Our Story

How it all Began…

For eight evenings, our founder spent time quietly on the floor with a frightened rescue kitten named Maisie, allowing her to approach at her own pace.

Little Maisie would stay beneath the couch, watching and listening. When the house was quiet and everyone had gone to bed, she would cautiously emerge to eat and explore before returning to the safety of her hiding place.

Sometimes Maisie would take a few tentative steps forward, only to retreat beneath the couch again, occasionally giving a little hiss as if to remind us that she still needed space.

And the space she needed was respected.

We didn’t know how long it would take, and we didn’t believe it was ours to decide when Maisie should be ready. We could only listen to what she was telling us, respect her boundaries, and remain there consistently and patiently.

Slowly, something began to change.

Maisie started venturing out while people were still in the room. At first, only briefly. Then for a little longer. One small step at a time, she began to discover that she was safe.

On the eighth night, she finally, cautiously, emerged. Ever so slowly, she approached, took a small bite of a treat from a steady hand, and began to purr. And that was beautiful.

Watching that trust unfold was powerful and profound.

Here was a frightened, vulnerable little animal choosing, in her own time, to move towards connection with our founder.

It raised a bigger question:

If a safe, trusting relationship could help change the life of a frightened rescue animal, what might carefully supported relationships with companion animals mean for young people who have experienced adversity, isolation or disconnection?

That question became the beginning of Paws & Connect.

We believe that meaningful relationships can foster trust, belonging, confidence and hope. We also believe that providing care can be as meaningful as receiving it — that being trusted to care for another living being can help a young person discover that they are capable, needed and valued.

But we don’t believe that healing comes simply from owning a pet.

It grows through relationships built with patience, trust, consistency, mutual care and respect — relationships in which both the young person and the animal are valued for who they are.

That is why Paws & Connect is about more than matching a young person with an animal. It is about creating the conditions for a safe relationship to develop, supporting that relationship over time, and respecting the needs and wellbeing of everyone involved.

Every young person deserves the opportunity to experience trust, belonging and hope.

Every rescue animal deserves the opportunity to experience safety, love and connection.

Sometimes, those journeys begin together.

Why Paws & Connect Exists

Paws & Connect exists because we believe that safe, meaningful relationships can make a profound difference in a young person’s life.

Adolescence is a time of enormous growth and change. Young people are developing their sense of identity, independence and place in the world, while learning how to navigate relationships, emotions and challenges. During this important stage, having opportunities to experience trust, connection, belonging and responsibility can help create a strong foundation for healthy development.

Yet meaningful connection does not always come easily.

For some young people, relationships with other people can feel complicated, uncertain or difficult to navigate. We believe there is value in creating opportunities for connection that feel natural, safe and genuine — without asking young people to be anything other than themselves.

This is where rescue animals come in.

A relationship with an animal can offer a unique form of companionship and connection. Caring for an animal can create opportunities to experience trust, responsibility, patience, empathy and belonging in ways that are often simple, tangible and rewarding.

Paws & Connect was created to bring these two needs together: the need for young people to experience safe and meaningful connection, and the need for rescue animals to find safe, loving and appropriate homes.

We are guided by the belief that the relationship should benefit both.

Animals are not tools or interventions. They are sentient beings with their own needs, personalities and capacity for connection. Our role is to thoughtfully bring young people, families and rescue animals together in relationships where everyone can feel safe, supported and valued.

At its heart, Paws & Connect is about creating the conditions for connection to grow — and recognising the difference that a safe relationship can make.