Anderson County PAWS has been named the No Kill South Carolina 2024 Organization of the Year. The organization received the award in recognition of its tireless efforts to save animal lives throughout South Carolina.
“I’m truly honored to have PAWS receive this incredible achievement,” said Dr. Kim Sanders, PAWS Veterinarian and Director. “I know how hard my team works each day but for the entire state to recognize all that PAWS does to save lives makes me extremely proud. This award is proof that when an entire community comes together to do what is best for the animals, everyone comes out a winner.”
Dr. Sanders thanked her incredible PAWS team for the dedication they show every day for the animals. She and her team mentored shelters in the Upstate and beyond, helping NKSC 2024 to change the reality of animal welfare in South Carolina.
This visionary leader joined PAWS in Oct 2016, in the middle of a crisis with euthanasia rates of 21% for dogs and 60% for cats. By the end of 2017, euthanasia rates dropped to 6% and 3% respectively, and have been that low since.
Dr. Sanders attributes such success to her passion for saving lives! From the very beginning, she decided to save every animal that they could and her incredible staff have gone above and beyond for every animal in the shelter and community. Dr. Sanders says the support from the County Administrator, Deputy Administrator, County Council and Sheriff has been overwhelming. It has taken the entire community working together to make PAWS such a success story.
With Anderson County doing well, Sanders realized that she could help stop the unnecessary euthanasia occurring in surrounding counties. Her solution was for the PAWS team to mentor and share leading practices with these shelters, with the goal of preventing the euthanasia of healthy and treatable animals.