Laurie P. Andrews PAWS Center

Palm Valley Animal Shelter was founded in McAllen, Texas in 1974 where it started with 22 dog runs and 9 cat kennels. 33 years later, a large donation led to the creation of the Laurie P. Andrews Pet Adoption and Wellness Services Center. It was opened in North Edinburg in April of 2016. Now PAWS maintains 350 dog runs and 185 cat kennels. Staff has grown from a few volunteers to over 50 trained professionals.

The facility is a pre-engineered metal building that has had additional elements added for aesthetic. At the front of the building, there is a whimsical, doghouse shaped entry. In addition, there are six relief metal panels along the front of the building. Three of these panels contain a 12 foot tall original art-piece metal cut out of a dog or cat.

Large scale art, graphics and sculptures provide whimsy to the interior space and act as signage to different areas. Near the entry, an over sized hand-made sculpture of a Swiss Mountain dog provides security as he overlooks the dog viewing area. The dog and cat viewing areas are designated by several large custom paintings. Near the rear of the main dog and cat viewing area is a hand crafted fire hydrant. A huge dog bone shaped ceiling cloud floats above four “get acquainted” rooms. These rooms are where visitors can interact with an animal for a few minutes before making their decision to adopt. Two walls of each of the four spaces have large scale graphics of adorably posed dogs and cats. The other two walls are glass with paw print decals to provide a little privacy while still allowing other visitors to participate in the interaction.