.

Leang E.

For Thankful Thursday, I wanted to give a shout out and a heartfelt appreciation for this place. My husband and I often come here to visit and see all the dogs as they just bring joy and smiles to our faces. It was especially a life saver as my husband was dealing with grief over the loss of our dog. He would go every day. The staff is so kind and caring. We also adopted our dog, Colton, after. He has been absolutely amazing and was exactly what we needed. They made the process easy and straightforward. I am so grateful for this place and all the hearts they heal.

PAWS adoption selfie
Wilfredo T.

First of all, most people that are trying to adopt are great but every time I've come in, I've experienced fellow adopters that are NOT nice to the staff. Y'all need to be more gracious and patient. Most of these people are volunteers! Please have some sense of respect! My first experience with PAWS was at an offsite event in Highland Park. Met a cutie but I wasn't quite ready. It only affirmed that I really wanted to adopt. The volunteers were kind to walk me through the process and talk to me about a couple available pets that would be a good match and encouraged me to keep looking. I made it to couple appointments to walk through but every time I wanted one, someone beat me to the punch. I saw Beckett on the site the day before thanksgiving and fell in love. Made an appointment first thing Friday and showed up an hour early. Lucky that I did because there were 3 families waiting to see him. They put us in a room where you have to stay seated while they make the introduction. Then once you decide on a dog, you wait to be walked through their available history and then meet a counselor who shares info about training, vets, and gives your a starter bag of high quality food. For Winston FKA Beckett, the owners decided not to take him back because there were a lot of medical issues he needed financed. PAWS had took him in, helped him recover from pneumonia (or perhaps what seems to be the rumored Dog Covid) and neutered him. After 2 months of antibiotics and monitoring, he fully recovered. They said he wasn't super socialized but was good on walks so they asked me to be cautious about busy areas like high rises or dog parks. After 2 days settling in at home, I took him out to meet family in the burbs and Win is superrrrr well behaved and social. He did so well with meeting the family. Excited to start his training! Thank you to everyone that worked on Black Friday! It was super busy. Thank you to Elaina, Katie, Don, Mya (sp?): Thank you for all the work that you do at PAWS. You're everyday heroes. Follow Winnie's adventures with his dad @wintheportie on IG

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Ask the Community - PAWS Chicago Adoption Center

How long does it take to get a response if you are a fit for the animal? I really really want one of the dogs there, she would be super loved and spoiled in my home!

Well I got a call on a Tuesday and said that the dog we picked out was adoptable. Tuesday night I went through a 45 minute session on the phone and we picked her up the next day. It really depends on the animals that you pick out. If many people… Read more

Do you still have the application form adoption process? I filled in the application in September and now it looks like the process has changed. Do I have to take the compatibility quiz now?

Hi Yuliia, Thank you for reaching out about our adoption process. We launched our ComPETibility… Read more

I'm interested in adopting a dog rather than going to a pet store or a breeder, but was wondering if PAWS has rescued puppies?

PAWS rescues cats and dogs of all ages! If you go to their website, you can see what dogs are available for adoption right now. When you click on a dog's picture, it will give you information on the dog, including its age. For instance, I recently… Read more

Is there parking here?

Hi Rod, We are located at 1997 N. Clybourn Avenue and there is street parking available all day… Read more

View All 7 Questions

Review Highlights - PAWS Chicago Adoption Center

The entire process took about two hours and I appreciate that they are so thorough with the adoption process.

Mentioned in 79 reviews

Read more highlights

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Anti-Cruelty - Adoptable female cat, Lotus, posing for a photo as staff prepare the adoption center for the day's visitors.

Anti-Cruelty

(463 reviews)

River North, Near North Side

Great staff. I had researched cats on line and knew the one I wanted to meet. The staff were great,…read moremeet went well and the adoption process was easy. The huge problem was my cat was starving. When I looked at the records this small cat lost 20% of her body weight in about 3 months. When I got her home and fed her the same food she couldn't keep it down. If I continued with feeding her that food, and I added a good quality canned food, same issue, she wouldn't have last 6 weeks. Luckily a friend gave me a bag of food which I tried. 3 months later she is healthy, great weight and happy. I know they are a huge number of animals to watch but even their vets commented on how skinny she was and how she was losing weight. There is some lack.

Have been trying to adopt a surrender. We've talked to several people about this and each one…read morepromised to call back. We know the person that surrendered him and this is where he took him. First we were told he had been neutered and it would be a couple of days. They knew we were going to take the dog! Called today, got the run-around, put in hold and then disconnected. Called back and was told the dog was "transferred" but they would not divulge where he was taken. We were told a manager would call back ... didn't happen. Sent an e-mail to Darlene, the president, again no response. How sad. I used to donate a lot of money to this shelter, but stopped because of poor practices. I'll send my money to Felines and Canines. They genuinely care about the animals. Please don't take your dogs there!

Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue

Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue

(2 reviews)

The Loop

Maxine is a fraudulent account created by a known animal abuser who has been banned from adopting…read morethrough Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue. Great lakes pigeon rescue does nothing but go above and beyond for their animals. Everything negative "Maxine" said in their review is a blatant flat out lie. Myself, and others I know personally have had only positive things to say about receiving birds from GLPR and GLPR does their utmost to meet the needs of their birds and their prospective adopters.

they take in way more birds than they should. they lack the actual space for the amount(OVER 600…read moreBIRDS IN A STORAGE UNIT) of pigeons they have right now. the majority of the birds reside in non predator proof pens purchased from Amazon. the reason they should be predato proofed is because the amount of wasted feed and grain will attract rats(likely already has) and hi high would be able to chew through the flimsy wire and harm the birds who aren't allowed to perch 4 feet off the filthy floors. several female pigeons forced to lay eggs without nests which is extremely stressful as these are not chickens. pigeons require a semi private nesting space in order to not perpetually keep laying. the food and water containers are open air cat litter boxes which get easily contaminated with feces and require cleaning and refilling more often than standard pigeon/poultry feeders and waterers. The rescue often will put "undesirable" birds that aren't as human social in these pens to LIVE in. Sometimes these birds may not be adopted for months and will be forced to live in these crowded dirty pens longterm. Do Better Great Lakes!!

Urban Animal Rescue

Urban Animal Rescue

(3 reviews)

River West, Noble Square, West Town

We just adopted a 4 month old puppy from UAR last week. They were amazing to work with. We…read moresubmitted our application and heard back from them the same day. We went and met our little man the same night! He came to us having had more than just the mandatory vaccinations, neutered, and they even went the extra mile to have his nails trimmed and a hernia repaired. It's very apparent how much this organization cares about their animals. We're so glad to have found them!

I adopted a 2.5 year old rescue dog from Urban Animal Rescue several months ago and it was a great…read moreexperience! Joe and Jessica genuinely care about the dogs they are rescuing from Chicago Animal Control (kill shelter) and finding them fur-ever homes. They responded quickly to my questions before and during adoption, and even helped me with issues afterward including finding a private obedience coach. As a first-time adopter, UAR helped me navigate the process with ease. There are no guarantees about health with adopted animals and most shelters will not place telephone holds on animals. UAR operates just like any other shelter. If you fall in love with a little guy/girl you need to get your application in FAST and schedule a visit! The good ones always go fast! I recommend UAR to all my friends when they ask where I got my adorable Lilly and entrust parent company, Urban Out Sitters, to care for her (boarding and day care) when I travel. A+

Tree House Humane Society

Tree House Humane Society

(224 reviews)

West Rogers Park

I am a crazy cat lady. With that said, I always look for excuses to pat more cats I can find. On…read moreone October off-work day, I made a reservation for the "Tree House Humane Society" cafe to see some cats in West Rogers Park. Reservation was done online and no deposit was needed. I paid $10 onsite which included a drink or pastry of my choice and 30 min play time with these feline beauties. When I arrived at the cafe at the scheduled time, the young lady at the cafe informed me there was only one cat in the cafe area but offered me to see some more cats upstairs. Honestly, that was a great trade-off even though she kept apologizing to me for the inconvenience. I was able to enjoy my iced chai and visited some kittens and adult cats in different colonies. Toys and hand sanitizers were provided as we entered and exited each colony. The barista lady introduced me to the cats that were awake for some playtime. Too bad 30 minutes went by way to fast and it was time for me to leave. "Tree House Humane Society" is near the 49B (Western) bus stop. I personally had to take 3 busses from my house to get there, so I do recommend driving since parking should not be too hard to find. There are spots by the building for the patrons I assume.

What an impressive rescue shelter. It was the first stop on our journey to find a new cat. The Tree…read moreHouse staff was extremely friendly and helpful. After reviewing all of the adoptable felines, we fell in love with a small 1 year old cat that they called Toaster. She is perfect. Because of Bissell's Clear Out The Shelters" special (May 1- May 17) adoption fees were reduced from $115 to $70.

Greater Chicago Cavalier Rescue - Ryno, the wonder Cavalier!

Greater Chicago Cavalier Rescue

(4 reviews)

WOW! I finally hit 500!…read more I wanted to make this review special--something that's close to my heart (just like my other 100 markers!). For those of you who know me, know that I love my pooch Ryno. He's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and yes, is treated like royalty. I have yet to meet a Cavalier that hasn't been sweet, awesome, and overall just a great catch! I have not adopted from this rescue, but know people who have, I've also met a few people affiliated with the rescue at various meet ups and dog shows throughout IL and even WI. :-) You couldn't ask for a bunch of better people! Here's a little about their mission (taken from their website): GCCR's mission is to help ensure the health and security of abused, abandoned, and otherwise endangered Cavalier King Charles Spaniels by rehabilitating and placing Cavaliers from shelters and similar situations, by assisting breeders and owners in finding new homes for their Cavaliers, and by providing to the public educational materials and consultation regarding Cavalier health and care. The growing popularity of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels has prompted increased breeding by unscrupulous breeders and puppy mills. This development suggests that owners' concerns about health as well as the number of Cavaliers in need will only grow. Placement of Cavaliers in new homes without appropriate, knowledgeable veterinary testing may result in unforeseen, serious heartaches for new owners. The GCCR as well as other dedicated Cavalier rescuers and owners are here to help.

It seems like the two other reviews say it all!! I volunteer with the GCCR and can't believe how…read moresupportive, nurturing, and selfless this group of people truly are. We have members who have owned cavaliers for over 20 years and novice owners. All of which are dedicated to educating the public, raising awareness, and rescuing these lovely dogs. Please join our group on facebook or check out the rescue website: www.gccavalierrescue.org

P.A.W.S. Tinley Park - Shelter time!

P.A.W.S. Tinley Park

(99 reviews)

After reading the reviews online for P.A.W.S., we were very hesitant and waiting to experience some…read moreof the same negative feedback. Especially around customer service, the amount of time it takes to adopt a pet and if the pet was still adoptable once we got through the process. Well, we DIDN'T have ANY of the bad experiences others reported. The customer service upon entry from START to FINISH was OUTSTANDING. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the front desk with excellent customer service. The 'cat' coordinator who took us to the cat section was VERY knowledgeable about the cats and spent an incredible amount of time with us. We didn't feel rushed at all. P.A.W.S followed through with everything they said they would do. The whole process from seeing our little Whisper to picking her up and taking her to her new home was six days (and that's because two of the days we weren't available). The process went very smoothly. They answered our questions in person and returned our phone calls and emails timely. They are very concerned about their pets and the homes their animals are placed in. We feel really honored to house one of the pets from their facility. Thank you P.A.W.S for everything you do for animals!

Horrible. My mom and I have been searching for a puppy that was either a German shepherd, husky,…read moreor lab. We went to this facility before close at 4 and don't get my wrong the lady who came out to talk to us was amazing and shared great info on how to utilize their website to see what animals they had available! They had a beautiful puppy that was a lab/retriever mix. So my mom went through the process and applied to adopt this little fur baby. After two weeks, there had been no reply from the people who supposedly view these applications. So my mom had emailed for an update 3 times!!!! WITH NO RESPONSE. I don't know who is in charge of that but it's straight ignorance. I understand they want to find a good home for these animals but jeez at least communicate! We have been dog lovers are whole life. In this household we currently have a German shepherd who is 6 years old and had a German/ husky mix that had passed two Christmas' ago at the age of 12. With no email back, my mom and I went up to the facility to meet the pup in person. And the rules there are RIDICULOUS. You can not get to the level of the dog which is crouching to the floor. They don't allow the dog to lick you or come too close in contact with you. It's like how are you supposed to get to know the pup and see if it's a right fit for you? They don't allow 1:1 with the pup and it's crazy. After not hearing back for a month and a half, we ended up saving/adopting a pup from a humane society in Munster, Indiana. She's beautiful, shots up to date, fixed, got 1:1 time with her, and took her home the same day! She got along with our shepherd and the kids love her. DO NOT GO TO PAWS

PAWS Chicago Adoption Center - animalshelters - Updated May 2026

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