December 1, 2025

A January Morning That Reframed Our Mission

It was sunny and 17 degrees at our free vaccine clinic—bright, brittle cold that wakes you up like a slap. We expected a modest turnout. We were wrong.

Long before our 9 a.m. start time, the parking lot was full. People stood stamping their feet, dogs wrapped in blankets, breath rising like smoke. Our vaccines were freezing in the syringes faster than we could give them.

And then Sarah arrived.

Her aging Ford Explorer carried an infant in a car seat, a four-year-old beside her, an older child in the back—and five excited, unaltered dogs bouncing like popcorn in a skillet. She was overwhelmed, exhausted, and trying her absolute best.

And she wasn’t alone.

Families told me they still had last year’s litters—now fully grown—because they couldn’t bear to surrender them to overcrowded shelters, and they couldn’t afford to sterilize them. They were feeding their pets instead of buying groceries.

That morning, as we shivered together, the truth hit me hard:

This is not a community that doesn’t care.

This is a community that cannot afford the care that keeps pets healthy and out of shelters.

I could see the tsunami of puppies and kittens coming this spring.

Our focus had to change—immediately.

A New Direction, Exactly When We Needed It

As an organization, we have a simple guiding principle: Do the most good.

That cold morning made it clear that expanding access to low-cost spay/neuter wasn’t just helpful—it was essential.

And then, as if by fate, the solution arrived:

A fully equipped 37’ surgical bus, and a surgeon beyond anything we could have hoped for.

Dr. Laura Boggs joined our team, and from that moment the Snippet Bus became the beating heart of our mission. Dr. Boggs is skilled, calm under pressure, and capable of performing 25–30 surgeries a day — a rare and life-changing gift for a region in crisis.

When Veterinary Care Becomes a Luxury Product

There are things we want, and things we need.

Ask anyone who loves a pet where veterinary care falls.

But today, veterinary care is priced like a luxury good.

For many families in Western NC, it is simply out of reach.

This year we saw the devastating consequences firsthand.

A family we helped—mom, dad, teen daughter, and their beloved mastiff, Kane—spent $10,000 on an emergency surgery they couldn’t afford, because love leaves you no real choice. When complications arose, the specialty hospital required another $13,000 to proceed.

We pieced together $5,000 through Noah’s Ark and a GoFundMe—barely enough for the hospital to move forward.

Despite our efforts, Kane didn’t survive.

The family is now left with a mountain of grief, $25,000 of debt. 

Stories like Kane’s are no longer rare.

Families are routinely asked to choose between:

• a mortgage payment

• a car repair

• a child’s tuition

• and a pet’s chance at survival

It doesn’t have to be this way, but the dual forces of inflation and the corporate takeover of veterinary medicine has pushed prices out of reach for working class families. 

There is a Very Real Shelter Crisis

Pet overpopulation is simple math:

If you can’t afford to sterilize a pet → that pet will produce more pets → shelter intake explodes.

If you can’t afford basic care → families adopt fewer pets → shelters stay full longer.

If adopters can’t afford vet bills for a sick pet, surrender to a shelter is the only option→ shelter populations swell beyond capacity.  

A 2024 national report showed:

84% of would-be adopters cite veterinary costs as the #1 barrier to adopting a pet.

Transport programs help, but they are not a long term solution.

The only humane long-term solution is:

Spay and neuter pets before even one litter.

And make basic veterinary care truly accessible.

What Our Supporters Helped us Accomplish in 2025:

The Snippet Bus

Acquired in June, the bus allowed us to launch high-volume, affordable spay/neuter services for the public and partner welfare groups.

In our first five months, we performed 1,000 surgeries.

We could not have done this without the generosity of Appalachian Animal Rescue, who provided a stable home base for our surgical operations. Their partnership strengthened the entire region.

2026 Goal: 300 surgeries per month, prioritizing dogs most likely to produce large litters.

The Angel Fund

The only fund of its kind in Western NC.

This year, it helped dozens of families with lifesaving and routine care for their pets. For more than two decades, our fund has been the difference between heartbreak and healing.

Regional Rescue Alliances

Medical cases are often euthanized because rescue groups cannot afford modern veterinary prices.

We stepped in.

By becoming an affordable provider for reputable nonprofit rescue partners, we are strengthening the entire humane ecosystem of Western NC.

Noah’s Nearly New — Now Online!

To maximize mission impact, we streamlined our thrift store into a fully online model. Designer clothing, collectibles, jewelry, and decor donated by our Angels are now sold on eBay, with 100% of proceeds supporting our work.

The Pasture

Quietly and steadily, we are laying the foundation for a future home where:

• surgery

• veterinary services

• quarantine

• rescue support

• humane education

exist under one roof — a facility designed for long-term sustainability and community impact.

Our Focus for 2026

• 300 spay/neuter surgeries per month

• Expanded partnerships to reduce shelter populations

• Angel Fund support for families in crisis

• Affordable basic veterinary care for families priced out of the market

• Continued development of a permanent home

My Second Guiding Tenet: Focus on What You Can Control

This year tested us in ways I never expected.

But we are rising from the ashes.

We are rebuilding a space where:

• no one is turned away

• arriving by foot or bus is down payment enough

• you’re judged not by your credit score but by your love and effort

• a dozen eggs or a basket of tomatoes is enough to receive care

We built this once, 20 years ago.

With your help, we will build it again.

Will You Be an Angel?

We invite you to join our small but mighty army of supporters:

• $5,000 – Top Dogs

• $2,500 – Best Buddies

• $1,000 – Faithful Friends

• $500 – Paw Protectors

• $250 – Kitten Companions

• $150 – Puppy Pals

Prefer monthly giving?

https://www.noahs-cares.org/donate-1

Pets make life better for everyone — especially for people who are struggling.

Your income does not measure your love.

But it can determine whether you can save your pet.

Noah’s Ark Humane Society exists to bridge that gap.

When we see suffering, we have a choice: to turn away, or to step forward.

Let’s step forward together.