This week, local breweries are pairing up with animal shelters and then facing off to see who can raise the most money for animals in need! Right down the road from Second Chance, Raleigh Brewing Company has selected us as their beneficiary and are raising money on our behalf. Click HERE to support their fundraising efforts and share their fundraising page! HURRY–the contest ends Feb. 13!
Quantities are limited and Cupid’s on a delivery deadline, so don’t delay–order your sponsored pet packages today! These life-saving gifts are delivered directly to your recipient in time for Valentine’s Day and the packages have (literally) never been sweeter!
This $25 gift includes:
The contents of the package will be wrapped in tissue paper and tied with ribbon before being mailed directly to the recipient.
Cupid will be extra certain of a timely delivery so all orders must be placed by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 8. Order yours today HERE before supplies run out!
A Wine-Tasting Event to Benefit Second Chance Pet Adoptions
This annual wine-tasting event is back! If you’re looking for a unique Valentine’s date, a fine new wine to savor, or even just a fun and interesting activity, Paws & Pours at BottleMixx is the way to go! On February 10 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, come and meet some of our adoptable animals while enjoying some light snacks (while they last).
Tickets $20 per person online HERE or at the door. All Paws and Pours ticket sales proceeds benefit the animals of Second Chance Pet Adoptions.
Can’t arrive at 3:00 or stay until 6:00? No worries–this 3-hour window allows you to come in whenever it’s convenient for you! (For large groups or wine clubs, please contact Ellen at ellen@bottlemixx.com for more details.)
Enjoyed the wines from the tasting? Then be sure to take some home! The featured wines will be discounted all day. You’ll receive 10% off single bottles, 15% off 6 or more bottles, and 20% off 12 or more bottles! BottleMixx also has 16 Wines by the Glass to enjoy, and for the non-wine drinkers, they have 10 craft beers on tap.
BottleMixx, a Platinum Paw sponsor, is co-owned by Ellen (who serves on our Board of Directors) and Bruce McKim. Since opening the bottle shop in 2012, by donating and matching all tips, they have contributed almost $60,000 to animal rescue efforts.
THIS IS IT…Our 30th anniversary comes to a close today, and what a year it’s been! You’ve been there every step of the way, so we made a little something for you: a video that features the almost 500 cats and dogs that were adopted in 2017! It’s our way of saying thanks for making this milestone possible, and of showing you the very real impact that you made on this community, on the animals we were able to save, and on the families who took them in.
Our year of celebration comes to a close tonight, and we’ve had a great time–both throughout the year and in the making of this video–looking back on how far we’ve come and how much we’ve been able to accomplish. Thank you for being in our corner–for sending donations of money and supplies, for volunteering your time, for attending our events, and for so much more.
Today is not just the last day of our anniversary–it’s also the last day to make a tax-deductible donation for 2017. Send your gift today so that we can make 2018 an even better year than this one. It may not be a special year because of an anniversary, but we know it will be a special year because of the animals we will meet in 2018. Hundreds deserve–and will get–their second chance.
Between our new transport and heartworm programs, we’re looking at saving almost 200 more animals than we would have without these programs…and we. are. stoked. We hope you are, too, and we promise more photos, more videos, and more live streams in 2018 so you can see–more than ever–what your gifts make possible.
Until then, Happy New Year to you and yours, and enjoy the video!
After announcing our new animal transport program, Hearts to Home, last week, Second Chance is thrilled to announce the addition of another exciting program that will save the lives of at least 40 dogs in 2018! The Heeling Hearts program will address the very common—and fatal—condition of heartworm disease in dogs.
Heartworms, which are transmitted through mosquitoes, primarily target the heart and lungs of a dog, where they grow, reproduce, and can cause permanent damage; left untreated, they can lead to the animal’s death. As a southern state with a large mosquito population, North Carolina has among the highest rates of heartworm disease in the country. For the many dogs in county shelters, a heartworm-positive diagnosis results in a much lower likelihood of adoption, as the cost of treatment is burdensome to individuals and rescues alike.
Our mission at Second Chance Pet Adoptions includes finding homes for healthy and treatable animals. Because heartworm disease can be cured and previously overlooked dogs are made more appealing to potential adopters through the completion of the treatment, the creation of the Heeling Hearts program is aligned with our principles, and we are excited by the opportunity to rescue more dogs, as well as the chance to educate the public about the importance of heartworm prevention.
We are very grateful to two parties that have helped to get Heeling Hearts off the ground: Tim and Tammy Gage, who foster for Second Chance, generously donated $2,500 to officially launch this program, and the Pedigree Foundation issued a grant for $1,000 to treat heartworm-positive dogs. With these generous gifts, we are already making a difference, as we’ve rescued 10 heartworm-positive dogs in the last two months. We look forward to saving many more in 2018!
In partnership with the hard-working staff at our local county shelters and the veterinarians who help our animals, each year, we will save dozens of heartworm-positive dogs who deserve a second chance. Second Chance will formally introduce this program at our Open House in the spring of 2018. Please stay tuned for more information!
Second Chance Pet Adoptions is proud to announce our newest program, Hearts to Home Animal Transport. While adoption rates for both cats and dogs in Wake County and adjoining counties have improved in recent years, the hard-working staff at county shelters still do not have the room to save every stray and abandoned animal that comes through their doors; in 2016, they were forced to euthanize over 3,500 dogs and 8,500 cats, in large part due to a lack of space. Animal transport—rescuing animals from overcrowded shelters in the south and bringing them to much emptier shelters in the northern states where they can find forever homes—is an important and effective strategy to reduce overpopulation in our area while providing adoptable animals to areas where the supply does not meet the demand.
The Hearts to Home Animal Transport program was created, and has been nurtured, by Megan Adcock. Megan has worked in animal rescue for the last three years as a Dog Team Leader and Intake Coordinator and has focused her efforts on building relationships, networking with local and remote rescues alike. Since starting this program, Megan has helped over 300 dogs.
The successful Hearts to Home Animal Transport is no small project—Megan and Second Chance Pet Adoptions are thrilled to team up to save more lives than ever before in 2018. Our rescue organization couldn’t be more excited about this new addition! While we have already begun transporting a few dogs, Second Chance will formally introduce this program at our Open House in the spring of 2018. Please stay tuned for more information!
If you have an interest in volunteering to support this new program, we have a need for Transport Fosters. This role is critical to the project, as the foster parent welcomes the animal into their home for 2-4 weeks, during which time the animal will receive any necessary medical care. Foster parents will bring to the animals to any needed medical appointments, deliver the animal to the transport location in Youngsville/Franklinton, and, of course, provide an environment of love and support. If you are interested in becoming a Transport Foster, please complete the foster application on our website (www.SecondChanceNC.org) and specify that you are interested in transport/temporary fostering, or send an email to h2h@secondchancenc.org if you have additional questions. With your help, we can save an additional 150 dogs or more in 2018 through the Hearts to Home Animal Transport program!
Jan. 3 update: We are thrilled to announce that our Adoption Center will be open again starting Friday, January 5! All of our adoptable cats in the rooms up front have been safely brought through the appropriate quarantine period. We will resume our normal hours for cat visitation (11:00 – 5:00 Monday-Friday and 12:00 – 4:00 on Saturdays). Please remember that all dogs and puppies are fostered, but if you are looking to adopt a cat, we are happy to welcome you back for you to meet our great cats and see which is right for you!
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Dec. 29 update: We are happy to report that our Adoption Center will have a modified opening tomorrow, Sat., Dec. 30! The partial opening will be for approved applicants only so that they may meet the cats they are interested in. As we continue to monitor the fungal infection and treat the cats that have been affected by it, we are glad to be able to welcome some visitors, albeit a limited number, and look forward to reopening in 2018. We will post an update on Jan. 2 with our best guess for the opening date, so please check back at that time.
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Dec. 26 update: Since our last update on Dec. 20, no more cats have been affected by the fungal infection that had been spreading at our animal shelter and forced us to temporarily close to the public. We are happy to see that our sanitation protocols, while tedious, have been effective at stopping the spread of the infection. The cats who have been affected are still undergoing treatment, but they are healing; better yet, we have been able to move some cats back to some of the rooms up front. 
If things continue down the path of progress, we are looking at a modified opening of the shelter this Saturday, Dec. 30. It is likely that we will be able to open the shelter for approved applicants to meet with the cats they are interested in adopting. If you are interested in adopting a cat, you can still view their profiles and submit an application on our website. We hope to welcome you inside soon!
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Dec. 20 update: Second Chance remains temporarily closed to the public as we are still containing the contagious fungal infection. Since closing on Dec. 15, only two more cats at the Adoption Center have been affected; one was expected since his exposure was significant, and the other’s infection was noted the day after our decision to close. We are optimistic that new sanitation protocols are working, as we’ve had no more cats affected since Dec. 16. We appreciate your patience as we prioritize the cats here and we are especially grateful to our dedicated volunteers who are doing a fantastic job of following new protocols, even though they make the cat care shifts longer! We are also grateful for all of the bleach and paper towels sent our way–we are well-stocked now! 🙂 We will continue to update you on the situation with a pinned post on Facebook and here on our website.
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Dec. 15, 2017: We regret to inform the public that a previously contained fungal infection appears to be spreading in our shelter. To prioritize the health of our animals and the well-being of visitors’ pets at home, we unfortunately must close the Adoption Center to visitors effective immediately. The infection is not life-threatening and our cats will weather the treatment just fine; however, it is highly contagious and the treatment period is a bit lengthy, so we must address it immediately in order to send our current animals to their forever homes and make room to rescue more animals as soon as possible.
While donations (especially bleach!) can still be dropped off, members of the public will unfortunately not be able to interact with our cats. Those who currently have pending adoptions will be contacted to discuss the status of the cat in question; further, our available animals can still be viewed online and applications may still be submitted. We apologize that our adoptable adult cats will not be able to make it home for the holidays, but the adoption process may still be started with the online application, and we will keep our applicants apprised of when they are able to meet the cats they are interested in. We will maintain a status update here and in a pinned Facebook post and look forward to welcoming you to our Adoption Center again as soon as we are able to.
Quantities are limited and Santa’s on a delivery deadline, so don’t delay–order your sponsored pet packages today! These life-saving gifts are delivered directly to your recipient in time for Christmas and this year, we’ve created more diverse packages than ever before!
This $25 gift includes:
This $35 gift includes:
This $40 gift includes:
The contents of the package will be wrapped in tissue paper and tied with red ribbon before being mailed directly to the recipient.
As the USPS deadline for Christmas delivery is Dec. 19, Santa Paws will be extra certain of a timely delivery by loading these onto the sleigh on Dec. 18. Therefore, all orders must be placed by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Dec. 17. Order yours today HERE before supplies run out!
Happy pawlidays! A holiday gift-wrapping service to benefit homeless animals is being provided at Crossroads Plaza in Cary. Volunteers from the community and local businesses will wrap your gifts for a donation (amount of your choice) to support the animals of Second Chance Pet Adoptions.
All supplies are provided, so there is a huge selection of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, gift tags, gift boxes, or gift bags from which to choose–all you need to do is bring all your gifts and pick out what you would like us to use! Save time, effort, and your stress level–let us do the work for you! Dogs and cats that are available for adoption will be stopping in, too – come for a visit!
Cary Crossroads Plaza – at the corner between the Men’s Wearhouse and Steinmart.
– December 16-23: Noon to 9pm
– December 24: Noon to 6pm
Second Chance Pet Adoptions is the Triangle area’s oldest no-kill animal rescue organization, started in 1987 by three local women concerned about stray and abandoned animals. Special thanks go out to Kimco Realty and Crossroads Plaza for the donation of space for this event.
This time last year, the Second Chance family made a commitment to homeless cats and dogs facing a scary prospect: suffering through a cold winter outdoors. We promised these animals that though snow may fall and winds may blow, our love would keep them warm.
This past January, we found Ms. Beasley—then a 5-month-old shepherd mix—in an overcrowded county shelter. Her growing body was colder than most: a terrible case of mange had robbed her of her fur coat. Through her thin hair, we could see her red and scabbed skin.
Ms. Beasley was a timid puppy, and obviously suffering, but she wanted to be touched nonetheless. She slowly scooted over to Dave, our dedicated Board president, and put her head in his lap. As you can see in the video above, she let him pet her and licked her face in gratitude.
Her inflamed skin began to cool off, the scabs on her face disappeared, and the cute sweaters donated by supporters like you kept her warm as we moved into spring. During her occasional quick visits from her foster home to the Adoption Center for check-ups, she continued to give us gentle licks of gratitude.
Within a few months, Ms. Beasley’s skin—and spirits—had healed. Her foster mom, Tanya, cared for her until, at long last, Ms. Beasley was healthy, comfortable… and adoptable! She went home with her new mom, Sandi, in June. Click HERE to see her “after” photos and to see her with Sandi!
Thanks to your generosity, she and over 450 other dogs and cats have gone to their forever homes so far this year—an increase over our adoption rate at this time in 2016!
Seize the opportunity today to change an animal’s life—hundreds of animals’ lives—by sending a gift by clicking HERE. Precious cats and dogs deserve a second chance to find love—you can grant their holiday wish this winter.
Until Dec. 31, 2017, you can be promoted to the position of Second Chance Elf (Santa Paws is hiring!) with complimentary merch to promote Second Chance around town! All new monthly donors will receive a Second Chance backpack, and those who donate $10-$14.99/month (or a one-time donation of $150-$224) will receive a Second Chance 30th anniversary t-shirt. Make it $15/month or more (or a one-time donation of $225 or more) and ALSO receive a 30th anniversary water bottle or travel tumbler while supplies last–HURRY!
