Pets and families thriving together
Founded in 1967, Animal Welfare Society (AWS) is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located in Kennebunk, Maine.
Our mission
Animal Welfare Society exists to serve as the safety net for lost and homeless pets and to provide access to affordable services and resources necessary for long term well-being, so pets and their families stay together and thrive.
Featured Pets
These pets have been waiting the longest for their new families to adopt them. Will one of them become your new best friend?
Events & Programs
Join us!
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November 29 @ 2:00 PM
Rescue Readers
Rescue Readers brings together elementary/middle school students and AWS resident pets for a half hour of literary-based confidence building. Thank you to Kennebunk Savings for sponsoring Rescue Readers for the 2023-2024 school year. With their generosity, this program is free to attend.
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December 3 @ 2:00 PM
Puppy Learn & Play- Yuletide Youngsters
Learn & Play for puppies brings together training skills and doggone fun in short weekly sessions. Each session, led by one of our certified professional dog trainers, includes a mix of socialization, obedience training, life skills, play and fun!
Our 2022 Impact
In a year like no other, we supported our pet community’s needs as families faced inflation, economic uncertainty and housing instability while also adjusting our operations to fit the “post-COVID” era.
From the Blog
Whether it’s a dog who likes to blog, a cat who enjoys a chat, a bird who shares the word, or the occasional funny bunny, you’ll love hearing from our resident animals directly. Our blog also contains news & updates, training tips & tricks and more. Keep up with AWS!
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Karhu is Team #awsdog!
Hi there, folks! My name is Karhu (pronounced like kaar·hoo) and I am a new face around here at AWS. Can you guess what my name means?! It’s actually Finnish […]
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A Grateful Daisy
Hi there! My name is Daisy and I’m a 5-year-old pup who has been looking for my happy new home here at AWS. My life’s been a journey but I’m […]
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How to Control Counter Surfing
We’ve all been there; you’re right in the middle of cooking and you turn your back for just a moment and suddenly, your half-baked, tasty treat is gone! You glance […]
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Join the Reindeer Games!
The Reindeer Games are festive group training classes to keep your pup on Santa’s nice list this holiday season. Whether your dog is the littlest elf in Santa’s workshop or […]
Values That Guide Our Work
Compassion
We demonstrate kindness, understanding, and concern for the animals and people in our community whatever their circumstances. We appreciate others’ perspectives, listen, acknowledge needs, and practice patience. We offer assistance and support in the absence of judgement.
Community Focused
We are dedicated to supporting people and pets in our community through creating progressive, innovative programs and services so that pets can get what they need to thrive. We believe healthy pets make healthy people and healthy people make a healthy community.
Collaboration
We acknowledge it takes all of us working together to successfully promote and protect the human-animal bond. We prioritize teamwork and partnerships in all that we do and commit to building positive relationships with individuals, groups, and organizations in order to further our mission and goals.
Inclusion and Equity
Diverse voices make us stronger. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, respected, and heard. We seek to build a fair, equitable, honest, and healthy place for our staff to work and for our community to seek support.
