Frequently Asked Questions

Where do CAWS animals come from?
Where is CAWS located?
What are the adoption fees?
What do your adoption fees cover?
What are your requirements for adopting an animal?
How do I adopt an animal?
Do you take credit cards for adoption fees?
Does CAWS do adoption trials for animals?
What happens if I adopt an animal and it doesn’t work out?
How can I help CAWS?
How do I foster a CAWS animal?
How do I volunteer with CAWS?
How do I donate to CAWS?
Where do CAWS animals come from?

Where do CAWS animals come from?

The majority of our animals are rescued from shelters, including shelters in other states. Part of CAWS’s mission is to rescue animals that don’t show well at shelters such as the sick, injured, senior, or special needs animals. Of course, we also have many animals without special needs.

Where is CAWS located?

CAWS actually does not have a physical location, since we keep all the animals we can in foster homes. We believe the animals do better in real homes and consequently show better. Having animals live with fosters also helps us learn more about them than we would if they were kept at a shelter location.

What are the adoption fees?

Puppies (under 6 months): $300; $50 of which will be refunded after completion of a training course
Dogs (over 6 months): $200; $25 of which will be refunded after completion of a training course.
Senior Dogs (over 10 years): $100; No refund after completion of a training course.
Kittens (under 1 year): $85
Cats (over 1 year): $65
*We strongly recommend that cats have at least one feline sibling so we also have a special of two for the price of one at the respective age fee.

What do your adoption fees cover?

Our adoption fees cover the costs of spaying/neutering, microchipping, vaccination, and any medical costs or daily costs the animal accrued while in our care. Every CAWS animal we adopt out is fixed, chipped, and up-to-date on vaccinations.

What are your requirements for adopting an animal?

Potential adopters must be at least 21 years old, live in pet-friendly housing, and be approved by the animal’s foster (since they know the animal best). If the adopter has any other pets, the other pets must all be spayed or neutered.

How do I adopt an animal?

The first step is to fill out an adoption application. If you apply for an animal outside of an event, the foster will contact you to set up a meeting. If you apply for an animal at an event, an adoption coordinator will review your information and contact the foster. If the foster approves your application, you can adopt the animal. Our animals are not adopted on a first-come, first-served basis; instead, we try to match the right pet to the right home.

Once you have adopted the animal, we will follow up one month and then six months after to answer any questions you may have.

Do you take credit cards for adoption fees?

We take credit cards, debit cards, and cash, but we do not accept checks.

Does CAWS do adoption trials for animals?

We do not do adoption trials. Instead, we have an involved application process and strongly suggest that potential adopters bring their entire family (including pets) to meet the animal before adopting.

What happens if I adopt an animal and it doesn’t work out?

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, an animal just doesn’t fit with our family or lifestyle. If you find this is the case, we ask that you return the animal to CAWS instead of to a local shelter or pound.

How can I help CAWS?

There are many ways to help CAWS! You can give a one-time or recurring donation, foster an animal (or several!), or volunteer with us. We are entirely volunteer-run, so we’re looking for all kinds of volunteers to fit our many needs.

How do I foster a CAWS animal?

The first step is to fill out a foster application. A foster coordinator will review your information and reach out to you upon approval. All of our fosters go through orientation (usually at our PetSmart events) and then are given access to our foster team information. Once you have completed orientation and have all your information you can choose which animal(s) you would like to foster from the animals in need of fosters.

How do I volunteer with CAWS?

The first step is to fill out a volunteer application. Our Volunteer Coordination Team will reach out to you to set up a time you can meet and go over volunteer opportunities. These meetings are often held at our Saturday events.

How do I donate to CAWS?

The easiest way is to use our donation page on the CAWS website. You can set up a one-time or recurring donation via Paypal, credit card, or debit card. You can also mail a check payable to CAWS to either of these addresses:

CAWS
P.O Box 709629
Sandy, Utah 84070-9629

Another way is to donate directly to CAWS animals’ medical needs from our “donate” page.

CAWS is also partnered with AmazonSmileAmazon WishlistSmith’s Rewards, and several matching donors. See our “donate” page for more information.
All donations to CAWS are tax-deductible.