Located just five miles outside of campus is a hidden gem: Centre County PAWS. PAWS is a volunteer run animal shelter dedicated to finding “forever homes” for dogs and cats. Fellow Onward State writer, Anna Foley, and I took a trip to PAWS to learn more about the organization.

Well, honestly, we just needed an excuse to play with the animals.

As we walked through the door we met Bob Conn, a smiley man with a bunch of pins on his name tag lanyard. Bob is a floor volunteer which means he cares for all the dogs’ needs such as feeding them, walking them, and giving them lots of love. He took us to the dog side where we first met Bangerz, a pitbull mix.

Bangerz was in a timeout because he was too aggressive when trying to get one of his toys.

This adorable little guy and I shared a yawn as Anna, Bob, and I left to see our next furry friend.

We shuffled down the hallway to the “small dogs room” where one happy guy was standing, waiting for us to say hello.

Ulysses S. Grant, more commonly known as Grant, was found as a stray right on Trout Road, where PAWS is located.

Grant is an Italian Greyhound/Chihuahua mix.

After a few too many “oh my god!” and “he’s so cute!” exclamations, Bob led us to a larger room that held about 10 dogs.

Among the crowd were some memorable pups.

Meet Pork Chop, a stumpy Corgi mutt with the cutest eyes.

Pork Chop slid his paw underneath the cage and right into our hearts.

Here’s proof of his name. I swear, we’re not making this up.

In the same hall was Maverick, a 6-year-old Lab/Weimeraner.

As well as Gunner, a trained Collie/Great Pyrenees/Pit Bull mix.

And Bumble Bee, a calm Labrador/Golden Retriever mutt.

Next to Bumble Bee was his alter-ego, Ruffalo, an energetic Boxer mix. He even tried to jump the wall to see his friend in the cage next to him.

And finally, Captain ‘Merica, stood in the back of the hall, eagerly waiting to meet us. He is a Boxer who loves to bark and run around.

Besides dogs, PAWS houses a significant amount of cats in the other wing of its facility. Linda gave us the grand tour; we walked through the sunroom, the new kitten room, and the “Cattery”.

Gruffen is a brown/black tabby cat who loves treats.

OJ is a friendly tabby cat who recently got adopted. He’s heading home this weekend.

Linda told us that Dottie is the veteran. She’s been with PAWS for about three years.

Our buddy here, Henry, was rescued after a car accident. Unfortunately, he’s blind in one eye. Henry enjoys sleeping and being adorable.

Besides modeling for the camera, Little Foot, a 13-year-old calico cat, also enjoys napping.

Jazzy, a gorgeous domestic longhair, likes to model too.

In the “Cattery”, the furthermost part of the cat wing, we caught Hans Solo just relaxing on a perch in front of the window.

The cats are named with a theme depending on when they arrive at PAWS. And in case you were wondering, yes, an Anakin Skywalker does exist.

After meeting all of our new friends, Bob and Linda both assured us all the four-legged creatures have a wonderful home at PAWS until they get adopted. However, they are always looking for more volunteers and more people to adopt these loving animals. For more information, visit the Centre County PAWS website.