2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Headlines in 2023 raised alarms about animal shelters across the United States. Words like ‘crisis’, ‘overflow’, and ‘overwhelmed’ were used to describe the status of animal shelters. While our rescue certainly felt at crisis in times throughout the year, our community of supporters, volunteers, and adopters helped us to keep moving forward! Through heartaches and moments of absolute JOY, our community rallied around us.

While other shelters saw an increase in surrenders, especially with dogs, our shelter took in 179 fewer animals in 2023 than in 2022. Community outreach programs like our low-cost/no-cost spay/neuter program, our pet food bank, low-cost vaccination clinics, and the Have Mercy Fund to assist families with the cost of veterinary care in emergency situations, helped to keep pets and their people together and lowered surrenders. Although the national adoption rate for dogs dropped by 2%, MCAR saw an increase in dog adoptions and the overall adoption rate increased by 6% from 2022 to 2023.

 

Highlights of the year:

  • Events helped us raise much needed funds for the care of the pets of MCAR. Spayghetti returned to being an in-person meal and raised $14,150. We had a blast at Paws in the Park last summer and raised $8,116. Other events like our Valentine’s Surf and Turf meal and Art for Animals helped fund our efforts and raise awareness.

  • We provided humane education and information about our services at the Mitchell High School Career Expo, the Spruce Pine Alien Expo, the Rhododendron Festival, and the Thomas Woof Festival. We also welcomed students at the shelter from the Spruce Pine Montessori School, Harris Middle School, and students from a summer learning program. The kids interacted with pets, made treats and read books to dogs.

  • Staff members Amber Lowery and Aimee Carrol attended the Carolinas United Conference in March to learn and be inspired by industry leaders and innovators.

  • We partnered with volunteers from both the Spruce Pine Walmart store and Sibelco to earn donations for the shelter.

  • A partnership with The Artful Canine meant that dogs being adopted had stylish and functional collars to go home with.

  • We continued to work closely with our Sheriff’s Department’s cruelty investigators during investigations of neglect and abuse. By mid-year, law enforcement officers had already been dispatched to 170 animal related calls. Staff members also assisted Avery County Sheriff deputies in the housing of 8 puppies seized in a cruelty case and assisted them with several calls regarding injured strays last year.

  • We partnered with Foothills Large Animal Hospital and Mitchell County Health Department to hold two low cost vaccination and microchipping clinics. A record number of pets received microchips in 2023.

  • In May MCAR, in conjunction with Sheriff Street from MCSD and Chief Deputy Van Williams from Avery county, we hosted a virtual class with instructors from the Humane Society of the United States teaching 65 participants across the state about large scale cruelty investigations.

  • We reached an agreement with Mitchell and Avery Counties to join resources and build a new dual-county animal shelter. Mayland Community College generously offered land on their campus. County officials worked diligently to secure state funding in the amount of $2 million for the build. The new facility will be an open admission shelter serving both Mitchell and Avery counties. We have plans to begin a capital campaign soon to meet the costs of equipment and furnishings.

  • We partnered with several foundations including the CFWNC and The Fund for Mitchell County, Petco Love, Petfinder Foundation, Walmart, and Tractor Supply to serve our community’s needs through our programs. Several private family foundations also contributed to the $84,460 MCAR was awarded in grant money in 2023.


Stats for the year:

  • On January 1, 2023 we had a total of 112 animals in our care.

  • 932 animals in total were surrendered. More dogs were surrendered by owners last year, but stray numbers for both cats and dogs improved. Only 15 adopted animals were returned to the shelter this year, a major improvement over the 41 returned adoptions in 2022.

  • 1,044 animals in total were cared for.

  • 477 animals were adopted. The adoption percentage overall improved by 6%!!

  • 228 animals were transferred to other rescues. Unfortunately, that’s 40 less than 2022. Transports across the United States were lower this year.

  • We returned 72 pets to their families after being lost!

  • 136 shelter pets were euthanized. (35 less than last year!) No animals were euthanized due to space or time limits.

  • We had 22 owner requested euthanasia (low-cost option for end of life care for beloved pets).

  • 396 shelter pets were spayed/neutered.

  • 269 family pets received low-cost or no-cost spay/neuters.


Our live release rate increased by 3% this year and our ASPCA Live Release Rate was 83%.

 
 

Data compiled by Mitchell County Animal Rescue, Inc.