COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Paws Place, a no-kill dog rescue non-profit organization

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - From the outside, it may look like a veterinarian’s office. But the folks inside aren’t paid to treat animals. They volunteer to rescue and take care of dogs in need of some tender loving care.

The facility is a no-kill shelter.

“We bring in dogs that have been neglected or abused and we give them a quality of life that they wouldn’t have otherwise had,” says Peggy Durso.

Durso is one of the volunteers at Paws Place. She also serves on the non-profit organization’s board. She says some of the animals are brought in--others taken from shelters.

“Some of the shelters that we pull from are high kill. And so when we pull dogs from there, a lot of times we have a conversation with them as we’re in the truck coming back and we’ll say, ‘you don’t know if it yet, but your life has just turned around.’”

Some of the animals have been injured. Others have health issues. Durso says through donations, they are able to take the animals to a vet for treatment and then bring them back where they stay until they’re adopted.

Some have been here for months. One of the long-timers was just adopted this week.

“He had been here with us for a few months,” Durso says. “He had some issues as far as heartworms and we treated him for heartworms and that dog didn’t leave here without everybody here saying goodbye to him. You get attached to them. They are like your own family.”

Donations and fundraisers keep the facility operational. Durso says taking care of the animals is costly, but maintaining the building comes at a price, too.

“If you’re looking for a place to donate to, consider going to our website and looking for ways to support us. We’d love to have monthly donors so we know where our money i s coming from every month.”

Durso says until there is better control over the pet population, there will always been a need for Paws Place.

“Until people start spaying and neutering their pets, and start lowering the unwanted population, the need is always going to be there.”

On Monday, September 27, Paws Place will host its 8th annual golf tournament at Compass Pointe Golf Club. For information on how to become a sponsor or to simply make a donation, click here.

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