Johnstown Animal Welfare Society (JAWS) is an all- volunteer coalition of animal lovers who came together to help the discarded, unwanted and abused animals of our city and surrounding communities. We are individuals who advocate, trap and/or foster until forever homes are secured.

Our mission is to save the lives of animals around Johnstown through education, access to low cost clinics, advocating with local government, and supporting our fosters. We aim to turn street cats and dogs into house pets. We also support individual members who focus on the care of their local colonies. 

All animals adopted through our rescues are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, flea-treated and otherwise treated for any obvious medical issues to help them have their best “fresh start” in their new life. Adoption fees help us defray the costs of this care but often do not fully cover them, which is why we appreciate donations!

All adopters should be aware that any rescued or shelter animal could have been exposed to viruses or bacteria due to lack of early life vaccination. Feline herpes, for example, is found in approx. 90% of shelter cats for this reason. This is why we require that all current pets in homes be completely vaccinated prior to adopting one of our rescued animals.

We do not consider this a reason to avoid adopting a rescue; in fact, we believe these animals 100% deserve a shot at a happy life despite coming from a hard knocks life! We hope you find your furever pet today on our adoptables page.