The Portland Animal Welfare Team is a grassroots, volunteer-powered nonprofit.

Our mission is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and keep pets and people together by providing free and low-cost veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing houselessness or extreme poverty in the Portland-area community. 

Our work began in the early 1990s, long before PAW Team became an official organization, when a small grassroots network of volunteer veterinarians were inspired to help the growing number of people living on the streets of Portland without access to affordable veterinary care for their companion animals. These compassionate, community minded individuals began working to provide critically needed veterinary care to companion animals on an informal, ad hoc basis. Operating on a shoe-string budget, four-legged clients were seen and treated in pop-up clinics located in basements, lobbies, courtyards and sidewalks, in abandoned grocery stores and warehouses, and in a variety of parks and camp communities.

Since our official founding in 2003, PAW Team has grown from providing basic veterinary exams on street corners to a consistent and comprehensive approach to medical treatment, seeking to provide the highest level of care possible for companion animals and their families in our community. 

With a small staff and the support of volunteer veterinarians, PAW Team’s medical program provides essential wellness care and ongoing treatment through weekday appointments, weekend vaccine clinics, as well as off-site outreach clinics at local housing shelters and resource centers across town. 

Each year, PAW Team provides  over 1,000 local families in need with access to vaccinations, microchipping, flea/parasite prevention, spay and neuter procedures, as well as medication and management of some chronic conditions. In addition to veterinary care, PAW Team operates a free Pet Supply Bank with pet supply essentials like food, litter, coats, leashes, and more. This resource is available to anyone expressing need and  is stocked 100% by in-kind donations from community members and local businesses. 

For many PAW Team clients, home is wherever their beloved companion animal is. For the last twenty years, families have relied on PAW Team to access care and keep their companions healthy. We are proud to play a unique, vital role in contributing to the strength and integrity of our community’s social safety net.