About Us
Happy Tails Rescue, Inc. is a small 501c3 NC non-profit K9 rescue organization ran by a group of hard working volunteers. We are located in the North Carolina area. Approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between those animals surrendered by owners and those picked up by animal control. Our mission is to try and save as many of these helpless animals as possible through networking for adoptions, fostering until a permanent home is found, and educating the importance of spay and neutering. Our rescue takes in animals that are in urgent need and many are saved from high profile shelters. We do not have a facility but utilize foster homes to provide the care and safety of our rescues. All animals in our care are vetted, micro-chipped, evaluated, socialized and taught basic obedience and leash walking. Our rescues are also taught house training and crate training when time permits to prepare them for their forever homes. We will also provide locator services for pre-approved adoptive families. We work closely with many animal shelters, humane societies, and other rescue groups. Our mission may seem minuet with the large numbers listed above but if all animal lovers could join together in the fight we can make a dent and possibly over time break a barrier. We will not give up until the world is educated on the importance of animals' lives and until God's creatures are treated fairly. They don't have a voice of their own, we have to speak for them and protect them all!
Our Story
The story of our Rescue began with our very first rescue named Skeeter. Skeeter was a nine year old male yorkie canine who we came to get through a contact. A neighbor of the previous owner contacted us and told us that the owner was not going to be able to take care of him anymore. We decided to help and took him in as a foster. It was our understanding that we would be receiving an overweight nine year old yorkie male. When we received Skeeter we knew right away that there was something not right about him and that the weight he carried around wasn't because he ate too much. Our first mission was to take him to the vet to ensure that we got all the up to date health information we needed. When we took him to a local vet he informed us that the weight was fluid and that we needed to get him to an emergency vet. Once we got Skeeter to an emergency clinic we found out that he had massive bladder stones and they were blocking his urethra and that was causing him to retain the fluid. We paid over $4000 for him to have surgery to clear the blockages; he stayed in vet care for four days after the surgery. We brought Skeeter home and he seemed to be doing fine, this lasted for about two weeks when we started noticing blood in his urine. We rushed him back to the ER Vet and they kept him over night for tests and observations. When we heard word the next day we were told that he developed pancreatitis and diabetes. They were giving him the highest dosage of insulin they said they had ever given an animal and his sugar levels were still rising. They later informed us that his kidneys were failing and he was absorbing blood in his stomach and that our best humane thing to do was to let him go. Skeeter crossed the rainbow bridge in May 2012. He was a wonderful loving boy who just wanted love and attention; he did not deserve to feel the pain he experienced or the neglect of his previous owner. The vet said that if this would have been caught earlier he could have avoided the exposure of his last days. We firmly believe that this was proof of neglect by Skeeter's previous owners and we decided that we could and would not stand for it again. After the passing of precious Skeeter a group of volunteers got to together and vowed to be the voice of the voiceless. A change must be made to stop animal cruelty and that is how and why Happy Tails Rescue, Inc was formed. Our moto is One Hand, One Paw, One Voice.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is to rescue and change the lives of all the companion animals who cross our paths, by providing a safe and loving foster home until we can find the best forever home. We are animal advocates who promote companion animals as family members and work toward educating the general public to ensure they will never end up homeless and unwanted ever again. Whenever possible we will assist families who, because of various circumstances, are unable to continue caring for their dogs (owner surrenders).
Our Happy Tails fur babies are housed in pre-approved foster homes where they will receive loving care. As soon as possible after coming into our care we provide a medical evaluation, required vaccinations (including but not limited to Distemper, Parvo, Rabies, and Bordetella), they also receive any medical attention the Veterinarian deems necessary to restore them to optimal health, and are spayed or neutered. We will insure that they are in good health or are on their way to a full recovery before adoption. When time permits, Happy Tails dogs are also house trained and taught basic obedience. Each adoption is completed with an approved adoption contract and a small adoption fee.
All our dogs are evaluated for temperament and personality, meaning they are tested with cats, kids, other dogs, etc. This helps us to place them in homes that are well suited to their needs and to the needs of their future owners.
A Rescuer's Creed (Susan M. Pearson)
I shall be a believer of all that is good in man and of all that is deserving in animals. I shall plead for their lives, campaign for their safety and uphold their right to a natural death. I shall seek out the injured and the maimed, the unloved, and the abandoned and tend to them in their last days. I shall not forget their place in the hierarchy of life, nor that we walk in each other's paths. I shall bear witness to the wonder they bring into our lives and to the beauty they bestow upon our souls. I shall renew their spirits when they are waning, bind their wounds when they bleed, cradle them when they whimper, and comfort them when they mourn. I shall be near them in their hour of greatest need - a companion and friend when the time has come. I shall watch over them and console them and ask that the angels gather them in their arms. From the creatures of the earth I shall learn the fruits of compassion and undying love, and I shall be called the beloved of God. In their company I shall indeed be blessed.