At a meeting of the Community Corrections Partnership, a representative for the Paws program described how the program takes temporary custody of clients' pets while those clients enter treatment or custody and how reunification is handled.

The program representative said, “It’s called Paws. A lot of people think it’s for pets. It’s for people,” and explained the program’s purpose is to stabilize clients so they can complete treatment while their animals are cared for.

Program staff told the CCP they currently have seven clients and about nine animals in foster care and that they have contacted or assisted roughly 11 households since starting the program. The contract used by the program requires clients to sign custody of the animal to the organization while the client is engaged in treatment; the representative said, “When you sign ownership of the pet over, we’ll keep it for up to 24 months and longer with board approval.”

Officials described the program’s reunification threshold: before an animal is returned the client must demonstrate either completion of a rehabilitation program or the ability to provide a “suitable living environment.” Program staff said decisions about reunification are made case by case and that the program’s board — which includes a board member named Yvette who owns 4 Paws — provides input on animal health and placement decisions.

Members raised liability and clarity concerns about the contract and recordkeeping. One attendee suggested adding explicit reasons in the contract explaining when reunification might not occur (for example, animal health or safety concerns) to increase transparency and community acceptance. Program staff agreed to circulate an updated contract and asked attendees for written feedback.

Next steps the group discussed included the presenter sending the current contract to Chief Probation Officer Jeff Goldman and the CCP membership for review and providing a full PowerPoint update at a future meeting. Board and staff repeatedly emphasized the program’s goal is reunification where safe and feasible and that foster capacity is currently limited.

The discussion made clear the program is active but still refining intake and reunification procedures, medical triage policies, and written agreements to reduce future misunderstandings.