Lester is one of many resilient animals that enter our shelter every year seeking a home to call their own.

We first met Lester in September 2022. His temporary family had found him in May as a stray, but could not provide him with a furever home. 

He charmed us immediately with his goofy grin and loving demeanor. During intake, we noticed a deformity on his right front leg that drew our concern and his temporary family also noted that he limped after activity. 

A veterinarian confirmed a diagnosis of elbow dysplasia, a prevalent condition in Labrador retrievers like Lester. After his visit with the vet, we explored our surgical options and decided to follow the recommendation to amputate, as his left front leg was assessed to be strong enough to maintain a high quality of life.

After surgery, there were still challenges to overcome. Without local overnight veterinary care as an option, our staff took on his care, even making an overnight trip to Olympia Pet Emergency Hospital for support. A few sleep-deprived nights later, Lester was showing off his ability to adapt quickly. Once we were through the most challenging phase of recovery, we were able to find him a foster home to continue the healing process outside of the shelter environment. In October, Lester found a loving home and still occasionally stops by PAWS to give us hugs.

It is only with community support and donations that we are able to give sweethearts like Lester the medical attention they need. Help us give hope today.

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PAWS of Grays Harbor is the largest No Kill animal shelter in Grays Harbor County. We were established as a non profit organization in June of 1973 making our home in Aberdeen, WA.

This organization serves our community through the education of pet owners; providing a safe shelter for lost, abused and unwanted pets; and through pet adoptions to suitable homes. Many lives have been changed through the love and commitment to saving abandoned and abused pets.

Approximately 500 animals find new homes and loving families through our organization every year. At times during the year, PAWS has housed as many as 80 cats and 20 dogs at one time. These numbers fluctuate depending on the space, funds and man power available to care for these pets. We would love to take every pet in need, but are sometimes forced to turn them away until space becomes available. Through pet adoptions, community volunteers, and donations we are able to change the lives of many people and animals. When you are considering your next pet, please consider adopting a rescue animal. The life you save allows us to save one more.

Our organization relies solely on community donations to make this all possible. Please consider donating to make sure these services are available in our community for many years to come.