We help long-term shelter dogs and dogs at high risk in the Upstate of South Carolina, and beyond, prepare to find their forever families.

The Paw Project (TPP) is a non-profit rescue organization located in Greenville, South Carolina with the mission of re-habilitating, training, and permanently rehoming long-term shelter dogs and those at high risk.

Meet the dogs

The Process

Step One

Fill out a foster/adoption application. Be thorough.

Apply here
Step Two

We will call you for a brief phone Q&A . Then we will do a home visit. Then you can meet any dogs!

Q&A + home visit
Step Three

Once your application is approved, we will schedule a move in day at your house.

move in day
Step Four

One month after move in day, you will have the option to adopt. We suggest a $250 adoption donation.

adoption day

How we help

TPP searches shelters for the longest resident dogs to foster and train in preparation for their permanent new home and family.

Shelters often operate on low budgets and staff shortages, causing difficulty to allot individual time to dogs that have behavioral issues, which is why TPP selects dogs that need more extensive individual attention. TPP dogs decompress in foster homes and develop lifelong skills that create invaluable dogs, ensuring they will live the entirety of their life in a loving home. All TPP dogs and families have lifetime access to maintenance training and the TPP community. Volunteers and donations contribute to this process.

TPP dogs decompress in foster homes and develop lifelong skills that create invaluable dogs, ensuring they will live the entirety of their life in a loving home. All TPP dogs and families have lifetime access to maintenance training and the TPP community. Volunteers and donations contribute to this process.

Say hi to the dogs

Learn more about our dogs

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Learn more about our dogs 🐾

Meet the Paws

Read our stories

meet ashley

I grew up surrounded by four legged animals in a rural small town about thirty miles north of Pittsburgh.
The first day I moved into my own apartment after college, I immediately bought two Weimaraner puppies from a registered “breeder” in Virginia. My husband and I named the brothers Finn & Sawyer.
Over the next few months, we swam at the beach, hiked mountains up and down the east coast, and played relentlessly. That was until Sawyer began passing out. After multiple seizures, dozens of veterinary appointments, and thousands of dollars, we learned Sawyer had a congenital heart defect. We made the difficult decision to euthanize Sawyer when he was 6 months old to prevent him suffering for the remaining few months of his short life. We went to bed later that night and only Finn hopped up.
My love for animals has never wavered, but it shifted while carrying Sawyer’s body home. The following year, that shift was reinforced. I went into work at the humane society and assisted veterinarians as they spayed and neutered dozens of animals each day. Dog after dog walked into the room, until it was Chance’s turn. An emaciated and shabby mutt was wrapped in a blanket and being slid across the floor because he was too afraid to walk. Honestly, he looked dead laying in that blanket. The humane society had agreed to rescue him from a dog hoarder in Georgia, and step one: vaccines and neuter. They discovered heartworms, so he then had to receive painful lumbar and pelvic injections. After days of Chance refusing to stand up, I took him home to keep him more comfortable in October of 2018. We still have Chance and he is one of the happiest dogs I have ever met.
The day we decided to keep Chance was the day I knew I wanted to positively impact as many dogs as possible.

Get involved

Meet our board members

Ashley Ferree, President

Ashley splits her time between growing The Paw Project and designing floorplans for the home renovation business she founded in 2017. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roanoke College and a Master of Interior Architecture from Chatham University. Ashley grew up surrounded by farm animals and carried that comfortability into adulthood, when she worked and volunteered in dog boarding facilities and at humane societies. Ashley’s compassion, education, and entrepreneurship complement her perspective on how to improve human - canine relationships and wellness. Ashley and her husband own three dogs and usually have a foster dog around too.
Rachel Diehl, Treasurer

Rachel helps out with the Paw Project as much as possible while working as an accountant in her family’s car business in Pittsburgh, PA. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Villanova University and a strong love for animals after growing up with cats and dogs. She has a cat named Lil Wayne that she adopted, and has hopes to adopt a dog once she has a yard big enough. She’s passionate about helping dogs and hopes you are too!
Emmalee Klein, Secretary

Growing up on a farm, Emmalee has been surrounded by many animals her entire life. There were always new strays showing up to call the farm home, and none were turned away. Emmalee has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hampden Sydney College. Now, Emmalee does freelance styling and set design, and also works at a barn to stay surrounded by animals. It is also unlikely that you will find Emmalee anywhere without her rescue dog, Sina.