Pawztopia: Empowering Pet Owners & Shelters

My Story

Hi, I'm Paula, a pet groomer in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. I am the Pawz parent of Avalon, my beloved rescue dog, who was abused, dumped and abandoned twelve years ago by a despicable monster.

I am raising funds to bring awareness to the horrors of pet dumping and abandonment and to develop an app to help prevent these atrocities.

Avalon's Heartbreaking Story of Abuse and Abandonment

Twelve years ago, I started my pet grooming career at a nationally-recognized pet supply retail chain with a veterinary hospital on the premises. For six months I observed a vet tech walking an adorable, but badly injured, Black Labrador-Rottweiler. I became shocked and dismayed when I overheard staff talking about euthanizing the dog. I assumed that the dog belonged to one of the clinic employees.

Avalon had been abandoned six months prior. Her owner brought her into the vet with 2 broken legs and other life-threatening injuries. He claimed she had been hit by a car. On the day he dropped her off, the vet determined that Avalon was indeed the victim of human-applied blunt-force trauma. Her owner had heinously abused, abandoned and dumped her—He ran out on the bill and never came back for his dog. Avalon was just one of the millions of pets that meet such a fate annually.

The Impossible Rehoming Process

The veterinary clinic had attempted to rehome Avalon several times, only to have her return repeatedly. Her PTSD from the vicious abuse made it impossible for her to trust anyone. As with many such cases, euthanasia seemed the only option. It was more than I could bear!

I begged the staff to hold off on killing Avalon. I wanted to try my hand at finding Avalon a home. After three more unsuccessful attempts, Avalon ended up back in my apartment with my two cats and a dog.

During this heartbreaking period, the most beautiful thing happened. My furry family fell in love with Avalon, and so did I. I made a promise never to leave her again.

Since then, it has become my mission to fight the epidemic of pet dumping. No animal should ever have to endure the pain of physical abuse and torture or the emotional trauma of abandonment and dumping.

Animal Cruelty, Dumping and Abandonment

Most animal cruelty statutes make most forms of abuse—torture, mutilation, neglect and abandonment—a felony. This growing prevalence of animal abuse and dumping is still on the rise, despite harsh penalties. Is there another solution?

The Pawz App

Unfortunately, many new pet owners become dumpers and abusers in an effort to combat the overwhelming stress of learning to care for their pets. Loving, experienced pet owners may also be faced with the unfortunate scenario of having to give up their pet, not knowing how to deal with such unforeseen dilemmas. At Pawztopia, we have developed what we believe is an effective method to identify abusers who hurt, abandon and dump their pets before they act; as well as help alleviate new pet owners’ stress from sifting through the myriad of pet-care choices. Facing so many options—from trainers to sitters to vet care and doggie parks—The Pawz App provides a simple, comprehensive and convenient solution for you and your pet.

The Quintessential Toolbox for All Pawz Parents and Pet Professionals

The Pawz App is a 3-prong comprehensive resource hub for pet owners and service providers in a 2022 $269 billion global pet care market. (The US accounts for more than 40% of that market.) That’s a lot of dog bones! And lots of opportunities for charitable good works, as profits permit.

The PawzApp is a subscription-based, easy-to-use, must-have pet concierge mobile app that seamlessly connects every Pawz parent to a cornucopia of indispensable, on-the-go pet services, resources, and pet and owner social connections in the Petiverse. A virtual Pawztopia.

The PawzApp is an essential tool for staying up to date on pet check-ups, vaccinations, and preventative care. It will track your pet, your pet’s food, weight and exercise progress over time. And if your pet goes missing, our app will assist in locating your pet. You’ll also receive handy calendar reminders for upcoming appointments, events, and play dates, and easy access to your pet’s medical records, medications, appointments, and microchip data right from your phone. You will quickly connect to emergency resources, shelters and fosters. Finding pet resources will be a whiz—such as pet insurance, trainers, groomers, vets, daycare, sitters, walkers, boarding, off-leash trails, dog parks, and pet-friendly events, services and establishments (like bars, real estate, hotels, restaurants, e-commerce, Uber Pet and more).

The PawzApp will connect you with other pet owners and experts in your area to share tips, tricks, advice, and support, as well as assist in scheduling play dates, meet-ups, and other pet-friendly happenings, locally and nationwide, in a few easy clicks.

We have more than 20 modules (and counting) in the works. Pawztopia will be the Expedia-like portal for the entire Pet Industry! We are even planning a pet dating social app and a dating app for Pawz parents.

And, to help you and the professional service provider avoid the bad apples, The Pawz App offers a “pet-owner identity-verification” system to help spot potential abusers and dumpers.

Won’t You Help - Donate Today

Our 30-day GoFundMe campaign is to raise expenses associated with launching our Pawztopia Petiverse. I am asking you to help fund The Pawz App and help alleviate the horrors of pet abuse. We have a world-class team of professionals to help ensure our success.

Your Donation

Your donation, no matter how big or small, can make a real difference in the lives of pets who are counting on us for help. We are also looking for VCs and Angel Investors to fund our $2 million goal to get our app developed and marketed successfully. Together, we can make a positive impact and create a brighter future for animals in distress. Thank you for your generosity!

Contact Us

Please email us at pawztopia if interested in the Pawztopia Investor Package.

From all of us at Pawztopia, MAY THE PAWZ BE WITH YOU!