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Community Animal Rescue & Adoption - CARA, 960 N Flag Chapel Road, Jackson, MS (2026)

01/04/2026

Happy Sunday to our friends and followers! We hope that everyone is enjoying the beautiful sunshine today! ☀️

We’d love to introduce you to our shelter sweetheart, Sanders. Sanders is 4 years old, and came to us on Christmas Eve of 2022. We’re just trying to figure out why he’s been waiting for so long to be chosen. Some things about Sanders: 😍

He adores every human he meets.

He loves playtime with his fur friends.

His favorite things are his toys.

His treats come in close second behind toys.

He’s not the most photogenic, always appearing hard and serious in pics.

His heart is golden with so much love to give.

After 1,107 days spent in our shelter, he has not lost hope that someone will finally see him for the amazing boy he is. He’s willing to wait, as he has patiently done for 3 years.

To know him is to love him. And we do. And you know what else? We feel sure that you would, too, if you met him. Sanders is a star. 💫 🐾❤️

If interested in meeting Sanders, please email us at [email protected]. Sanders will be patiently waiting. 🥰

01/02/2026

Our gentle giant, Oreo, is our puppy picks dog this week!! Oreo would be a great addition to your family!!!
Check him out and all the other animals we have available for adoption on our website CARAms.org
FOX 40 News - WDBD
Paul Moak Subaru

01/01/2026

Pic for attention, but how handsome is Joe?!?! This post is long, but chances are, if you’re seeing it, there’s something in it that applies to you!!! 😍

In a few minutes, we’ll be closing the 2025 chapter and opening the blank chapter called 2026. We can’t close out this chapter until we share a few thoughts from this year. 🥰

Firstly, we want to thank our supporters and donors, those incredible humans who share our passion for the forgotten and unwanted sweet souls who come through our doors. For if not for you all and the trust and faith you put in us and the work that we do, there wouldn’t be so much as a need for a post like this. YOU make this work possible. You allow us to provide top notch vetting to every animal who comes through our doors, to employ the passionate kind of humans that our animals need to heal and prepare for bright futures, y’all make it possible for us to say ‘yes’ without having to ask for help before we can commit to difficult cases. But on those occasions that we do ask for help, you come through with lightning speed and monumental generosity. It is only because of you all that we exist. To say we’re grateful seems so very small, it is so much deeper than that. We are only still here after all these years because of YOU.

To our staff that pours love and a ton of effort into these babies, you guys ROCK! There is not an animal in that building who doesn’t know what love feels like, and as y’all know, some of them certainly didn’t come in knowing that feeling. Y’all do an amazing job in the absolute worst working conditions. That 65 year old building doesn’t do much to make that better. There is no way to thank you enough for the work that you do. Our animals are so blessed.

To our fabulously wonderful veterinarians and your staff who never blink when we need something, there is absolutely no way to properly thank you guys! Y’all have never made us feel like our animals are second priority, you always make the time to help us when we need it, you are an integral part of the wheel that makes CARA turn, and we couldn’t do it without you. We can never express our gratitude enough for all you do for us!

To our adopters, we cannot possibly thank you enough for choosing to adopt from our shelter. We work hard at CARA to know our animals and we pour our hearts and souls into finding them wonderful homes. While you already know that you saved your adopted animal from spending anymore time in a shelter, we sincerely hope you realize that when you did make that choice, that enabled us to help another. So you saved more than just that one sweet baby. We can’t be of much assistance to others if we can’t place the animals we have, every one of you made a huge difference there. We truly cannot thank you enough.

Fosters!! So incredibly much gratitude to you guys! There is no way to count the number of times we allowed ourselves to get into SOS mode and you all selflessly, in a matter of seconds, stepped right up to pull us out of that situation. We may not have a super long roster of fosters, but you can be certain we have some of the best. We will never be able to thank you enough for the lives you have touched and changed.

Northern partners, so very, very much appreciation for the amount of work you all put into pulling us out of the trenches down here. I can’t even imagine what we would do without your help. You are a lifeline that helps us to do more here. So many times we are able to save lives because YOU care. No thanks will ever be enough.

To our volunteers who have helped us so much, be it helping with events, shelter work or projects, or our personal favorite, just spending one on one time at the shelter with our sweet pups, we are so thankful that you choose to spend your valuable time helping us!! Time is something there is never enough of, for any of us. The time you donate to CARA is very special and very appreciated.

Note to our Board of Directors! I have said it for years… We are small, but we are mighty. We have done great things together and share the same deep and passionate love for these babies we serve, as well as many other goals. I am so incredibly grateful to y’all and so very proud to be a part of our very special group of humans while we work together for our animals and to further our mission and goals at CARA. I love all of you and I cannot imagine this journey without a single one of you. Here’s to hoping 2026 is one of the best years, ever! Anxious to see what 2026 holds for CARA!

Okay, I’ll stop bending your ears now. We just want our community to know how much we love you and how deeply grateful we are to all of you for your love and support in 2025 and always. ♥️

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! 🥳

Valerie Hicks
CARA Board President
⭐️On behalf of all of us at CARA⭐️

01/01/2026

🐾End of Year Giving! Changing lives before midnight!🐾

As the year quietly comes to a close, we wanted to offer one last gentle reminder 💛
Tonight is the final chance to make an end-of-year, tax-deductible donation that truly changes lives.

Donations like these help animals like Candy — sweet souls who rely on us for medical care, safety, love, and the chance at a bright future they absolutely deserve.

If you’re able to give a few dollars before midnight, you’re helping us start the new year strong for them — and yes, it’s a win/win all the way around.

As always, thank you for believing in our work, our animals, and our mission. We truly couldn’t do this without you. 🐾💚

12/31/2025

There is absolutely nothing in this world to yank heartstrings more than the beautiful heart of a child. Precious Heidi Howard surprised us yesterday with a visit that was incredibly humbling. She and two of her friends set up a lemonade stand to raise money for their chosen recipients. Nine year old Heidi chose to help the animals at CARA with her third. Nothing humbles me more than to see a child who chooses to support the animals when she could have easily bought something for herself instead. I have said it for years… These children are our future and the future of these sweet animals. And children like Heidi give us so much hope for the future. 🥰

Heidi, we were so happy to see and visit with you and your family yesterday! You really probably don’t know just how much that visit meant to us at CARA. Your donation will go far to help care for our babies! You give us so much hope for the future. Thank you isn’t nearly enough for your efforts and for the joy you brought us yesterday. We sincerely can’t wait until you come back to love on some of the sweet babies your donation will help to feed. 🩷

(For Heidi’s parents… What a fine job you guys have done! Outstanding parents raising wonderful children that will surely bring much good into our world. We needed that visit yesterday, it literally filled us with joy and renewed hope for the future. ❤️)

12/30/2025

🚨 New Year’s Eve Reminder for Pet Parents 🚨

We know we’ve said it before… and we’ll keep saying it, because every single year it happens.
More pets go missing on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July than any other days of the year.
Despite all the warnings, social media feeds will soon be filled with lost dogs, missing cats, and please share posts. Pets panic. They bolt out doors. They break through fences. They squeeze through gates you didn’t even know had a gap.
And this year, there’s another serious concern: dangerously cold temperatures.
A pet who gets loose isn’t just scared — they’re exposed to the cold, disoriented, and at real risk.
Please take a few minutes now to prepare:

🐾 Check ID tags & microchips
• Make sure collars are ON and fit properly
• ID tags should be readable and current
• Confirm microchip info is up to date

🏠 Secure your home & yard
• Double-check gates, fences, and doors
• Be mindful when guests are coming and going
• Consider keeping pets in an interior room

🔊 Create calm, steady noise
• TVs on
• Radios playing
• White noise or fans can help mask fireworks

💊 Have calming tools ready
• Vet-approved calming meds or supplements
• Anxiety wraps or thunder shirts
• Comfort items like favorite blankets or beds

❤️ Stay close if you can
Your presence matters more than you know.

We share this not to scare anyone — but because we see the aftermath every year. We see the lost flyers. We get the calls. We feel the heartbreak when some aren’t found.
Please help us make this New Year safer for the animals we love so deeply.
A little preparation now can save a life later. 🐶🐱❄️

Thank you for always caring.

12/29/2025

It’s Monday morning and we all feel the cold rushing in today. We’ve been warned for days that this was coming. Please, please, please make arrangements to bring your pets inside. They will not survive the temps that are headed our way. A pet owner who cannot manage to bring their pets indoors during these freezing temperatures does not deserve the love of a pet. It’s that simple. If you’ve ever had to remove a frozen puppy from a frozen blanket, you know where our concern is coming from. Please don’t risk their lives, they would never risk yours.

And while you’re at it, check on your neighbors and family members, particularly the seniors. 🖤

12/29/2025

Smallest, but definitely not to be forgotten, is our tiny peanut that we named Nick. This little baby came to us at only 8 weeks old as a child of divorce, or whatever it’s called when it’s a boyfriend/girlfriend kind of thing. We certainly didn’t need another puppy, but how in the world do you not figure something out to help a tiny baby like this? Sooo, in true hamster wheel style, the brain squirreled back to a sweet lady who had said previously that she would be interested in fostering if we ever needed her. Welp, we needed her. Desperately.

Dana was so kind and so willing to come and sn**ch him up to foster and help us out of the mess we had put ourselves in when we said ‘yes’. And let me just tell you… That may have been the quickest foster fail in CARA history! In less than 48 hours, Dana’s sweet husband had renamed him, they had him dressed in tiny Christmas sweaters, and he was immediately welcomed into their big pack of dogs. Then came the pics of him cuddled up with their other dogs, as if that was the only home he’d ever known. All within the first 48! Yep, we knew what was coming there! And we were thrilled!

Dana, so much gratitude to you and sweet hubby and all of the pups! Never dreamed the day you picked him up that Brutus would be given a forever home with you guys! But boy, we sure were elated when you asked to keep him! He could have searched the world over and not found a better, more loving home. Thank you beyond words!

Little Brutus, you will probably never know just how lucky you were that day that you came to us. Heck, we didn’t feel like luck and your sweet little self even belonged in the same sentence. Like, how in the world does a tiny baby like you end up homeless that quickly? My head still spins, but one thing is for certain. You have embarked upon the most incredible, wonderful life with your new family. Pretty sure you have figured that part out by now. What a lucky little boy you are! We can’t wait to watch you grow up and see the big boy you become. Maybe you will get to help your Mom deliver those amazing cookies to our Dog Days of Summer event this year! You go and live the best life little one, and may you never remember the day you came to the shelter. No reason for that memory now, you are home and you are loved. We love you, sweet little one! 💙

12/28/2025

And we absolutely cannot forget that Wendy’s Christmas wish also came true! Wendy didn’t come with a lot of history, no big story. Just another Mississippi pup who wasn’t kept home and safe. She was found stray and taken to the only shelter here that turns away no animal, our friends at MARL. No one ever came looking for Wendy, not there, nor at CARA.

We learned very quickly that Wendy was no shelter dog, as she absolutely could not function in the shelter environment, despite the rearranging and relocating we did to find a spot that she would be okay in. I’m not sure what we would have done if our fabulous fosters, the Coe’s, hadn’t stepped up to take her home to foster. They did, and of course, Wendy did just fine with their pack, although she had a lot of learning and adjusting that had to be done. Between Troy and Bonnie, and their wonderful pack of pups, they worked on some areas she needed help in. Meanwhile, we did her Heartworm treatment and got her on her way to good health.

Eleven months later, she met the woman who was meant to be her new Mom, Nikol! And the rest, as they say, is history. Wendy fit right in with Nikol’s pack, almost as if she had been there all this time. When it’s right, it’s just right.

Nikol, thank you so very much for choosing to add our girl to your home and pack. We were getting seriously concerned that she may never find her people, and lo and behold, there you came. We are elated beyond expression! Thank you seems very small.

Wendy, life is but a dream for you now! Wonderful Mom, two beautiful new playmates… we dare say, this is about as good as it gets. And we are so excited for you! You are the best girl and you deserve the best life! Live it big, sweet girl! You had it coming! 🩷

(Troy and Bonnie, no thanks will ever be enough for all y’all do for these shelter babies. Y’all did an amazing job with Wendy, and we THANK YOU!!!)

12/28/2025

Ishmael came to us via our friends at Mississippi Animal Rescue League after he and his companion dog were confiscated from a cruelty case in a nearby county by animal control. The two pups had never known anything but 6’ chains. Clearly, food, water, and love didn’t figure into the equation at all. They were both extremely emaciated and defeated. MARL housed them with great love and care until their case was finalized and they could be transferred to CARA in search of homes and families.

Ishmael’s female dog friend was much younger and Heartworm negative upon intake, and was quickly spoken for by our Northern partner. Ishmael was not so lucky. Ishmael was heavy Heartworm positive and much more timid than his friend, so he stayed back with us so that we could treat his Heartworms and help build his spirit back. After all, our boy was older and had lived that life for much longer, and he needed some time to heal and learn what life is supposed to look like.

After we completed his Heartworm treatment and saw the amazing boy that he was finally shine through, we started getting him out to events in our efforts to let him show the world just what a good boy he was. People loved Ishmael at every outing. He was magic with children, with other dogs, with everyone he met. We got so much great feedback on sweet Ishmael. But nonetheless, no one ever stepped up and offered to show him the good life, life the way it should be. That is, up until the Shultz family met him.

This precious family met our boy and came calling. Because we like to do adoptions on a ‘foster to adopt’ basis, they took him home a month or so ago. One would think that a dog who lived the life that Ishmael did would find adjusting to real life a bit difficult. But for Ishmael, that was not the case. He quickly went into their home and family and proudly took his position as a member of their sweet family, adoring his human brothers and new parents, he literally did everything right. Like he somehow knew how life should be, and knew how to navigate it. Proud is a huge understatement!

Ishmael’s new family came back recently and officially gave him their last name, and a new name for his wonderful new life. Ismael is now Hank Shultz, and let me just tell you… Our boy could not possibly be happier about that! And neither could we!

Shultz family, my goodness, we are so grateful for you. We were having the hardest time wrapping our heads around how a good boy like Hank could struggle so hard to find his people and his place. And now, it all makes sense. He was simply waiting for you guys. We will be forever thankful that y’all chose this beautiful boy to join your family.

Hank, did you ever in your wildest dreams imagine that you could be so loved?? That you would have two young human brothers who think you are so amazing?? I have to wonder if you did somehow know that. You sure knew how to waltz up into their lives like the perfect dream dog. We love you so very much and we are so comforted to know that you will be forever loved and treasured for the rest of your days. No more chains and starvation for you, sweetest boy. Those days are way behind you now. And my prayer is that you have no recollection of that life now. Your future is nothing but blue skies and sunshine, and we are happy beyond measure! Always love, precious boy, always…. 💙

12/28/2025

They say good things come in threes, and today that was certainly the case. Handsome Alfred and his brother were abandoned at a vet clinic by their owner, and thankfully, the clinic staff reached out to see if we could help find them placement. And just look at the sweet family that Alfred found! We would definitely say that he found his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Mr. and Mrs. Hooey, we are so thankful that you chose handsome Alfred to join your family. He absolutely looks like he has known you all this time and was just waiting for you to come and get him. We truly can’t thank you enough for giving our boy a wonderful home full of love. He may have missed it the first time around, but he nailed it this time! Thank you!!!

Alfred, we couldn’t be more happy for you! A real family this time, one that is committed to giving you the life you deserved from the start. Live it big, sweet boy, and be sure that we will always be grateful that your path crossed ours. Always love, sweet boy! 💙

(Alfred’s brother will have an announcement very soon. 😉)

12/27/2025

Add to add to our happy day, our sweet little KayKay also went HOME today! KayKay came to us in July via a kind woman who spotted her running around stray. KayKay came with a broken leg (older injury), pellets in her neck and shoulders, Heartworm positive, very thin, and not too thrilled with the world as it were. Our amazing veterinarians at Randall Veterinary Hospital were able to repair her leg with surgery, and shortly thereafter, we treated her Heartworms. The wounds where the pellets all healed, and she managed to put some weight on. And in the months she’s spent with us, her spirit has also healed.

Today, a sweet family who has adopted from us before came to meet her. Harold (on the left and a former CARA pup) seemed pretty impressed with the idea of having a friend to rough and tumble with! The family didn’t take long at all to know that KayKay is their girl. And we were thrilled to pack her belongings and send her on her way!

Odom family, no thanks is enough for you guys coming back to CARA for another pup! We are so excited that our KayKay joined your sweet family today! We look forward to updates! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

KayKay, the streets were never for you, baby girl. And now you will never be back out wandering aimlessly again. You go and have the best life with your new family and your newfound buddy, Harold! We foresee lots of playing in your future! As well as love, the most important part of it. We love you, sweet little girl. Always love… 💗

Community Animal Rescue & Adoption - CARA

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Monday	12pm - 5pm
Tuesday	12pm - 5pm
Thursday	12pm - 5pm
Friday	12pm - 5pm
Saturday	12pm - 5pm