Pawsatively Good News!

March 2025 Issue



Saving Lives of Homeless

Dogs and Cats and

Feeding Hungry Pets

In Our Community

Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals is teaming up once again with the Wilmington Police Department to launch an exciting new initiative aimed at reuniting lost pets with their families: microchip scanning stations! This is just the first of many microchip scanning stations to be set up across New Hanover County.

These innovative new stations are standalone units equipped with scanners that can detect microchips in found pets. If a microchip is found, the scanner connects to the Universal Pet Microchip Lookup service, which identifies the microchip company and number. From there, the company will reach out to the pet’s owner to help bring them back together! We're excited to announce the first microchip scanning station has been installed at the Wilmington Police Department headquarters on Bess Street. In the next couple of months, Heidi’s Hope be donating and installing even more microchip scanning stations throughout New Hanover County!

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These stations are here to make it easier for pet owners to reunite with their lost pets, offering a quick and accessible way to scan found animals. By giving the community access to these scanners, we’re helping to reduce shelter overcrowding and ensuring pets stay with the families that love them.

If you find a lost pet, simply turn on the scanner, follow the easy instructions, and it will quickly check for a microchip. If the pet has one, it will help reconnect them with their owner. If there’s no microchip, the scanner will guide you on the next steps. With one in three pets going missing at some point in their lives, this initiative will help reduce the nearly 10 million pets lost in the U.S. every year.

The scanning station is now open and available for public use at the Wilmington Police Department Headquarters, conveniently located next to the WPD visitor parking lot on Bess Street. Together, we’re making our community safer and ensuring pets have a better chance of finding their way home!

Proud to be Featured on WSFX's

"Paws For The Cause"

We’re so excited and grateful to be featured on WSFX’s "Paws For The Cause" and to share the exciting news about New Hanover County’s first microchip scanning stations at the Wilmington Police Department Headquarters – with more to come!

A big thank you to WSFX for helping us spread the word and support our mission to reunite lost pets with their families!

To view WSFX "Paws For The Cause" Video, click here.

Honored to be in

WECT's

Community Spotlight

A huge thank you to WECT News for featuring Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals, Inc. in your Community Spotlight! We truly appreciate your in-depth coverage of our animal advocacy programs and the lifesaving work we’re doing to help pets in need.

WECT's support is invaluable in spreading awareness and allowing us to continue making a difference in the lives of animals and their families!

To view Video, click here.

Sophie before adoption

traumatized and fearful after spending seven years confined as a breeder dog

We are absolutely thrilled to share that Sophie Arnold has earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) award! Before being adopted by our Founder, Sophie spent seven long years as a breeding dog, confined to a cage forced to have countless litters of puppies to satisfy the insatiable puppy market. But despite her difficult past, Sophie is proving that with a little training, patience, and

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Sophie proudly sniffing her ribbon after earning the AKC Canine Good Citizen Award—celebrating her incredible transformation!

plenty of treats (her absolute favorite!), rescue dogs can overcome their past and master obedience, training, and even fun tricks! Sophie’s journey is a testament to the power of second chances, and her motto is simple:

"Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?!"

Sophie is showing the world that rescue dogs can learn new tricks and enjoy a whole new leash on life!

Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals: Blooming with Pawsitive Change this Spring!

March has been a paws-itively action-packed month for Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals, and we’ve got plenty to celebrate! We are thrilled to announce that New Hanover County now has its very first Microchip Scanning Station! Huge thanks to Chief Williams and the amazing team at the Wilmington Police Department for partnering with us to make this happen! This station, located at their headquarters, will be a total game-changer in reuniting lost pets with their families. This is the first of many that Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals is donating and installing—more scanning stations are on the way to help even more furry friends find their way home. Stay tuned! (continued)

As with every month, our Pet Food Bank has been running full throttle, ensuring that pets in need have the food and supplies they deserve. In March alone, we donated over 250 pounds of pet food to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard—a monthly tradition we’re proud to continue. We’ve also been spreading the love through w, in partnership with the New Hanover and Brunswick County Senior Resource Centers, to make sure seniors’ pets are well-fed and loved. And the good news doesn’t stop there! Each month, Dianne Logan opens our (continued)

Pet Food Bank and helps distribute pet food donations to our coalition of partners, including incredible organizations like First Fruit Ministries, New Hanover County Department of Social Services, Harrelson Center’s Help Hub, St. Jude’s Food Ministry, Good Shepherd Ministries, The Salvation Army, and Share the Table, keeping pets safe in their homes and out of shelters. Our Pet Food Bank is Filling Pets’ Bowls with Food and Hope!

None of this would be possible without YOU! Whether you’ve donated $10 or a larger gift, every little bit makes a BIG difference. Your support is changing lives, and we’re so grateful for each and every one of you. A huge thank you to our donors, sponsors, and supporters! If you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, please consider supporting our lifesaving programs—from helping homeless pets to feeding hungry pets, assisting animals in disasters, and reuniting lost pets with their families!

Thank you for being such an important part of our mission to help animals in need! Together, we’re making the world a better place, one paw at a time!

Ready To Adopt Your New Best Friend?

Check Out These Sites for Adoptable Pets

In Need of Good Homes:

You can’t change a rescue dog’s past, but you can rewrite his future. 

Rescue does not mean damaged. 

It means they have been let down by humans. 

Please Make Adoption Your Only Option!

• New Hanover Sheriff's Office Animal Services Unit
• PawPrints Magazine  
• More Adoption Options and Pet Resources
• PetFinder
• Adopt-a-Pet