People looking to add a new family member to their homes can do so during a special weekend at PAWS of Grays Harbor.

The animal shelter, 800 W. 1st St., — is hosting National Adoption Weekend for its variety of cats and dogs. The animals vary in age and in breed and type. Bigfoot and Medusa, two cats inside the “Cattery,” and then Indo, Buster and Chester — three of man’s best friends — are among the sweet animals who will welcome you with furry paws and tail wags.

Anna Boeche, executive director at PAWS of Grays Harbor, spoke to The Daily World about the weekend. The adoption weekend starts Friday and goes through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on each day. People who can’t make it Friday or Saturday can set up an appointment on Sunday.

“For us it’s kind of a bonus weekend,” Boeche said. “Not only do we get to help animals get into homes a little bit quicker, by having these special events we get a little bit of extra funds to help examine and care, which we never have enough funds.”

This year, the problem is shelters are over-filled and “well-past capacity.”

“There was a report pretty recently highlighting that this is a nationwide trend and we are certainly experiencing it here,” Boeche said. “We’ve taken in 8% more animals this year so far. And we’re just getting started in December.”

The shelter has waitlists for both cats and dogs — the animals that usually inhabit PAWS.

“We’ve kind of gotten them to a more manageable level,” Boeche said. “We’re trying to make adoptions happen quicker so we can help get people off our waitlist who are waiting for relief.”

PAWS deals in helping get animals re-homed somewhere else.

“Many times, a landlord tells them they can’t have a pet and they already have one, so they need to re-home,” Boeche said. “ Or we often get folks who have died and family members need to re-home the parents’ pets.”

Unfortunately for the puppies, kittens, adult and senior dogs and cats, strays are a significant problem.

“This year, we have a lot of strays that people are trying to take care of, and then they bring us,” Boeche said. “We have a pretty significant shortage of veterinarian staff in the area. So, as a result there aren’t very many low cost options for spay and neuter, so the stray populations that are not getting the benefit of spay and neuter, they’re just exploding in population. We’re hearing a lot of that.”

PAWS of Grays Harbor is doing what it can to help find animals suitable homes. They’re also dealing with a bit of a space issue by converting their existing space into additional space.

“The good news is even though we’re taking in quite a few more animals this year, we are three away today from getting our adoption numbers from last year,” Boeche said. “We anticipate we’ll definitely exceed our adoptions potentially by the end of the day. This weekend will really help us catapult past last year.”

In 2021, PAWS saw a little fewer than 400 dogs and cats get adopted. This year, there are more cats than dogs available.

“We’re seeing fewer cat adoptions this year,” Boeche said. “That’s where, nationwide the biggest concern is. Even though our overall number looks pretty good, somehow because we’re adopting out more dogs and puppies this year. We still have a ways to go as far as matching our cat numbers.”

According to Boeche, the adoptions include spaying or neutering your new family member. They’re costly procedures. Even if the dog or cat doesn’t receive a spay or neuter before it’s re-homed, they can still receive either procedure and PAWS will take care of the bill.

To take home a new puppy, the cost is $300. To take an adult dog home costs $250. To take a senior dog home costs $125. A new kitten costs $150. An adult cat costs $100. A senior cat costs $50.

In addition to the service of spaying or neutering, the adoption comes with another bonus, according to Boeche.

“When you adopt through a shelter, the (animals are) up to date on shots,” Boeche said.

Currently there are 10 to 12 cats available for adoption. As of now, there are six dogs available. Most of the the animals The Daily World saw during its tour of the facility on Wednesday were approachable and affectionate. A couple of the cats walked right up for pets, and there were a couple dogs who were eager to sniff and play.

Allie Oropeza, the dog care specialist at PAWS, was playing with the part-French Bulldog and part-Staffordshire Terrier named Chester, and Indo — a Pitbull Terrier Hound. Indo is a black dog with some light fur peppered throughout his body.

“He’s really sweet,” Oropeza said.

And as for Chester, the longest-staying resident at PAWS? The hope is for him to get a permanent home.

“We would love for him to get a home sooner than later,” Boeche said.

Oropeza seemed to be enjoying herself as she played with Chester. And Chester’s tail wagged like no other during the 45-degree day.

“High energy, very, very into training, he likes to learn new tricks,” Oropeza said. “His high energy is usually what gets him.”

While Chester has been at PAWS for a while, don’t wait. He might be gone soon. That’s Boeche’s hope, anyway.

Just remember, they are family members. And they’ll love you unconditionally.

“It’s kind of funny, sometimes with our long-stay dogs we’ll talk about how they have this need and that need,” Boeche said. “I’m like ‘we’re never going to find the right person for this dog!’ And then all of a sudden out of nowhere (the right person) comes right through the door, and it makes our day. So we know his person is coming soon. Maybe it’s this weekend.”

Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World Allie Oropeza, dog care specialist for PAWS of Grays Harbor, readies Chester, a 1-year, 8-month-old French Bulldog-Straffordshire Bull Terrier mix, for a round of tricks. Chester, a playful puppy, has been champing at the bit for a permanent home, but hasn’t found one just yet. If all goes well this weekend, Chester will get his home, just in time for Christmas.