Are you a cat person or dog person? Or both? I would typically call myself a dog person but after playing with the kittens at the Humane Society of Charlotte last week, you would think I was a cat person. The little cuties stole my heart and had me giggling with their silly antics
Historical Information
- 40 year-old organization; opened our doors on July 14, 1978
- Their current location is their third location – their first location was on Commonwealth Avenue
- They have been in their current location since 1993
- They average 3,000 adoptions per year – YAY!
- They take in an average of 3,000 animals per year. Meaning they take in as many as they are re-home to keep the life-saving cycle going – Double YAY!
- Average length of stay for animals: 22 days – this is lower than the national average but a number they would like to see lowered!
Community Resources
- Pet Food Bank: The Humane Society of Charlotte offers twice monthly pet food banks for the community and partners with Meals on Wheels for owners that are unable to travel to our shelter to pick up the food.
- Safety Net/Have A Heart/Spay It Forward: These are all specialized donation funds to help owners in need with health and medical services for their pet including specialized medical treatments, surgeries and spay/neuter.
- Pets for Life: a program committed to helping families in under-served or poverty stricken areas keep their pets in the home. The Humane Society of Charlotte canvases the area door-to-door handing out vouchers and providing families with contact information for our team members.
- HSC Fence iBuild: A program that helps free dogs from life on a chain. Their team, with the help of volunteers, builds fences for families in need to keep outdoor dogs safe in their yards. Additionally, iBuild recipients receive tarps in the summer to provide shade and straw in the winter to provide warmth and insulation for outdoor dog houses.
- Critter Care Wellness Clinic: Wednesday clinic at The Humane Society of Charlotte’s Spay/Neuter clinic that provides low-cost, high-quality vaccinations and preventative care (Heartworm, Flea/Tick) to the community. No appointments required.
- Additional community resources include: Behavior Counseling, Pet Loss Grief Counseling, Community Cat TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release), Working Cats , iCare Pet Rehoming Board,and Surrender Services.
Miscellaneous Details
- The Humane Society of Charlotte receives their animals through municipal shelter transfers and owner surrenders. By transferring animals from municipal shelters, they are able to keep the life-saving cycle going by allowing these shelters more room to take in as many animals as possible.
- The Humane Society of Charlotte is no-kill – with a live release rate of 99.9%
- Perform an average of 13,000 spay/neuter surgeries annually
- We examine more than 5,000 animals annually at our Critter Care Wellness Clinic on Wednesdays. That’s more that 100 animals at each clinic!
- Given away more than 54,000 lbs. of pet food to the community, helping approx. 802 pets – I mean WOW!
So back to the animals from last week, we kicked off our meet & greet session with Rikki (2-month-old, male, Retriever mix). This little hype nugget absolutely stole my heart. Truly the sweetest pup, he kept resting this head on my shoulder whenever I held him. Definitely a little cuddler! While he loves nuzzling in, he was also the little runner – definitely has that puppy energy. I think if we had kids, he would have come home with us!
After Rikki, we met the sweetest lady, Nikki (7-year-old, female, Labrador Retriever). She was all about exploring and grabbing some treats. The lady loved her cheese! Rikki would be great for a slower paced family as she is a bit older and has arthritis. If you’re looking for a sweet, loving companion, this is your dog!
Then it was Shea (10-year-old, female, Short Coat Chihuahua). Another sweetie, who is full of spunk and personality. Also, loved being loved on. The perfect little go anywhere dog that is sure to be your best friend!
For the cats, we played around with Romeo (4-month-old, male, Domestic shorthair) a bit in the adult cats room. A fun little guy, ready to play! And got the attention of Josie (4-year-old, female, Domestic Shorthair), Lucy (5-month-old, female, Domestic shorthair), Tony (2.5-year-old, male, Domestic Shorthair) for a bit – although they were more into sun bathing and hanging out! Then we were off to the kitten room where we met Junebug (3-month-old, female, Domestic Shorthair) and Saffron (3-month-old, female, Domestic shorthair) both full of personality, spunk, and the prettiest eyes. Seriously, how do all kittens have the prettiest?
While we didn’t go home with a little one, we will absolutely be heading here when we do decide it’s time for another pet in our lives. Although, by then, the Humane Society of Charlotte may be in brand new location – as they are working towards a new facility for their animals!
If you want to help out the Humane Society of Charlotte…
They are in great need of paper towels and animal-safe cleaning supplies. With all the animals they are taking care of, they have a lot of cleaning up to do every single day, so they go through a great amount of these items – EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. While they might not be the most fun items to gift, they are extremely helpful and very much in need! They also have a donation page, if you would like to donate a specific amount and help them out! Lastly, there is a really fun event coming up called the Ties & Tails Gala. The Ties & Tails Gala is a fundraising event that celebrates the donor, volunteers and the great work of the Humane Society of Charlotte. All funds raised at the Gala support the HSC’s mission to deliver effective, innovative services that strengthen the human-animal bond and improve the lives of companion animals and the people who care about them. The gala is on November 10th from 6-11pm at Hilton Charlotte City Center, you can buy tickets now and send a donation if you would like.
I’m so glad you posted this, it’s been on my to do list to do the same thing for Atlanta Humane Society! I wish I could adopt them all but Pork hates everyone. It’s kind of a blessing because I’d probably have a dozen animals in my 900 sq ft apartment. Love the puppies!!!
xo Jessica
My Style Vita
Aw thanks Jessica! You absolutely should. It was such a fun post to put together and one I’m really proud of as it has some real meaning behind it. Haha I totally get you. I was so close to coming home with Rikki.
xo Laura Leigh
This is so amazing, Laura!! I love your heart!! (I’m dying to adopt a pup!!)
xo, Hillary | hillheady.com
Aw thank you lots Hillary – I so appreciate it! Oh I cannot wait for you to and see what you name the little one.
xo Laura Leigh
Oh how sweet! Just three weeks ago I brought home a kitty from a local rescue where I live. 🙂 She’s already been such a blessing! Hope that y’all are able to find a new furry friend at the Human Society!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
Aw that makes me heart so happy! Thank you for sharing Annaliese!
xo Laura Leigh
Aw, I am totally a CAT PERSON, I love my sister’s cat so much!
This is such a wonderful cause to bring attention to — go you!
Rescuing animals is something more people need to consider as an alternative to shopping for them, as there are so many deserving animals who need homes.
XO Amanda | Affordable by Amanda
Thanks Amanada! I really appreciate that gal 🙂 I absolutely agree with you – 100%
xo Laura Leigh
Oh the kittens are killing me!! Does it make you officially a #catlady if you have 3 cats? Asking for a friend 🙂
-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com
Aren’t they adorable? Haha if you have the space, why not?
xo Laura Leigh
I am not a animal person but if I had to pick it would be kittens. Love the shot with their eyes staring into the lens.
❥ tanvii.com
Isn’t that the sweetest? They were melting my heart.
xo Laura Leigh
Most definitely a dog person. Becks, our golden mix, is a rescue from the Charlotte SPCA!
Oh my gosh Anna that just makes my heart so happy!! Thanks for sharing gal!
xo Laura Leigh
I am definitely a dog person! It always breaks my heart seeing dogs needing to be adopted that are older from a home that didn’t keep them. If I lived in the area I’d be there wanting to pet all of them!
Right there with you gal!
xo Laura Leigh
Look at all of these sweet babies! This was such an awesome thing to do!
Aren’t they the cutest things ever?! Thank you gal!
xo Laura Leigh
Awww this is such a sweet post babe!! So many cute little fur babies!! Melts my heart, they just want to be loved!
Kileen
cute & little
Thank you so much Kileen! Exactly – they are all looking for love and cuddles.
xo Laura Leigh
AWWW love this! I fostered a puppy in college and it was the best thing ever 🙂
Aw that is so sweet!
xo Laura Leigh
Ummmmm I’m pretty sure my heart just exploded. I’m such an animal person. And I say “animal person” because while I’ve always grown up with cats and I love them like CRAZY – dogs are wonderful too, and I even like some birds and fish and other pets too. Gosh they’re all just too precious. This post made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
Aw yay!!! I am so thrilled you enjoyed the post! They really are all so precious.
xo Laura Leigh
This is melting my heart! Thank you for sharing – so touching! xo
Aw of course! Thank you for reading gal!
xo Laura Leigh
I’m from Charlotte and love visiting the sweet animals here!
Aw yay! So glad you do!!
xo Laura Leigh
OMG so many cute puppies and kitties. I have been dying to adopt a doggie but E won’t let me until after the baby is born :-/
xo Jessica
http://www.whatsfordinneresq.com
They truly were the cutest! Aw cannot wait to see what cutie you pick up!
xo Laura Leigh