It’s no secret that I’m a dog-lover who’s passionate about supporting local animals. So I can’t help sharing details about one of the awesome projects I got involved with this past year through Helping Animals to Survive (HATS). It was their fourth annual No Cold Pets Project, which helps provide outdoor animals (mainly dogs and cats) in Lincoln County a warm shelter for the colder winter months.
All animals deserve to have a space where they are comfortable and feel safe. Since dogs and cats do not have a voice to speak up for themselves, it’s critical for us to be advocates for them. My hope is for all of these animals to be in a good home where they are warm, taken care of and leading a happy life. Only then will they truly thrive.
All materials that were used to construct the houses were either donated or paid for by donations from the community. A few weeks before the annual giveaway of pet homes, we held a house-build day. About 30 volunteers came out to cut wood, assemble the houses and perform other tasks. Then each little home was painted and imprinted with a blue paw print.
When it was time for the giveaway, HATS distributed dog and feral cat houses, food, collars, medications and more at a church to local families in need. The organization also educated event guests about their programs like their spay/neuter clinic and fence-build initiative. I was humbled to see HATS help more than 90 families this year through the project.
This event was hugely successful and I have no doubt it will continue to grow each year. HATS has such a strong volunteer base of passionate people who do everything they can to help give the local animals a voice. It makes my heart so happy to know that there are so many others in the Lake Norman community that care about the well-being of animals as much as I do.