Making a Difference
Working to bridge the gap when pets face life-saving emergencies that owners cannot afford without assistance.
About Us
What is Paws In Need ?
We have established this non profit in order to continue assisting pet owners in need of financial support. The cost of surgeries and emergency vet visits can become costly, our goal is to assist those who have exhausted all measures to cover the care their pet needs. We are solely only able to help pet owners in Hampton Roads area of Virginia and parts of North Carolina, such as Moyock and Elizabeth City . Parts of Northern Virginia will be considered, depending on the funds we have available during these requests.
Our History
Hey Everyone,
I am Gina Highfield, the President and founder of Paws In Need, VA Inc. Where do I start? I will start from the beginning. Years ago, we had an emergency life or death situation with our pet Sissy. Financially we were not able to save her without the assistance from friends and complete strangers. Funds being called in to our vet for Sissy's care is what allowed us to save her life. I told myself then, my dream would be to start a fund where we could prevent families from feeling hopeless and desperate to save their pet not knowing how they would get help in order to do so. My beautiful daughter and boss put their heads together and in 2019, after having a voluntary fund at a local er vet, we formed my ultimate vision, Paws In Need. Kudos to my kiddo for creating our fund's name. From May 2019 to current date October 2021, we have helped over 600 pets and assisted with nearly $150k in medical bills all from the help of our community and donors. I cannot wait to see where the future takes us.
Our Mission
Often animals are put down or suffer needlessly because their families cannot afford surgical or other veterinary care. Families must often make the difficult decision to put a pet down or neglect the pet’s medical needs because of the costs involved. The purpose of the Paws In Need is to work towards a future where decisions about companion animal medical care need never be made on the basis of cost:
- To promote the importance and improve access to medical veterinary care.
- To educate the community about pet welfare in Hampton Roads and reduce euthanasia of treatable and/or adoptable pets.
- To provide medical funding for life-saving/improving procedures when families are unable to afford care.
- To provide informative resources about programs in place that support Hampton Roads communities and their pets.
Help Our Cause, Save a Life
All donations go directly towards life saving treatment of a pet in need in Hampton Roads area of Virginia, and surrounding cities. We are contacted daily for pets needing medical help. Your contribution keeps them with their families and out of shelters.
You can mail a check to the following:
Paws In Need VA INC.
332 Fernwood Farms Road
Chesapeake, VA 23320
*If you would like a receipt, please include your name and address with your donation*
Our Phones Are Down...
Our Phone system is down. If you have applied on our website, please check your email, we are not able to receive or send text messages. The phone application we use has a bug with an unknown repair time. Please be patient with us. thank you