A local animal welfare group is changing its name. PAWSibilities®, Humane Society of Greater Akron is changing its name to the Humane Society of Summit County. The organization says it'll more accurately reflect the region it serves and distinguish itself from other animal adoption agencies.
According to the Humane Society, the organization says it's the only animal rescue and adoption agency with the legal authority in Summit County to enforce animal cruelty laws.
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(Press Release - Humane Society of Summit County) PAWSibilities®, Humane Society of Greater
Akron is changing its name to the Humane Society of Summit County.
The animal rescue agency chose the new name to distinguish itself from other
animal adoption agencies and to more accurately reflect the region it serves.
"We love the message 'PAWSibilities' conveys, and we do believe that the possibilities are endless with our rescued animals. However, we felt that we were being seen as just another animal adoption agency, and our critical roles of protecting animals from neglect and abuse and fighting for animal rights were being overshadowed," said Diane Johnson, president/CEO.
"We hope that changing our name will help clarify the distinctly different roles that animal adoption agencies, Summit County Animal Control, and the Humane Society of Summit County have in our community.
"People understand what the Humane Society is, and that's why we've chosen to put it at the forefront of our new name. Changing "Greater Akron" to "Summit County" clearly conveys that we serve every city and community in Summit County, not just Akron."
The Humane Society is the only animal rescue and adoption agency with the legal
authority in Summit County to enforce animal cruelty laws. The nonprofit agency rescues sick, abused, and abandoned animals ranging from dogs and cats to livestock and exotic animals and provides them with veterinary care and shelter until they are adopted.
Though the Humane Society has law enforcement powers, it is not tax funded. It relies on donations from its community to cover more than 90 percent of its nearly $2 million annual operating costs.
The Humane Society of Summit County is an independent, nonprofit organization and is not associated with any national animal welfare groups. The expression "PAWSibility" will not be exiting from the Humane Society's lexicon. It will remain as the identity of the agency's largest annual fundraiser, The PAWSibility Ball.
Much of the work necessary to accomplish the rebranding was done by Akron's WhiteSpace Creative during its 24-hour pro-bono "Creative Marathon" in January. PAWSibilities, Humane Society of Greater Akron asked the agency to evaluate is brand and update its materials. WhiteSpace developed the new identity and updated the logo and collateral materials to reflect the new name. The Humane Society was one of six nonprofit agencies chosen for pro bono work during the "Creative Marathon."