Paws & Purpose Dedicated to Doing Everything it Can to Find Loving Homes for Dogs in Need
By Chris Johnson on June 08, 2025
Kathy Martin’s passion for helping animals, especially dogs, started at a young age.
“I had a deep love for any animal,” she said. “Growing up, I brought in any stray I found. My mother was the same way, it just trickled down to me.”
Through the years, the desire to help out dogs in need of help only strengthened. Once her children were raised, traveling slowed down with their athletic careers and they were off to college making their own path, she had some free time on her hands and knew exactly where she wanted to devote it.
With the assistance of some like-minded friends, three years of experience working for a giant breed rescue and an assist from a special dog named Thor, Paws & Purpose Rescue was launched with one simple mission – “To rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome dogs in need, ensuring they find the love and safety they deserve. We believe that every dog has a purpose, and we work tirelessly to help them find their perfect family.”
Although Martin is the director of Paws & Purpose, she will quickly point out that its creation was a joint effort with the right people at the perfect time.
“I just want to do anything and everything I can,” Martin said. “I have a great network of people in this area that have the same passion. We just came together and said, ‘Let’s do this.’ Lets take a leap and see what happens. I’m not going to be in any worse shape if I still have to spay, neuter and vaccinate all these dogs myself.
“It’s been a really great experience and we’ve had great support. My mind is blown by the support we have had.”
Since Paws & Purpose started in February, they have adopted out and found loving homes for 60 dogs. They currently have 40 in their care right now and are 100 percent foster based. It’s loosely based out of Shinnston, but there is no actual physical location. Martin and her cohorts all foster dogs in their homes and they also rely heavily on volunteer fosters as they have established a network of people that want to help out anyway they can.
“We hit the ground running,” Martin said. “The most rewarding thing is seeing them go to a good home. We have a private page for our adopters where they can share their journey with their new pet. We always want to keep in touch. We all get attached and we all have a hand in pulling every dog.”
Paws & Purpose has pulled dogs from Harrison County Animal Control, from Upshur and Lewis Counties. Recently they have been pulling dogs from Fayetteville, where the shelter is a no kill shelter but completely overrun with dogs. They will also, on a case by case situation, take in surrenders.
Paws & Purpose has found homes for dogs all throughout Harrison County and other spots in the region as well as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. They have an application in right now for a home in Texas that they are processing.
“We’re not opposed to transporting anywhere. If it’s a good home, we will make it happen.”
Counting Martin, Paws & Purpose has a staff of six. Joining her are Ashley Aragona, Danielle Wilson, Tessa Skinner, Amy Schroeder and Melissa Krause, who is based out of Maryland and fosters the puppies they rescue.
“We all work full time, we all have families,” Martin said. “But we do the best we can do. Everybody does what they can to get these dogs homes.
“It’s still not enough. I get calls and texts and messages every day and the stories are horrendous. I would fill every square inch of my home with a dog if I could. We need fosters, we need volunteers. We’re an organization of six running the whole thing.”
Paws & Purpose is a non-profit organization and they gladly take donations of all kinds.
Information on how to donate, apply to adopt a dog, apply to foster a dog, and the dogs they currently have available can be found at their website HERE and/or their Facebook page HERE
Paws & Purpose has two fundraiser events planned.
The first is a goat yoga event on June 22 (more details in an upcoming story on Connect-Bridgeport) that will serve as a straight fundraiser for Paws & Purpose with the goal to help raise some money for some upcoming surgeries needed for some of the dogs.
A fall event, planned for Sept. 6, will serve as an adoption event, complete with live music, food trucks, vendors and activities for kids. More details on that event when it gets closer and more plans are finalized.
Editor's Note: Top and bottom photos courtesy of Paws & Purpose Facebook page. In middle photo, from left to right: Ashley Aragona with Onyx, Danielle Wilson holding Fiona, Kathy Martin with Adam, Tessa Skinner holding Butters and Amy Schroeder holding Patti.
