The mission of Noah’s Ark Humane Society remains the same: 

To reduce preventable death, suffering, and shelter crowding by making essential veterinary care affordable for families and the animal welfare community throughout western NC 

But we’ve discovered a heartbreaking gap that contributes to premature death, suffering and shelter crowding.

The Problem: Our area’s overcrowded shelters rely on transporting dogs and cats hundreds of miles north, as far as Canada, simply because there aren’t enough adoptive homes in this area to adopt all the puppies and kittens born. But many wonderful dogs and cats will never get the opportunity to be adopted locally, or transported because they enter the shelter injured, neglected, abused, or traumatized.

Meet Boone: A caller to 911 reported a senior dog lying motionless in a culvert. Our county Animal Services officers arrived thinking he might be dead… he was lying motionless on broken glass. They gently extracted him from the culvert and realized he was alive. Had he just given up? Green pus dripped from scarred ears houseflies were landing on. One glance at his body told the story of a lifetime of neglect and abuse. Although he made it to the shelter, the county has no resources available for such a complicated medical case. For possibly the first time in his life he’s with people who care, but is it too late?

Meet Jenson: A beautiful black cat with green eyes is trapped and brought to the shelter. He’s walking oddly. A quick exam reveals he’s been gunshot. His leg will need to be amputated as this injury is not new. First, he’ll need TLC to determine whether he wants to be a pampered pet. If so, a surgery is scheduled. After surgery he’ll need time to learn to navigate the world without one of his front legs. If we could ask him, would he be up for the opportunity?

Meet Slim: A massively obese dog brought to the shelter as a stray. He’s so obese his legs might literally fracture under his excess weight. He should weigh 50#, but he initially tips the scales at 112#. He’s fantastic in every way. Loves all people, kids, cats, other dogs – but he needs time and careful supervision to lose weight safely.

Meet the Brady Bunch: Our county Animal Services gets a tip on an abandoned house full of at least 15 dogs. A terrified litter of six puppies are pulled from that situation, only to end up in the back of the Animal Services truck. These 12-week-old pups have zero exposure to the outside world. All they’ve known is the stifling heat and stench of a house they’ve been locked in. In a shelter, they’ll plaster themselves to the back of a wall and tremble. They’ll be so stressed, they’ll quickly become sick with diarrhea, a cough, or parvo. They need to learn how to trust the people and other pets in this new world they’ve been thrust into. Can they recover from the neglect they’ve experienced all their short lives?

Meet Kitty: A beautiful stray shepherd type dog who takes a chance on the food in a steel trap set by concerned neighbors. She’s been hanging around for a while but remained so timid no one could catch her without a trap. Now that she’s “taken the bait”, can she be a pet? Is she safe to go to a family? Has she been a dog without a person to love her for too long?

Meet Dannie: On a bright sunny Monday morning Miranda took her kids to a county park to play. A matted furball approached them as the kids played. This poor little guy was more mat than dog. And he’s not just matted, he’s crawling with fleas. Our local shelters are closed on Monday and Miranda knows she can’t take this little guy home…. Her dogs will not accept him. That’s when she finally reached Jennifer. We took the little guy in and began the process of easing his discomfort. First we treated him for fleas, the next day he was off to the beauty parlor. He absolutely had not been attended to his entire life. We’ll keep him safe and get him ready for a chance at a life free from neglect.

Meet Julius: A handsome light fawn pittie with mesmerizing amber eyes. He was found dragging a long chain that was wrapped around his neck. The chain, secured on his neck as a puppy, became deeply embedded in his neck as he grew into an adult. He required emergency surgery and has needed extensive wound care before anyone could consider bringing him home. Once he heals, questions always remain with his breed. Is he safe around other dogs? How about cats and kids? Will someone want to take home a pit bull who has had such a horrific start to life?