About us
“The greatness of a nation…can be judged by the way it treats its animals.” -Gandhi
On April 26, 2019, we officially opened our sanctuary located in Lancaster. We work hard to get as many fur babies into foster homes until they find their forever homes. While in foster care, they learn about living as a family member and understanding “house/yard rules.” They interact with the foster family, both 2-legged and 4-legged members. This allows the animal to develop their beautiful, unique personality and allows the foster family to learn things such as their individual quirks, habits, temperament, and other endearing qualities. This is key in placing the animal with the “right” owner(s).
Paws in the Panhandle is a 501c3 organization made up of a growing group of dedicated individuals. We are not interested in profit, except for the heartfelt benefits that come when one of our deserving animals leaves us to join their new “forever” family for the remainder of their animal life.
About our name
Indian Land is located in Lancaster County, SC, in what is locally known as the “Panhandle.” Since our animals are with us for a short time before finding their “forever” homes, we like to say they “pause” or “Paws” with us here in the Panhandle; thus the name, Paws In The Panhandle.
Gloria Davey
Gloria Davey founded Paws In The Panhandle on January 1, 2010.
After retiring, Gloria spent 3 years working with organizations within York and Lancaster Counties. It quickly became evident to her that something must be done within the Indian Land area. She solicited several others, Rusty May and Linda Adams, who were instrumental in the start-up.
Gloria Davey is the President and Founder of Paws In The Panhandle Rescue and Adoption. She is very passionate about animal welfare and desires for each animal born to have a loving home. Gloria handles the overall planning, making recommendations to the Board of Directors and coordinating all activities, programs, and rescue tasks with the appropriate resources. Her background in animal welfare includes many years of volunteering at kill and no-kill shelters, with about 3 years volunteering with various animal rescue groups before founding and leading Paws In The Panhandle beginning in January of 2010. She is a certified dog trainer who has worked extensively with veterinaries and veterinary assistants. She has implemented a very successful adoption program and a sound animal rescue group that has – in a very short period – positioned itself to build and operate an animal sanctuary. She has also been very successful in the start up of a thrift shop in late 2010 with the sole purpose to support the rescue and to fund the building project for the sanctuary thus making it possible to move forward with the organization’s long term goals. She completed the Best Friends workshop in Utah, “How to Start and Run Your Own Sanctuary”, which was a course accredited by the University of Utah. She stays in close contact with issues of the larger welfare groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society. She graduated in 1972 from Columbia Commercial College with an associate degree in Information Technology, which led to her 35-year career in the computer industry prior to a planned early retirement and the founding of Paws In The Panhandle.
