Paws & Claws Pet Rescue

04/26/2025

Our current available pups who are ready (or almost ready) to join you for some summer fun! Several of our beautiful dogs are gearing up to have their annual vetting updated next month, while 3 of them will be getting much needed surgeries to help improve their quality of life and adoptability! Most of the dogs we currently have are larger breed dogs but they are all very loving and would make wonderful companions. As you can see, many of them are super lazy and love to lounge around the house. A good many of these dogs have been with us for over a year with some living here for 3 or 4 years. It's time that they finally found what so many before them have been lucky enough to find so please share them near and far because we never know who may see their beautiful faces and know that is THEIR dog! If you have any questions about any of our pups, feel free to message me but you can also find detailed bios on either www.petfinder.com or www.adoptapet.com. Our adoption application and adoption fees for each dog can be located there as well. We are hopeful that every single one of our beautiful dogs gets the opportunity to know the love of a family of their own and that this year will be THEIR year!! We are located in Chiefland, FL and I prefer text message to phone calls if you have any questions.
If anyone wishes to make a donation to assist with our dog's upcoming vetting needs, you may do so by
Cashapp- $pawsandclawspups
Venmo-
PayPal-
Calling Chiefland Animal Hospital directly at 352-493-2000 and applying your donation directly to our account.
Vetting needs are ongoing needs and are always accumulating so we can always use any help and are always extremely grateful for all who do assist us in keeping our dogs as healthy and happy as we possibly can!

04/22/2025

I think this was written for all of us in rescue! I could relate to every single word, as I'm sure most in rescue can.

It’s Monday after a long weekend… and I feel like I’m drowning.

We took the weekend off to celebrate my birthday, and then Sunday was Easter. For once, I had a little time to myself. And I realized just how much I don’t have that. Ever.

Now it’s Monday, and we’re right back to the chaos—trying to play catch-up, except you can’t ever really catch up in rescue. It’s a 24/7 job. There is no clocking out. There’s no pause button.

We have dogs that need to move—either out of their current fosters or into new ones. Some fosters change their minds. Some say it’s no longer a good match. Some refuse to train the dog or help them adjust, and then act like we gave them a broken animal. People want dogs already perfectly behaved, already settled, already problem-free. But rescue doesn’t come in a perfect package. These animals have been through trauma, abandonment, neglect. Of course they need time. Of course they need patience. That part is supposed to be part of the commitment. But it rarely is.

And moving animals around constantly? It’s brutal. Physically, emotionally, financially. Coordinating transport, finding space, scrambling at the last minute when someone bails—it’s soul-crushing. It makes me want to scream when I see people upset that I can’t drop everything to help a new animal immediately. It’s not because I don’t care. It’s because I literally cannot. If I don’t have a solid, committed place for an animal to go, I will not say yes. That’s not me being cold—that’s me trying to prevent more chaos and damage.

We have bios that aren’t always 100% accurate. Because guess what? We’re working off what we see in the moment. Some dogs act a certain way in foster and then become completely different in a home. We do our best, but we’re not mind readers. And when people adopt or foster without being flexible, without being open to that adjustment period, it becomes a revolving door. Dogs get moved around, returned, passed off like luggage. And every move is traumatizing for them and draining for us.

Right now we have nine dogs in boarding.
$30 per dog, per day.
That’s nearly $300 daily just to keep them safe.
We made a plea—not one person offered to foster.

Meanwhile, we’re juggling vet bills stacked into the thousands. We’re trying to do meet and greets, get updated pictures, write bios, schedule surgeries, respond to messages, chase down meds, and handle emergencies—all while people on the outside have the audacity to say “you didn’t thank me for my donation” or “why haven’t you responded yet?”

Because I’m tired. Because I’m drowning. Because I can’t do 50 things at once, even though I try to.

This weekend, I finally felt what it was like to breathe. I did normal things. And I couldn’t help but think—how do people live like this all the time? How do you sit and relax and not feel guilt or pressure or grief or rage 24/7? How lucky you must be to walk away when something gets hard. To not feel responsible for the lives you’ve saved. To not have your health collapsing under the weight of the stress.

I don’t want to do this anymore.
Today I feel defeated. Angry. Sad. Tired.
I feel like no matter what we do, the dogs sit. The cats wait. The fosters back out. The system breaks.

I don’t have a local network. I don’t have a massive team. I have a few amazing people and a whole lot of animals who need help, now.

This isn’t a post to guilt anyone.
This is a post to tell the truth.
Because behind every cute adoption photo is a mountain of pain and effort you never see.

I love rescue. But today, I hate what it’s doing to me.

Please—if you can foster, adopt, donate, or just share—do it.
Because we can’t keep carrying this alone.

—Dom

04/11/2025

We are introducing Bolo. He is believed to be an English bulldog mix. He is not quite ready as he had some eye issues (infection, corneal abrasions from scratching or the irritation of entropian and possible entropian that may need repair, if confirmed. We have to get the infection down to determine if and to what extent so he will be going back to the vet soon to determine). He's a beautiful boy with a sweet personality. He absolutely loves attention! We have gotten him neutered and vetted already..just trying to get those eyes better. We think he is about 2 years old and weighed in at 47.7 pounds. If entropian is determined to be the cause of his eye issues, this is an ongoing issue that requires surgery to fix so we may be reaching out to help get this sweet boy fixed up. It's difficult placing adult bulldog breeds so he will need all of the help he can get to find the perfect home but he will need to get those eyes right to do so! Wish Bolo luck in his journey!

04/08/2025

I love how these two are together! No sibling rivalry here..only sibling love! Hank the Tank (background) and his sister Spooky (foreground). Both are very nice (teenage) pups.

03/24/2025

We have some really great dogs looking for their forever homes. Most are great with other dogs but some prefer to be your one and only. Many are crate trained and/or housebroken (although we never make any guarantees once they get to your home). We have adults and puppies, big dogs and small dogs and everything in between, we have dogs that bark and dogs who run and hide. We have dogs who love to play and those who love to chill. We have some who need a secure fenced yard or to be leash walked and those who will not go anywhere. We have some dogs who hate cats and others who may do just fine with them (we have no cats here though to test them with). Most of our dogs are great with kids but some may need to be with older children only. Most of all, we have happy dogs who would do well with just about any family, if given the chance. To read detailed bios of each dog and to determine if a specific dog may fit what you are looking for, check them out on petfinder.com or adoptapet.com. And remember that just because a dog is super cute, don't assume that the dog would be a good fit. Please, we encourage you to read the bios and if you feel that you are able to bring that dog into your home/family for life then by all means, complete our adoption application which can be found on our homepage on either of those websites. We strive to ensure that when our dogs do leave us, they will be leaving for a lifetime of love and family with you.
Please don't forget that we get paid for your interactions. These funds help us to continue to help the dogs so share, like, comment as much as possible. It only takes a second and costs you absolutely nothing but alittle bit of your time! Plus, sharing helps us spread the word about our pups and (hopefully) find them their forever families!

03/24/2025

The three musketeers, Spooky, Hank The Tank and Cowboy, are enjoying a day in the sun

03/14/2025

A huge thank you going out to Robin and House of the Happy Cat for the food donation! Our pups will be eating good!

03/13/2025

Teddy is a bit blurry because he's a happy, wiggly boy despite losing his back leg. Don't let the tripod fool you..this boy can get around! He just wishes it was at a home of his own with his very own family.

03/13/2025

Spooky

03/13/2025

Cowboy

03/13/2025

Hank The Tank

03/09/2025

Handsome Negan is on the prowl for his new home. Negan is half lab and half newfoundland from an oops litter but he looks mostly lab. Negan just turned a year old at the end of February. He is the sweetest, gentlest boy and is a very velcro type dog as he loves to be near his people. Negan enjoys playing with toys and the other dogs so he can "unzip" himself from your side but his preference is to be close to his humans. Negan does well in the house during the day but we are still working on the night training. A crate has not helped and he actually seems to do better out of one overnight although he will willingly go into a crate and will often put himself in it for down time. Negan will walk on a leash ok with some motivation but is not a fan of it really. He has a pretty laid back personality most of the time and would fit well into most homes.

03/08/2025

Hank The Tank, Cowboy and Spooky are still patiently waiting for their families to find them. We believe they are catahoula mix and are a medium size (about 50-55 pounds for the boys and around 35-40 for Spooky) . They love to play and love attention. They are energetic dogs who will need space to run or regular walks/exercise. They are in their "teenager" phase right now...still pups but not quite yet adults. They are all really just sweet, playful dogs who enjoy getting lots of love!

02/26/2025

Oliver greeting one of his many friends only moments of arriving home! A happy boy once again!

02/26/2025

Exciting news! Oliver has been trapped and arrived back home just now! He is one lucky (and now happy) pup! We want to give our most heartfelt gratitude to everyone who helped make this happen! To Sandra Lee and Kim who set up food stations and the trap and who checked on it for days. They are who actually caught him so we can't say thank you enough! To Bird Dog Drone Services who volunteered their services to help locate Oliver when noone could catch him and he kept changing locations, which made efforts difficult, to Leslie & Robert who made trips to Ocala to search for him and to everyone who kept their eyes out, reported sightings, made referrals, prayed for Oliver's safe return and shared his posts...it took all of you to get him safely home and we are eternally grateful! You all saved his life with your efforts!

02/24/2025

Our handsome boy,Brady, had to go to the vet this morning. Somehow he tore his rear paw pad nearly off. Poor guy will be getting fixed up and feeling much better soon!

02/23/2025

I and some friends are currently at the location of Oliver's last known reported sighting and also where he went missing originally. So far we have not seen any signs of Oliver. If anyone has seen him at all recently so we have direction to search, please contact me 352-215-3260

02/22/2025

Oliver's chip is now connected to us and our vet so if found and scanned, we should be contacted. Had to wait for freepetregistry to approve our request but done now.