October 26, 2026
Provided Image/PhillyPAWS
PhillyPAWS plans to open a new headquarters, animal shelter and veterinary clinic in South Philadelphia next year. The building, shown in the rendering above, will expand the group's capacity to help dogs and cats.
Philly Paws is opening a new headquarters in South Philly next year, a move that will expand its capacity for pet adoption and veterinary services.
Philly Paws operates out of three locations in Grays Ferry, Old City and Northeast Philadelphia. It plans to break round on an 18,000-square-foot facility at 2129 Oregon Ave. later this year. The new headquarters will be three times the size of its Grays Ferry location — Philly Paws' main facility — and boost its spaying and neutering services, emergency medical services and ability to accept stray pets.
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Operations will continue as normal during construction, with the new headquarters is tentatively slated to open in late 2027, PAWs Communications Manager Cory Topel said. The Grays Ferry and Old City locations will close once pets are moved to the new facility, but the Northeast location at 1810 Grant Ave. will remain operational.
Maintaining cats, dogs and other pets at three locations has been a financial and logistical challenge as rent and upkeep expenses increase, Topel said. Animals also have to be moved between facilities often, which can cause delays.
"It's taking a lot of time, effort and energy to transport pets back and forth between those two locations," Topel said, referencing the Grays Ferry and Old City facilities. "So we know that pulling both of those places into one roof together will create a lot of efficiencies for us and make it less stressful for the animals."
The new headquarters will include larger veterinary clinical and surgical facilities, spacious and calming animal housing, dedicated spaces for adoption, outdoor play areas and gathering spaces for volunteers, staffers and the public, PAWS officials said. It will double PAWS' current capacity for dogs and increase its capacity for cats by 20%.
The headquarters will cost $15 million to build, and $10 million already has been secured through private donations and grant funding. PAWS also has opened a donation campaign to raise the remaining funds.
PAWS offers adoptions at multiple locations, but it also provides other services including medical care for animals without homes, vet care for pet owners with low incomes, a pet food pantry and behavioral support services.
PAWS also is a rescue partner for ACCT, which helps the city's shelter manage capacity issues. Topel said PAWS' "bread and butter" is taking at-risk pets from ACCT's shelter, including animals recovering from illnesses or injuries and caring for them until they're ready to be adopted. PAWS provides medical care for smaller rescue groups and to trap-neuter-release organizations to reduce the amount of stray cats, too.
PAWS has rescued more than 45,000 animals during its 20 years in operation, Topel said. The new facility will mean PAWS can offer services for more cats, dogs and other small animals.
"It's not just about homeless pets that need homes; it's about providing families the support services that they need to keep their pets happy and healthy at home with the people who love them most," Topel said. "And that, in turn, keeps them out of the city's shelter, so it's really all connected. We see ourselves not just as a place to adopt, but really we see ourselves as a pet resource center for families."
