Vision & Mission

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Vision

A Place for Paws fosters a purpose-filled life for dogs living in a university campus-like environment.  Dogs benefit from many of the same things that humans do, making them perfect companions.  The Paws Campus provides the animals with comfortable, quiet and spacious accommodations, social interaction, physical activity, medical care, grooming, and most importantly, purpose, through interaction with community youth and elderly groups focusing on animal interaction and cruelty prevention.

A Place for Paws is a 24 hours/day commitment, therefore the campus provides the staff, and volunteers, with a balanced life of physical, mental, emotional, and social activities including cabins and full service RV hookups, community kitchen and coffee shop, cardio and weight training area, and social lounge.  A happy, fulfilled, and balanced staff will provide the highest possible care for our furry guests. 

Nationally

A Place for Paws has a positive impact on every single American through providing a purpose-filled home for the K9 family members of those who serve abroad.  The high stress and fast-paced operational tempo of most people's lives threatens their physical and mental well-being and resiliency while working overseas within our military, government agencies, civilians, international aid organizations, and church missionaries.

Our impact is two-fold:

                                             Promote Service and  Dog Ownership. 

We provide opportunity for those who believe having a pet prevents them from serving, and those who believe serving prevents them from having a pet, to do both.  As the home away from home for these dogs, A Place for Paws enhances people's lives, improving morale and strengthening mental resiliency, while actively reducing the dog population within animal shelters throughout the country. 

A Place for Paws promotes volunteerism and service throughout the country, building stronger family values and communities.  Due to the long-standing wars throughout the Middle East over the past twenty years, the mental health of our young people and their families has drastically suffered.  Providing more opportunity for dog ownership, a scientifically proven health benefit, strengthens relationships and replaces time spent alone with the love and responsibility of caring for a companion.  Our military servicemen and others alike, suffer from the highest rates of both PTSD and suicide in America.  A Place for Paws offers a preventative alternative to these highly complex issues, ultimately strengthening the social fabric of our country by encouraging a community-based, service-centered life.

Locally

Through partnerships with local businesses, charitable and volunteer organizations such as the Girls & Boy Scouts, at-risk youth programs, area schools, retirement homes, special-needs groups, military installations, and veterinary hospitals, the dogs at A Place for Paws live a purpose-filled and rewarding life, while their owners are away. The dogs build self-esteem and foster the values of service and responsibility in our youth through educational programs provided on the Paws campus.  Organized visits by senior citizens and assisted living homes enhance the morale, physical and mental well-being of those who need it most.

The campus village at A Place for Paws is focused on creating the best possible environment for the dogs in residence and the full-time and volunteer staff attending to them.  The campus provides all the necessary facilities including living  and fitness areas, cafeteria, showers and bathrooms, volunteer lounge, and medical facilities for the team as well as an educational and conference facility which is key to the training, education, professional, and youth development programs.