Pawsatively Good News!

June 2025 Issue



Saving Lives of Homeless

Dogs and Cats and

Feeding Hungry Pets

In Our Community

When a dog or cat accidentally slips out the door, every minute counts!

Heidi’s Hope For Homeless Animals is proud to have introduced New Hanover County’s first Microchip Scanning Stations—a quick and easy way to reunite lost pets with their families.

If you find a lost dog or cat, just bring them to any of our Microchip Scanning Stations. With a quick scan, you’ll know if the pet has a microchip. If so, the station provides a QR code or website link that connects you to the microchip company, helping to quickly identify and contact the pet’s owner.

No microchip? No problem! The station also guides you on what to do next.

We have donated these stations to several key locations, including

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We have donated these stations to several key locations, including

:

• Wilmington Police Department Headquarters
• Carolina Beach Police Department Headquarters
• Wrightsville Beach Police Department Headquarters
• New Hanover County Parks at Echo Farms Park

Thanks to generous support from Four Paws NC, additional stations will soon be installed at Long Leaf Park and Smith Creek Park.

Since launching the first Microchip Scanning Station in February, our stations have already helped reunite two lost dogs with their grateful families.

With these scanning stations, Heidi’s Hope is proud to help bring lost pets safely home—because every reunion matters!

101 Cries for Help:

North Carolina, It’s Time to End Puppy Mill Cruelty

More than 100 dogs were rescued from horrifying conditions in an apparent puppy mill in North Carolina—kept in filth, packed 5 or 6 to a cage, stacked from floor to ceiling, and surrounded by their own waste. Many were sick, matted, and terrified—some were mothers nursing newborn puppies.

This wasn’t a remote, hidden facility. It was a home—right here in our community here in North Carolina.

The SPCA of Wake County, alongside Raleigh Animal Control, acted swiftly to save them. But the truth is, they never should have had to.

North Carolina still lacks basic laws to regulate commercial dog breeding. Without oversight, puppy mills like this continue to thrive in the shadows—unchecked, unlicensed, and inhumane.

These 101 dogs are the lucky ones. But there are countless others still suffering.

We need real laws. We need enforcement. And we need it now.

If you love animals, speak up. Demand that our legislators pass meaningful regulations to shut down cruel puppy mills—for good.

Please Call NC Lawmakers!

(919) 733-4111 – Connects you to both House and Senate offices

www.ncleg.gov/FindYourLegislators

Contact the Governor

Phone: (919) 733-5811

Email: governor.nc.gov/contact

Because no dog should live like this. Ever.

Heidi’s Hope Is Spreading Aloha, Hope & Help for Homeless Pets!

At Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals, we’re proud to be making a real difference for pets in need—every single day.

We recently launched New Hanover County’s first-ever Microchip Scanning Stations to help reunite lost pets with their families quickly and safely. Since installing our first station in February, we've placed six scanning stations across Wilmington, and already reunited two lost dogs—that we know of! These 24/7 stations make it easy for anyone who finds a lost pet to scan for a chip and help them get home.

Meanwhile, our Pet Food Bank continues to fill pets’ bowls with food and hope. Back in 2016, we saw families struggling—unable to afford both food for themselves and their pets. So we stepped up.

We’re proud to be:

• Cape Fear’s first Pet Food Bank
• The creators of the region’s first Pet Meals On Wheels Program

• Since then, we’ve led the way—donating over:
• 271,290 pounds of food (valued at $425,884) through our partnership with Greater Good Charities
• 31,538 pounds of food & supplies (valued at $239,509) for disaster response
• 310,533 pounds total, valued at more than $866,142, to pets in desperate need

No pet parent should ever have to choose between feeding their family or their furry companion. At Heidi’s Hope, we’re here to make sure they don’t have to.

Now, get ready to party with purpose!

The Bow Wow Luau & The Cat’s Meow®

Thalian Hall, Wilmington

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Enjoy a magical evening of luau flair, island eats, exciting auction items, and a dazzling Polynesian performance by Hula Carolina—all to help homeless pets in our community.

Dress in your best island wear and join us for a Night of Aloha, Hope, and Compassion!

Get your tickets: www.thalianhall.org/ticketing

Get ready for a night of tropical magic and heartfelt giving! Wear your best luau attire or relaxed island wear and step into the spirit of Aloha. You’ll be greeted by a graceful hula dancer and gifted a flowered lei to start your night in paradise.

This is more than a party—it’s a Night of Hope for the animals who need us most.

Mahalo for helping us save lives—one paw at a time.

Sophie's Story

"I Was a Puppy Mill Mother. This Is My Story."

Written by Sophie Arnold, with help from my Mom.

This is my very first article—and I asked my Mom to help me write it.

When I heard the news about another puppy mill busted in North Carolina, I knew I had to speak up. As a former puppy mill dog, I’ve lived that nightmare. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it. And I survived it.

But so many others don’t.

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For seven long years, I lived in a small, filthy cage with many other dogs who were also forced to breed countless puppies. Many were sick, matted, and terrified—some were mothers nursing newborn puppies.

My only purpose was to produce litter after litter of puppies—as many as I physically could. I didn’t get to play. I didn’t get to rest. I didn’t get to be loved. I was just a machine for the insatiable “designer dog” market.

A 7-year-old dog like me could have had 5 to 10 litters, depending on how often we’re bred. Every time my body recovered, I was bred again.

And again. And again.

My body paid the price. Since being surrendered to the rescue group and adopted by my Mom, I’ve had three cancer surgeries to remove tumors from my mammary chain—something that happens far too often in dogs like me, overbred and left untreated.

But I was one of the lucky ones. When I could no longer produce puppies, the breeder surrendered me to a rescue group. Most dogs in my situation aren’t so lucky. They're euthanized when they’re no longer “profitable.”

This is happening right now, right here in North Carolina.

And the heartbreaking truth? It’s completely legal.

North Carolina still doesn’t have basic laws to regulate commercial dog breeding. That means even so-called “responsible breeders” can keep dogs like me in horrific, inhumane conditions, all without consequence.

Without oversight, puppy mills thrive in the shadows—unchecked, unlicensed, and cruel.

Like the 101 dogs recently rescued in NC, I was one of the few who got out. But so many others are still suffering, trapped in cages, living in filth, forgotten.

We need real laws.

We need enforcement.

We need it now.

If you care about animals like me, please speak up. Call your legislators. Demand change. Help shut down the cruelty—for good.

No dog should live like I did. Ever.

Shelters Are Full. Lives Are at Risk.

Bladen County Animal Shelter, like many rural shelters in North Carolina, is overwhelmed.

Every day, more stray animals arrive—along with surrendered pets and unplanned litters—while there’s simply no space left.

Without enough adoptions, fosters, or funding, shelters face a tragic reality: euthanizing healthy, adoptable pets for space. You can be the difference.

If you are considering adopting a dog or cat, please consider adoptable pets:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=bladen county animal control and shelter

bladen.petfinder.com

We've recently learned that Columbus County Animal Shelter is overcapacity also. Please consider adopting, fostering or donating if you can!

https://www.facebook.com/CCSOAnimalServices/

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