Hope Carrying Paws R Us Through Yet Another Tough Relocation With 73 Rescue Dogs

Photo Credit: Paws R US: SA

After less than two years at their ideal base, the team at Paws R Us animal rescue organisation in Johannesburg has been asked to vacate after a property sale. It’s incredibly tough news, but hope is holding strong thanks to a supportive community.

Johannesburg, South Africa (13 January 2026) – Next month, animal rescue organisation Paws R Us will celebrate fifteen years of love and care. Fifteen years of stepping in for abandoned, abused and stray rescue dogs in Johannesburg.

Animal welfare is not an easy job, but the team has persevered, held up by their incredible staff and an entire community of animal lovers who have adopted from and volunteered at the organisation. All for the love of the doggies they go above and beyond to look out for.

So yes, their fifteenth birthday coming up on the 11th is a big one.

Instead of starting the year focused on the positive milestone ahead, the team now has a major hurdle to cross, first.

The organisation has been asked to vacate their current base in Riverside by the end of February, along with the 73 dogs currently in their care. The property has been sold.

This isn’t the first major moving blow Paws R Us has endured. In 2024, they vacated a Midrand property they’d been based at for years, for the very same reason. After huge amounts of stress and help from volunteers, they moved to their current property near Fourways. It’s an ideal space for the dogs, with ample space and peaceful surroundings.

“We’ve been so happy here…It’s really served us well. We’ve had a great relationship with management. But the sad thing is that…after a year and a half of being here, the property went up for sale,” shares Chantelle Murray, director of Paws R Us.

It isn’t ideal and the timing is terrible. Chantelle and her team are positive that with help from their community, they can see this one through.

They’ll need to find a property close enough for staff to reach without transport costs bowling them over (Midrand, Kyalami or Fourways) and the location will need to be suitable for the current number of animals in their care. Kennelling will also be a hurdle the team will need to face together.

“As you can imagine, from an animal shelter’s perspective, that does some serious damage to the colon…We’ve just come out of a peak period over November, December, and January, where inevitably, we had to open our doors. With 73 dogs, we now have to pack up shop and start all over again. It is a blow. It’s a huge one,” shares Chantelle.

“This is currently the situation we face. Seven weeks to find an alternative premises is hard, very hard, but we know that with your help, with teamwork, collaboration and all of us scouting around, we will find something that works,” shares Chantelle.

In the video below, Chantelle goes into greater detail about their predicament. If you’d like to help, keep an eye on Paws R Us’ social media channels for more information in the coming days.

With community, anything is possible!