NEW YORK, NY, February 19, 2026 – Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY is proud to announce that its Substance Use Recovery Program surpassed 3,000 days of foster care, supporting pets while their guardians seek inpatient treatment for substance use disorder. Powered by a dedicated network of vetted volunteers, this program was launched in 2023 and ensures pets remain safe and loved while providing relief and peace of mind for New Yorkers in need.

“For individuals seeking inpatient treatment for a substance use disorder, not having a reliable and safe option to care for their pets can present a significant barrier,” said Carrie Nydick Finch, LCSW, the Deputy Director of Programs and Strategy for PAWS NY. “No one should be faced with the choice of giving up their family member or taking care of their health. PAWS NY wants to eliminate this barrier for more people, so individuals are more inclined to seek out, enter, and complete treatment.”

According to the 2024 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, over 52.6 million Americans aged 12+ (18.2% of the population) dealt with a substance use disorder in the past year, yet only 3.5% received treatment. Additionally, data shows that returning home to a beloved pet may lead to more successful outcomes for people post-treatment. Dog ownership helps establish daily routines and encourages structure, accountability, and healthier decision-making. Notably, treatment outcomes improve when these bonds are supported: completion rates for drug and alcohol treatment increase by 38%* when individuals know their pets are safe, underscoring the critical role the human-animal bond plays in recovery.

Dr. Emily Weiss, the inaugural funder of the PAWS NY Substance Use Recovery Program, has seen the power of the human-animal bond first-hand. Emily partnered with PAWS NY in 2023 to launch this program in memory of her sister, Susan Sydney Weiss, who struggled with substance use and ultimately lost her battle. Through it all, Susan’s beloved dogs Nugget and Chance were by her side, providing comfort and hope.

“My sister Susan was a brilliant, funny, and passionate woman, who found peace and purpose in both helping others dealing with addiction and caring for her dogs,” said Emily. “Nugget and Chance brought her so much peace and comfort throughout her journey. While my sister’s illness limited our opportunities to work together on projects such as this during her lifetime, this program has provided an opportunity to do so in her memory. It is a way to honor her and ensure that others don’t lose their battle, or their pets.”

Emily has provided seed funding as well as ongoing support for the program, including a $10,000 matching opportunity for donations made today through March 5, 2026 – doubling the impact of every gift. Donations can be made via https://give.pawsny.org/fosterforrecovery.

“We are deeply honored that Dr. Weiss has entrusted PAWS NY to carry out this important work in memory of her sister, Susan, and allow us to help even more New Yorkers,” said Rachel Herman, the Founder and Executive Director of PAWS NY. “3,000 days of foster care represents thousands of moments of relief, stability, and hope; but there are still many people delaying treatment because they worry about their pets. No one who is ready to seek treatment should have to postpone their own well-being out of concern for their animal companion.”

If you or someone you know needs pet care support while seeking treatment for substance use, please contact PAWS NY at referrals@pawsny.org or 212-203-4760, ext. 4307.

*Exploring dog ownership in the lives of people with substance use disorder: a qualitative study – Andi Kerr-Little 1,2,, Jørgen G Bramness 1,2,3, Ruth C Newberry 4, Stian Biong 5

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About PAWS NY

PAWS NY’s mission is to deliver critical support that keeps people and their pets together, preserving the human-animal bond for individuals facing hardship. Our programs help keep pets in their homes while protecting and promoting the human-animal bond that is so physically and psychologically valuable to our clients.  Thus, our motto: helping people by helping pets. To learn more, visit www.pawsny.org.

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Kathryn

“I think we all need that sense of companionship and it’s really beautiful that we can help people keep that. New York City can be a lonely place and being able to have your cat or dog—or guinea pig—is incredible.”

 

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Samuel:

“I had just lost my dog and we missed her so much. We weren’t ready to get another dog. This organization is such a great way to help people, help dogs, and help me spend more time with dogs.”

 

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Heather:

“It’s the relationship. It’s the relationship that you form with the client. The relationship you form with the pet. And really knowing that the work we’re doing at PAWS is keeping them together.”

 

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Kelly:

“Bella is just the sweetest, smartest, best dog ever. I walk her one hour at a time and the hour goes by so fast.”

 

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Diana:

“I love Laura! We met and we had an instant connection. Laura and I now see each other most days. She helps me; she’s going to teach me embroidery. I lost my mother a few years ago and I value Laura so much. She fills a void in my life. Now they are really part of my family.”

 

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NEW YORK, November 15, 2023 – Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY is thrilled to announce that the organization recently trained its 5,000^th volunteer. Since launching on November 11, 2009, PAWS NY has helped more than 1,500 older adults and individuals living with illness or disability care for their pets—thanks to the hard work of volunteers all over New York City.

At PAWS NY, volunteers help clients with dog walking, litterbox maintenance, administration of pet food and water, basic grooming, and transporting pets to and from the veterinarian’s office. Plus, they chip in extra visits to help deliver pet food and supplies, as well as the annual Holiday Gift Bags.

“Without our amazing volunteers, the work of PAWS NY is simply not possible,” said Rachel Herman, Founder and Executive Director of PAWS NY. “We truly have the most dedicated and passionate volunteers who love helping their fellow New Yorkers and their animal companions every day. We are so excited to have trained more than 5,000 volunteers since our inception and can’t wait to bring 5,000 more into the mix in the coming years.”

Reaching 5,000 Volunteers

As of March 15, 2020, PAWS NY had trained 2,332 volunteers, and the organization more than doubled its numbers over the past three and a half years. Between March 2020 and November 2023, more than 2,660 volunteers joined PAWS NY.

“One of the ways we adapted at the beginning of the pandemic was by switching from in-person to Virtual Volunteer Orientations,” explained Liz Raganella, the Senior Program Manager at PAWS NY who leads all orientations. “By doing this, we’ve been able to train significantly more volunteers. Additionally, one of our current goals is to do more outreach and recruitment in the outer boroughs, and offering virtual orientations has made it much easier to connect with folks in these areas as well.”

PAWS NY volunteers have made more than 120,000 visits to New Yorkers and their pets since the organization began and are currently on track to make more than 22,000 visits during this fiscal year. Of the volunteers trained since March 2020, about 38% live in an outer borough, which has been helpful as PAWS NY focuses on further increasing its presence beyond Manhattan, ensuring that the organization is bringing services to those in need no matter where they live in NYC.

Volunteer Kathryn found PAWS NY after moving to New York City from St. Louis more than six years ago: “The most rewarding part is allowing people to keep their pets in their lives, especially as they get older,” she said in a video about PAWS NY. “I think we all need that sense of companionship and it’s really beautiful that we can help people keep that. New York City can be a lonely place and being able to have your cat or dog—or guinea pig—is incredible.”

If you are interested in becoming a PAWS NY volunteer, visit our website to register for an upcoming Virtual Volunteer Orientation on one of these dates:

• Monday, December 4 at 6:00pm
• Wednesday, December 20 at 6:00pm

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About PAWS NY

The mission of PAWS NY is to help New York City’s most vulnerable residents remain with their pets by delivering critical programs and services through a community of partners and volunteers. Our programs help keep pets in their homes while protecting and promoting the human-animal bond that is so physically and psychologically valuable to our clients.  Thus, our motto: helping people by helping pets. To learn more, visit www.pawsny.org.

Related Links:
http://www.pawsny.org

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Contact:

PAWS NY: Kimberly Green
(o): 212-203-4760, x304
(e): Kimberly.Green@pawsny.org

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Stress Relief

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Volunteering reduces stress and increases positive, relaxed feelings by releasing dopamine. By spending time in service to others, volunteers report feeling a sense of meaning and appreciation, both given and received, which can have a stress-reducing effect.”

Expand Your Community

As a volunteer, particularly with an organization such as PAWS NY, you get to meet new people and build relationships with the individuals—and pets—you’re helping. You can also get to know your fellow volunteers, and all of this builds up the social safety net and friendships across the board.

Get Happy!

Researchers at the London School of Economics found that people become happier by volunteering more: “Volunteering has a positive, causal influence on self-reported happiness,” they found. Other researchers measured hormones and brain activity, to discover that being helpful to others delivers immense pleasure.

Animal Love

Particularly as a volunteer with PAWS NY, you also gain all the benefits of interacting with pets!

Specifically, research has indicated that pet guardianship and the Human-Animal Bond (HAB) can help reduce fear, anxiety, and stress-related parameters such as cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure; increase trustworthiness of and trust toward other persons; enhance levels of empathy towards others; and improve physical health, especially cardiovascular health.

In honor of World Kindness Day, which is November 13, sign up to volunteer—with PAWS NY or another worthwhile nonprofit organization—to reap the benefits and bring more kindness into this world!

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NEW YORK, NY – Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY has partnered with the New York City Department for the Aging (NYC Aging) to connect with the agency’s ­­network of volunteers to provide support to PAWS clients and pets in need.

New York City is home to approximately 1.7 million older adults, and NYC Aging works to eliminate ageism and ensure the dignity and quality of life of the City’s diverse older adult population. NYC Aging also works to support caregivers through service, advocacy, education, and volunteerism.

Earlier this year, PAWS NY—which provides pet care support to older adults and individuals living with illness or disability—presented about its programs and services to staff at NYC Aging. This led to discussions around a volunteer partnership, as NYC Aging recruits and refers hundreds of volunteers across the five boroughs for opportunities to give back at local nonprofits. PAWS NY is the latest to join the list of organizations that volunteer with the agency.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with NYC Aging to find more New Yorkers who want to volunteer with people and pets in their communities,” said Rachel Herman, Founder and Executive Director of PAWS NY. “We are hopeful the partnership will broaden our reach as we expand our programs and help to serve more folks in need.”

“As a dog mom myself, I know firsthand the many great benefits and advantages of a companion animal. Pet ownership has shown to improve physical wellness and mental health, as well as reduce emotional stressors,” said Department for the Aging Commissioner, Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez. “NYC Aging is excited about our new partnership with PAWS NY to connect older New Yorkers in need of help caring for their pets due to physical, mobility, and other challenges with volunteers to provide that support.”

Visit www.pawsny.org/volunteer to learn more about volunteering with PAWS NY, providing dog walking, litterbox maintenance, and other daily pet care support to New Yorkers and their pets.

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About PAWS NY

The mission of PAWS NY is to help New York City’s most vulnerable residents remain with their pets by delivering critical programs and services through a community of partners and volunteers. Our programs help keep pets in their homes while protecting and promoting the human-animal bond that is so physically and psychologically valuable to our clients.  Thus, our motto: helping people by helping pets. To learn more, visit www.pawsny.org.

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Contact:

PAWS NY: Kimberly Green
(o): 212-203-4760, x304
(e): Kimberly.Green@pawsny.org

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Watch the full interview below!

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When Tim first started volunteering with Richard and Bella in July of 2019, Bella was very protective of her guardian and would only walk as far as the end of the block during his weekly visits. But Tim stayed consistent—and got advice from Bella’s other volunteers—and eventually she opened up and they started taking longer and longer walks together in the park. Now both she and Richard rely on Tim—and their team of dedicated PAWS volunteers—for ongoing support.

“The pandemic was hard,” Tim recently told PAWS NY. “Stopping my visits in March 2020 was quite difficult. I would call to check in, and both Richard and Bella seemed isolated and depressed.” Everyone was thrilled when they were able to resume regular visits—in masks and with safety precautions in place—and Tim added, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to spend time with both of them each week.”

Tim has loved animals since he was a kid, and he and his wife currently have two pets: 12-year-old French bulldog Lillie and 10-year-old cat Oliver. But that’s not the only reason that PAWS NY’s work resonates with him. A scholar and researcher in healthcare, Tim is a professor at the City University of New York and works with a hospice organization that occasionally refers patients to PAWS NY, which is how he first heard about the organization.

“We had one patient who was adamant about remaining in her apartment until she died so that she did not have to leave her cat,” he said. “The social worker called PAWS, and the volunteers helped her do exactly that. That was so meaningful and when I decided to do some volunteer work, I knew it would be with PAWS NY.” Through this work, Tim has become “a strong believer in community-based care that enhances moral agency,” which means that PAWS NY is “the perfect blend of my two primary passions.”

As a volunteer, Tim not only walks Bella once a week, but also helps with her food and medication, checks in on Richard and Bella during weather emergencies, and helps out with vet transport whenever Bella has an appointment.

“I think I’m making a positive impact on Bella’s and Richard’s lives, and working with them makes a positive impact on my life,” he said. “It’s that simple.”

Thank you to Tim and all the other amazing volunteers who help PAWS NY every day! Click here to learn more about becoming a volunteer.

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We consistently appreciate the support and dedication of the amazing PAWS NY community. Your steadfast commitment to our work has helped us to successfully navigate the turmoil brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is inspiring to work alongside you as we strive to help people and their beloved animal companions remain together as families.

The highlight of the year was the reopening of the PAWS NY Housecall Program, which had been suspended for 18 months. This phased reopening of our cornerstone program began in September 2021, and we implemented new protocols to ensure the safety of all our clients and volunteers. Our team worked diligently throughout the year to bring PAWS NY and our fantastic volunteers back into the homes of those we serve. We are so proud of our staff, clients, and volunteers for helping to ensure this challenging implementation was such a success.

Another accomplishment was the return to an in-person Spring Benefit. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to come together in person with friends for the first time in more than three years. As we celebrated together with the beautiful NYC skyline as our backdrop, PAWS NY experienced a record-breaking fundraising event, helping us continue to serve New Yorkers and their pets as we move into 2023 and beyond.

On behalf of the staff and board at PAWS NY, we thank each and every one of you for your support and partnership. None of our work would be possible without you and our incredible network, and we are proud of all that has been achieved. You inspire us every day!

Click here to read the full Annual Report.

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PAWS NY is in need of a foster home for Sonny, whose guardian is hospitalized. 

Tiny

We need a foster for Tiny, an 11-pound, housebroken, older mini pinscher mix. Tiny is very friendly, and has weak back legs likely due to age. He is going to the vet right now to get checked out! Tiny can be timid with other dogs, so he would do best with another calm, older, small dog or cat, or by himself.

Precious

Precious is a 40-pound, housebroken, older pittie gal who is gentle and sweet. Currently, the ASPCA is boarding Precious, but she just saw a vet and is up to date on all her vaccinations, so we’d like to find her a foster home soon. Precious doesn’t mind other pets, but prefers to be alone, so we’d like her to be the only pet in the home so she is most comfortable.

 

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NEW YORK, NY, October 14, 2021 – Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY is thrilled to resume its Housecall Program, a core element of the organization through which volunteers provide on-site home visits to clients all over New York City. Visits generally include dog walking, litter maintenance, medication administration, and provision of food and water—and this support helps PAWS NY’s clients, who are older adults and individuals living with illness or disability, continue to care for their pets.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Housecall Program has been on hiatus since March 17, 2020, and during this time, PAWS NY has connected regularly with clients to provide pet food and supplies, coordinate veterinary care, and provide foster care as needed. Additionally, the organization hosted Virtual Volunteer Orientations starting in May 2020, training more than 600 new volunteers over the past 16 months. With the widespread availability of the COVID vaccine, PAWS NY and its board decided to re-open the Housecall Program in August 2021, with the first round of volunteers visiting clients in their homes in September.

“With new evidence-based safety protocols, and constant monitoring of the public health scenario, PAWS NY is so excited to enter into this phased reopening of our Housecall Program,” said PAWS NY Founder and Executive Director, Rachel Herman. “These past 18 months have been tough for all New Yorkers, and our clients are among the most vulnerable. We’re so happy to reunite with them in-person to provide daily pet care needs for their companions.”

In order to bring the Housecall Program back to its full potential, PAWS NY launched a new campaign called “No PAW Left Behind,” with the goal of filling all open client shifts across the organization. As of October 12, there is a need for 413 weekly shifts to support all PAWS NY clients, and 16% have already been filled by current volunteers.

Over the next few weeks, the organization will continue to connect current, former, and new volunteers to clients and their pets, and PAWS NY will expand its outreach to find new volunteers across New York City by connecting with our current partner organizations, neighborhood mutual aid groups, local colleges and universities, and pet stores, groomers, and veterinarians in the city. With 64 current and 32 waitlist clients in all five boroughs of New York City, the organization is asking everyone to help spread the word.

“We hope to reach full capacity as soon as we can, so we can start to onboard individuals who are on our waitlist and in need of our services,” said Carrie Nydick Finch, Deputy Director of Programs and Strategy for PAWS NY. “We can’t do this without the dedication and support of our amazing volunteers who take time out of their busy schedules to help their neighbors and pets in need. We are in awe of their passion and hope to connect every interested volunteer with a client and pet in the near future.”

Individuals who are interested in becoming a PAWS NY volunteer must first attend a Virtual Volunteer Orientation. Visit www.pawsny.org/volunteer to register for one of the upcoming dates:

• Thursday, October 21 at 4:00pm
• Wednesday, November 3 at 4:00pm
• Thursday, November 18 at 5:00pm

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, PAWS NY expects an increase in prospective clients in need of physical and financial support as they care for their pets. The organization will continue to promote the “No PAW Left Behind” campaign until all current client and pet needs have been met and will work to expand our services to new clients across New York City. Please visit our website for more information about PAWS NY and how you can support our work: www.pawsny.org.

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About PAWS NY

The mission of PAWS NY is to help New York City’s most vulnerable residents remain with their pets by delivering critical programs and services through a community of partners and volunteers. Our programs help keep pets in their homes while protecting and promoting the human-animal bond that is so physically and psychologically valuable to our clients.  Thus, our motto: helping people by helping pets. To learn more, visit www.pawsny.org.

Related Links:
http://www.pawsny.org

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