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Minn-Kota PAAWS (People Advocating Animal Welfare Services) was created to educate the area population of the importance of spaying and neutering companion animals and to take a proactive approach to the animal population problem. Our mission is to spay and neuter barn, feral, stray and companion animals, thus reducing the number of unwanted litters. We serve Moorhead, Minn., Fargo, N.D., and their surrounding areas.

Our affiliate program SpayDakota was awarded a grant from the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States and the Doris Day Foundation in honor of National Spay Day which was held on February 22. We assisted the following numbers of pets with spaying and neutering in the states of North Dakota and South Dakota: 55 female cats, 26 male cats, 12 female dogs and 10 male dogs.

In 2010, PAAWS received funds from the city of Moorhead which we used for stray and feral TNR (trap, neuter, release) Of these 19 cats, 9 were males and 10 were females (one of which was pregnant) and 16 were adoptable and took in to our shelter. One of the male cats was Feline Leukemia positive and subsequently euthanized. Only 2 of the cats were released back and remain under the care of the person who had trapped them. In addition, the PAAWS shelter took roughly 72 cats from the Moorhead Pound in 2010, and 92 cats in 2009 which were made available for adoption. In 2010, we also assisted 175 animals from Moorhead residents with spaying and neutering.

In December 2009, the Fargo City Commission made funds available for TNR (trap, neuter, return) in Fargo's trailer parks. PAAWS has been trapping since the middle of January 2010. Our Yearly recap: 143 cats captured in Fargo of which 71 were females and 72 were males. Of the female cats, 9 were pregnant. We euthanized 13 cats due to illness, and 57 of the cats we took in were adoptable

Minn-Kota PAAWS has received a $10,000 grant. The grant is being used to recruit veterinarians in North Dakota and South Dakota who are willing to provide low cost spaying and neutering in their area. We currently have 6 veterinarians in North Dakota and 9 veterinarians in South Dakota who have returned the necessary paperwork to participate. PAAWS will act as the call center for individual pet owners in these 2 states looking for low cost spaying and neutering options. Please check out our SpayDakota website at SPAYDAKOTA.ORG.

Facebook: Are you a member of the social networking Web site Facebook? If so, join our PAAWS group to stay up-to-date on our goings-on and to show your support for our cause! Click here to join.

 Emergency pet treatment, expensive surgical treatment, costly preventive care - can you handle a big vet bill, or would you rather make low monthly payments with the option of no interest? How's your credit rating? CareCredit could allow you to get the treatment your pet needs, right away! With a CareCredit card you can benefit from low minimum monthly payments and choose between several payment plans. They have no interest payment (you must pay at least the minimum monthly payment each month when due). Their Web site shows only a few area vets offer the service. Visit Carecredit.com. Is your vet listed? Do you want the option to have this card? If so, call your vet and tell them you want CareCredit now!

Having your pet spayed or neutered doesn't just help the pet overpopulation problem, it is good for your pet! Read on:

  • Spaying/neutering helps dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives.
  • Spaying/neutering can eliminate or reduce the incidence of a number of health problems that can be very difficult or expensive to treat.
  • Spaying/neutering eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spayed before her first estrous cycle.
  • Neutering eliminates testicular cancer and decreases the incidence of prostate disease.


    • We advocate responsible pet ownership. When you decide to get a pet, make sure you will be able to care for it properly. Can you provide it with a warm, safe, home, feed it and provide it veterinary care for its life?

    We'd like to start setting up an e-mail database! If you're interested in getting e-mail notices (notification of news and upcoming events and fundraisers, for example), please e-mail us at paawsproject@aol.com or mera52@hotmail.com.

    Recycle your aluminum cans.

    We recycle aluminum cans for cash. You can take cans to any of the three Minn-Kota recycling centers and ask them to credit the Minn-Kota PAAWS account. We will pick up cans from business sites.