Change for Union County, NC

01/15/2025

Cindy and Max have been waiting 1 month for rescue. Not a single foster offer. 💔

01/10/2025

FREE Straw for Paws is back again! Come grab some before today’s winter snow. 🐾🙌✨❄️

Thank you to the Doms family for this donation!

✅ 15 bales of free straw at the Shelter (3340 Presson Rd. Monroe, NC 28112). Straw is under the picnic table behind the Shelter more toward the administrative building.

Outdoor dogs need real dog houses and thick layers of fresh straw. Don’t 🚫 use blankets or fabric bedding. Give extra food 🍗🍖 this week, too. Dogs spend more energy trying to stay warm.

Tips here 👉🏼 bit.ly/ChangeOutdoorTips

✅ Community cats need straw in Shelters, too!

Tips 👉🏼 https://bit.ly/ChangeOutdoorCats

01/09/2025

❤️ UPDATE SAFE ❤️ Margaret’s Saving Grace Bully Rescue Please honor donations:
🐾 MSGBR.ORG
💞 paypal.me/MSGBR
💝 Venmo:

Thank you Holly and volunteers for the long distance transport! 🚗🪽🐶

Cecily has been surrendered to the Shelter after a difficult life of overbreeding and neglect. 💔😭 It’s clear she has endured more than her fair share of hardship, but we’re determined to help her find a better future. Cecily is safely inside from our cold weather in a kennel with a warm, comfy bed and has already been showered with love. 🥰 She shows her gratitude with every soft gaze and by leaning her head into staff hands for gentle pets. She adores belly rubs, cozy blankets, and the occasional treat (or two!). ✨🥓

This petite pittie queen 👑🐶, weighing just 31 lbs, has an estimated age of 6 years. Her teeth are worn down to the pulp, likely from years of chewing chains and fences in an attempt to find freedom. ⛓️ Cecily has spent far too long being used and neglected, and she deserves a quiet, loving home where she can finally experience the care and kindness she has always deserved. Despite everything she has been through, Cecily remains calm, affectionate, and sweet. Her resilience and gentle nature are truly remarkable. ⭐️🙌

Unfortunately, Cecily is Heartworm Positive and will require treatment. 🩺💉 Cecily must be picked up by Friday, January 17th. We are seeking pledgers for medical, rescue and a foster. https://linktr.ee/changeforunioncounty

01/09/2025

A Good Samaritan will drop off more straw in the morning. ❄️🐾🐶
We will post an update.

01/07/2025

UPDATE: Thursday, January 9 - all straw has been picked up! Owners can purchase straw at Tractor Supply and Monroe Hardware.

FREE Straw for Paws is back just in time for Charlotte’s winter snow. 🐾🙌✨❄️

✅ 15 bales of free straw at the Shelter (3340 Presson Rd. Monroe, NC 28112) Outdoor dogs need real dog houses and thick layers of fresh straw. Don’t 🚫 use blankets or fabric bedding. Give extra food 🍗🍖 this week, too. Dogs spend more energy trying to stay warm. Tips here 👉🏼 bit.ly/ChangeOutdoorTips

✅ Community cats need straw in Shelters, too! Tips 👉🏼 https://bit.ly/ChangeOutdoorCats

✅ Report animals without proper Shelter 👉🏼 704-289-1591. Want to donate an Outdoor dog house? Message us.

Thank you again to our friends at James Moving LLC for offering pro bono straw delivery services to help Union County pets! Can our followers please go give this business a like & follow? 👍🏻

01/07/2025

Reintroducing Max and Cindy! ⭐️👋🏻

These adorable siblings are 16 weeks old, 16 lbs, and full of love! Max and Cindy are super happy and playful with each other, 🐶❤️🐶 but they’re still a little shy around people. This is likely due to the stress of the Shelter environment, and we’re confident that with the care and comfort of a foster home, they’ll quickly come out of their shells. ✨🙌

When they first arrived, they were treated for ringworm, and after a month of care, there are no new ringworm spots. To completely eliminate the ringworm, it’s best for them to continue their recovery in a foster home. 👍🏻🩺

Their mom was a small dog, just 37 lbs, so we expect these two to stay on the smaller side as well. Max and Cindy are up-to-date on their DHPP, Bordetella, and Rabies vaccines, so they’re ready for their next chapter.

Could you be the one to give these sweet pups the safe, loving foster environment they need to thrive? If you’re interested in fostering or adopting, please reach out—we’d love to hear from you!

Let’s help Max and Cindy find the love and care they deserve! ❤️ Video in the comments.

01/03/2025

❤️ Greater Charlotte SPCA has committed! He is safe. Donate: https://www.charlottespca.org/donate

Meet Dwayne! This charming chap was brought in as a stray and no one came to claim him. Staff would have loved to help Dwayne find his new family, but unfortunately, he is HEARTWORM POSITIVE which requires longer medical treatment and 501 c3 animal rescue support. 🩺❤️‍🩹

Dwayne is estimated at 4 years old, and he is still intact. At only 18 lbs, Dwayne may be small, but his heart is big enough to give unlimited love! 🥰 His size makes him the perfect companion for house or apartment owners. Dwayne is a friendly, outgoing dog who loves people, appears dog friendly and thrives on affection. ✨ He is also perfectly content exploring taking his daily naps.

Staff does believe he is blind in his right blueish eye, which does not bother him. 👍🏻 👀 Dwayne is now up to date on his RABIES, DHLPP and BORDATELLA. He will have a $25 pull and will need to be picked up by FRIDAY JANUARY 10TH. Please email all questions and commitments to [email protected]

01/03/2025

It’s gonna be a cold week ya’ll! 🥶🌬️

✅ Outdoor dogs need real dog houses and thick layers of fresh straw. Don’t 🚫 use blankets or fabric bedding. Give extra food 🍗🍖 this week, too. Dogs spend more energy trying to stay warm. Tips here 👉🏼 bit.ly/ChangeOutdoorTips

✅ Community cats need warmth too! Tips 👉🏼 https://bit.ly/ChangeOutdoorCats

✅ Report animals without proper Shelter 👉🏼 704-289-1591. Want to donate Outdoor dog houses for Animal Control Outreach? Message us.

✅ Find a stray? Locate owner using Nextdoor/Facebook lost found groups and scan for a microchip. If you can’t temporarily house a stray, take them to the Shelter. Lost dogs and cats can freeze at night alone this week.

✅ Message us if you are a dog owner seeking help. Union County is a great community and many are willing to help their neighbors! You need only ask for help. 🙏🏼❤️

12/30/2024

💕SAFE 💕 Thank you Forgotten, Now Family Rescue and SPCA of the Carolinas for each taking four puppies. We will send pledgers links individually so we can split equally to both rescues.

🆘💔 Tiny puppies need ASAP rescue and bottle feeders. Mom dog was sadly hit by car 2 days ago. There are eight mix breed puppies around 2-3 weeks old.

Blow it up guys - they need rescue NOW. Deadline tomorrow December 31 at noon. 📣💥🙏🏼

12/29/2024

Congratulations to the City of Monroe for taking a bold and compassionate step forward by passing the anti-dog tethering ordinance! ✨🔖 This achievement reflects the City’s commitment to improving the welfare of animals and fostering safer neighborhoods. We applaud the officials and community members who worked hard to make this critical change a reality. 👏

As we celebrate the milestone, we also have an opportunity to address the root cause of tethering: animal overpopulation. 🤔💭To complement the new ordinance, we encourage City officials to fund spay and neuter outreach programs. Specifically, the City could:

1. Provide free or low-cost spay/neuter services to limited-income residents.
2. Partner with local veterinarians, and our Union County focused Spay Neuter non profits, to co-host mobile clinics in underserved neighborhoods.
3. Launch an educational campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of spay/neuter.

By funding these initiatives, Monroe can reduce the number of homeless animals at risk of tethering. Once again, congratulations to the City for this step—and let’s continue working together in 2025 to make a meaningful difference for animals and our Union County community!

The City of Monroe has adopted a new anti-tethering ordinance. Our goal is to educate our citizens so that enforcement is not necessary.

However, failure to abide by the ordinance will result in being charged with a Class 3 Misdemeanor punishable pursuant to G.S. 14-4(a). Convictions can result in up to $500.00 fines and seizure of animals.

The entirety of the ordinance can be read here: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/monroe/latest/monroe_nc/0-0-0-5839

12/25/2024

🎄✨ Merry Christmas ✨🎄This season, we’re overflowing with gratitude for YOU—our amazing supporters, fosters and rescues. Your kindness has brought warmth, love, and second chances to so many homeless animals this year. ❤️🙌

May your holidays be filled with joy, laughter, and the same unconditional love you’ve helped give to our Shelter pets. 🐾🫶🏻

🎅🐾 Wishing you a magical and Merry Christmas today! 🐾🎅

With love and festive cheer,
Your Change for Union County team

12/24/2024

This Christmas, we’re asking for your help to support Pits & Giggles Maternity Rescue, a group that answered God’s call in the most extraordinary way. 🎄🙏🏼❤️

This Mama dog came to us from Union County, where she gave birth to 8 precious puppies in freezing temperatures, with no proper shelter. 😭❄️💔 Starving herself, she did everything she could to keep her babies warm and fed. When we visited the property, we couldn’t turn away after seeing her desperate condition.

We brought her to the Union County Animal Shelter for evaluation and impound. The Shelter is a dangerous place for newborn puppies with no immunity. 🥺🦠 Shelter Staff let us take the family home to our garage, and in the stillness of the night, we gave it up to God, praying for a miracle. 🙏🏼😮‍💨🐾 By morning, He delivered. Through the compassion and selflessness of the team at Pits & Giggles Rescue, Mama and her puppies found refuge. They answered our plea and made ‘room at the inn’, bringing this sweet family inside to warmth, nourishment, and top medical care. 🙌🩺

This is our Christmas miracle—a story of hope, faith, and love in action. Now, we’re asking followers help to support Pits & Giggles as they care for Mama and her babies. Rescue work during the holidays is overwhelming, but together, we can continue to bring light to the darkest situations. ✨

This Christmas, please donate to Pits and Giggles and help us keep the miracles going. Links to donate in their posts and comments. ✝️❤️ Merry Christmas!

https://www.pitsandgigglesrescue.org/donate

12/23/2024

❤️ SAFE ❤️ Thank you Carolina P.A.W.S. (Pet Adoption & Welfare Society) and our angel transporter, Holly. These puppies are safe for the holidays under veterinary care. Donations needed for their medical boarding! 🙏🏼🩺💸 https://www.carolinapaws.com/donate/

Want to foster or adopt? 👉🏼 https://www.carolinapaws.com/foster/

Urgent! Five 6-week-old puppies were owner surrendered and must be picked up by 4 p.m. today, December 23rd.

One puppy was dying on arrival and has sadly passed before staff could try to save it. Another puppy is currently struggling. Staff needs a rescue to help the remaining four now. The puppies cannot stay at the shelter while it’s closed and running on limited staff for the holidays.

Two parvo tests were given and results were negative.

12/17/2024

🩵SAFE Take Me Home Pet Rescue🩵
PayPal: [email protected]
Venmo: -TakeMeHome
Please put “Toast” in the memo.

Meet tiny Toast! 🍞 😀 He was an outdoor dog that lived only in a muddy 5 x 5 pen with a plastic barrel for Shelter. His owner wanted to give him a better life and surrendered him. His journey hasn’t been easy so far. 💔😭

Toast is about 4 years old, a smaller dog that weighs 38 lbs and still intact. Toast is a little shy in the loud Shelter environment. When new people approach, Toast tends to hang back, observing from a safe distance. His warm brown eyes, full of curiosity and kindness, seem to ask, “Are you here to be my friend?”. A few soft words and a gentle gesture are all it takes for his tail to start wagging hesitantly, then building up to a full-body wiggle. 😍🙌 Toast’s favorite part of the day is when he gets attention. He’s so excited he even gives hugs!! He also likes kids. (See videos in comments). We will post temp tests soon.

Toast is eager to bond and belong with someone who will be patient and kind. With each passing day, his happy spirit shines brighter, ✨proving that even the most timid hearts can learn to trust and love again. Can you be the foster to help rewrite his story? https://linktr.ee/changeforunioncounty

Toast is now up to date on his RABIES, DHLPP and BORDATELLA. Thankfully, Toast is HEARTWORM NEGATIVE!! Reasoning for rescue, Toast has a large crusty spot of missing hair on his tail. This may be ringworm but he was also covered in fleas upon approval. He will have a $25 pull fee and will need a rescue commitment by FRIDAY DECEMBER 27TH. Please email all questions and commitments to [email protected]

12/17/2024

✨💕 SAFE ✨💕 Thank you Freedom Ride Rescue and foster Kayla for stepping up for Felicity. Please honor pledges 💸
Venmo: -Ride-1
PayPal:
Website: https://www.freedom-ride.org/giving/

Meet Felicity. 😭💔 She was found starved and close to death. She sat quietly at the Shelter for days, unsure of people but accepting food and attention from staff. In only a short time, this kind soul has finally experienced what it is like to feel love.

Foster her 👉🏼 https://linktr.ee/changeforunioncounty

Felicity has clearly endured suffering and neglect. She is covered in scars and sores. Felicity’s ribs protrude through her thin skin, painting the story of extreme hunger. 🥺 Her tail, which should wag joyfully, hangs low, a sign of her weary spirit. Despite all her hardships, Felicity is nothing but sweet. She is a friend to other dogs and people of all ages. With the right person, this poor girl’s story can change. A warm meal, a safe place to rest, and gentle hands can help restore the spark that neglect has extinguished. ✨🙏🏼

When Felicity arrived at the shelter, she weighed only 40 lbs. With being fed small, regular meals through the day, she now weighs 46 lbs. 😍 This is a huge improvement, but she still has a long way to go. Felicity is estimated at 5 years old and is still intact, noticeably having many litters in her past. She is now up to date on her RABIES, DHLPP, BORDATELLA and has been given PANACUR. Miraculously, she is HEARTWORM NEGATIVE!! Temp tests are in the comments. 🐶❤️🐶

Felicity will have a $25 pull fee and will need a rescue commitment by FRIDAY DECEMBER 27TH. Please email all questions and commitments to [email protected]

12/16/2024

💙SAFE Animals First Rescue of the Carolinas
💕Zelle and PayPal: [email protected]

Meet Twinkle and Sprinkle! ✨These adorable little ladies were surrendered and staff noticed immediately they are sick. 🤧 Both kittens have very runny, crusty eyes and are sneezing profusely. This is symptomatic of URI and they need treatment.

Twinkle and Sprinkle are sweet and playful. 😻They meow for attention and melt into your arms when held. These kittens are about 5 weeks old and each weigh less than 2 lbs. They are eating dry kitten food on their own. Twinkle and Sprinkle have been given a CAPSTAR for fleas and PYRANTEL for deworming. They have also begun treatment for their URI. They will be as is, no pull fee and need a rescue to pick them up by MONDAY DECEMBER 23RD. Ideally a foster can step up faster to prevent this kitty-cold from spreading to other Shelter cats.

Please email all questions and commitments to [email protected]

12/13/2024

UPDATE: 📣 There is still free straw for Outdoor Dog or Community Cat Shelters. Someone tell us when it’s gone and we will send more.

Union County Animal Services
3340 Presson Road, Monroe NC.
First come first served.

Temperatures will remain below freezing in Union County this weekend. ❄️ Outdoor dogs need proper Shelter to remain warm. That means an appropriate size igloo or wood dog house. It does not mean a wire crate, carrier or barrel. Straw is hollow and dry and provides excellent insultation. Pack 6-8 inches of straw inside the dog house as well as 3-4 feet outside.

🚫 Never use hay or blankets which can get wet, freeze and make the dog even colder. Do not leave dog houses in low spots that get muddy or flood.

Please help yourself and keep your dog warm! Remember Straw is for Paws! 🐾✨ Thank you to our volunteer Jerry for transporting.❤️

12/13/2024

❤️SAFE - Please read ❤️ Our friends Lake Norman Humane - LKNH were able to free 2 kennels for Mama Nyjah and 2 of her puppies. We are so grateful! Please donate: https://www.lakenormanhumane.org/give-online

We are still looking for rescue to take the other 2 puppies.

Meet Nyjah and her 4 puppies! ❤️ This family was surrendered because they could not be contained on their property. Nyjah has been a wonderful mama, and the puppies are capable of eating on their own. They would have all been a great addition to our Adoption Center, but unfortunately this family has Ringworm! 🩺

Nyjah is a medium-sized dog at 37 lbs and she is only 2 years old. She has the most soulful brown eyes, and a calm, friendly demeanor. 😍🐾 Nyjah wants to be as close as possible and enjoys laying by staff with her head resting in laps. Her nurturing mama instincts extend to everyone she meets! She’s loyal, affectionate, and endlessly patient. ✨🙌 Nyjah is also dog friendly (see comments).

There are also 4 puppies in this family. Two males and two females. The puppies are 3 months old and weigh near 15 lbs each. These 4 puppies are shy in the Shelter environment, which is expected. Staff can tell they want attention and likely by Monday will be wagging at their kennel doors. ❤️🥹 It’s the tiny tail wags now when talked to sweetly that let us know they will be just fine! All they need is a little patience and socialization.

A rescue that takes the puppies, MUST also commit to Nyjah. We do not leave Mom dogs behind. 💯 Nyjah does not need to be fostered in the same house with her puppies, they are weaned and older. We can also do a rescue split if two rescues want to partner and split up dogs.

Medical notes:
✅ Nyjah is now up to date on her RABIES, DHLPP and BORDATELLA. She is thankfully, HEARTWORM NEGATIVE!!
✅ Her 4 puppies are also up to date on their DHPP, BORDATELLA and RABIES.
✅ Staff has begun to treat the Ringworm.

Staff’s Christmas wish would be to have a rescue commitment by DECEMBER 23RD for this beautiful, deserving family. Let’s get them foster homes for the holidays. Please email all questions and commitments to [email protected]