"Every time we went to the grocery store, there would be a box of kittens or puppies with a sign saying 'free to a good home'," said Virginia Knouse, PAWS' co-founder and first volunteer president. "It was awful and we wanted to do something about it." Virginia and a group of friends believed the answer to the tragedy of pet overpopulation was spaying and neutering. So in 1967, this dedicated and forward-thinking group banded together to raise money to pay for spay and neuter surgeries. Thus, the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) was born.

The founders' first effort to raise money for the surgeries took the form of a rummage sale in an office basement they nicknamed "the Cave," which soon became PAWS' first thrift store. As word spread that an animal welfare group was operating a store in Lynnwood it became swamped with cats and dogs brought in by people who hoped PAWS would be able to take care of them. Within two years, PAWS opened the Companion Animal Shelter in rural Lynnwood to house, care for and find homes for abandoned, unwanted, homeless companion animals.

As with many shelters in the country, PAWS also began receiving injured, sick and orphaned wild animals. In 1981, PAWS began officially providing rehabilitation for local wildlife and becoming a voice for protecting habitat and wildlife in Washington and beyond.

Even after expanding into direct care of animals, advocacy and education remained key elements of PAWS' work. We have spoken out and effected change to help make the world a better place for all animals. Today PAWS continues to reach out to and teach all members of the community, including children, how to be responsible caregivers to companion animals, and respectful to our wild neighbors and the earth that we share.

PAWS' History Timeline

• 1967 - PAWS was founded and incorporated as a not-for-profit agency. Founding members ran a thrift store to raise money for spay and neuter surgeries to help end pet overpopulation.
• 1968 - PAWS purchased land with a house on it in Lynnwood, WA, and converted another building on the property into a shelter for homeless companion animals.
• 1979 - Current Companion Animal Shelter built, expanded in 1986.
• 1970 - Became the first shelter in Washington State to require the spaying or neutering of every adopted animal.
• 1981 - Rehabilitation of wild animals began, using the building that was the original shelter.
• 1985 - Began campaign to end the Omak Suicide Race.
• 1986-87 - Rehabilitated and released first Black Bear.
• 1987 - PAWS won an injunction requiring University of Washington's Animal Care Committee to hold open meetings.
• 1989 - Wildlife rehabilitation center and hospital built on Lynnwood campus.
• 1991 & 1993 - Twice helped put a halt to the U.S. Navy's plans to use dolphins to patrol in Western Washington waters.
• 1992 - First PAWSwalk at Woodland Park in Seattle.
• 1992 - PAWS played an integral part in getting King County Ordinance 123 passed, requiring King County shelters to spay and neuter animals adopted to the public.
• 1994 - After campaigning for seven years, PAWS was instrumental in helping send Ivan, a western lowland gorilla, to Zoo Atlanta after he spent more than 25 years in solitary confinement in a Tacoma shopping mall.
• 1995 - Foster Care program created, allowing PAWS to save under-aged and sick kittens and puppies, as well as ill and injured adult dogs and cats.
• 1996 - Founded the Washington Wildlife Alliance, a political action committee formed to pass Washington State's I-655 (ban on cougar hound-hunting and bear baiting). The initiative passed with the second largest margin of victory of any statewide race.
• 1997 - Internationally-recognized wildlife veterinary medicine extern program began.
• 1997 - Ended euthanasia of healthy, adoptable companion animals in our care.
• 1997 - Closed the thrift store and opened PAWS Cat City in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood, a unique cage-free, open-colony adoption center just for cats and kittens—the first of its kind in the Puget Sound.
• 1999 - Began operation of PAWS Olympic Wildlife Center in McCleary, WA.
• 2000 - Kids Who Care Program, a core part of PAWS Humane Education Program, was launched.
• 2000 - PAWS led a campaign to ban the use of cruel traps on wildlife with I-713. It passed into law with 55% of voters approving.
• 2000 - PAWS was integral in passing a law allowing animal welfare agencies to own and operate spay/neuter clinics to help increase the number of altered animals, and therefore decrease the number of unwanted animals in our community.
• 2000 - PAWS persuaded 15 Seattle-area restaurants to stop selling veal.
• 2001 - Closed PAWS Olympic Wildlife Center and moved all wildlife rehabilitation services to Lynnwood location.
• 2001-2003 - Led successful campaigns in the cities of Edmonds and Everett to ensure that all dogs and cats adopted from local shelters are spayed or neutered before adoption.
• 2002 - 100,000th companion animal adopted.
• 2003 - PAWS wildlife staff played a leadership role in creating a statewide network of wildlife rehabilitators, the Washington Wildlife Rehabilitation Association, and helped organize the association's first conference.
• 2004 - Seattle Goose Program partnership was launched with Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Humane Society of the United States. Secured a moratorium to cease the annual gassing of Canada Geese in Seattle's parks.
• 2004 - PAWS voted "Best Charity" by Seattle Weekly readers.
• 2004 - 6,000th cat adopted from PAWS Cat City in Seattle.
• 2004 - Due in part to PAWS' campaign against the use of wild animals in entertainment, and years of protesting with other animal welfare groups at circus events, Ringling Bros. Circus is unable to fill the seats at Seattle's Key Arena and makes its only stop in Western Washington at the smaller Everett Events Center.
• 2006 - Newly-designed PAWSkids.org website launched.
• 2006 - 11,000th companion animal helped through PAWS' Foster Care Program.
• 2006 - 95,000th wild animal cared for by PAWS.
• 2007 - Celebrated 40th Anniversary.
• 2007 - Cared for 50th Black Bear club. The bear was rehabilitated and returned to the wild in June.
• 2007 - PAWS voted "Best Animal Rescue" in Western Washington by Seattle's King 5 Evening Magazine viewers.
• 2008 - PAWS surpassed the milestone of caring for 100,000 injured, orphaned and sick wild animals since beginning wildlife rehabilitation in 1981. Of those animals, we've seen more than 260 different species.