Carolina Animal Network saves high-risk pets in NC

Carolina Animal Network is joining us for Spring Fling for the first time this year and we are excited to have them! This animal rescue group is made of entirely volunteers who have been helping animals for years and recognized the euthanasia rates for rural shelters leading to them officially forming Carolina Animal Network in 2021.

This group focuses on pulling animals from overcrowded, rural shelters where the animals don't have a great chance of making it out. Carolina Animal Network uses foster homes to care for animals while they search for adopters across North Carolina or for other rescue groups across country can get the animals adopted.

In addition to animal adoptions and placements, Carolina Animal Network promotes spay and neuter initiatives to help reduce pet overpopulation and advocates for shelter reform.

One of their adoptable dogs is Flower, pictured here. This girl was saved right in time from the shelter. She is described as active and playful but also able to enjoy a good nap! You can read more about her here.

Keep up with Carolina Animal Network on their website and their social media channels, Facebook and Instagram. And don't forget to stop by their booth at Spring Fling and say hello!

German Shepherd Rescue and Adoption - Saving Shepherds in the Carolinas and Virginia

GSRA is another long-time Spring Fling attendee and we are pleased to have them again this year! They love coming to the event and meeting new people that may want to adopt a shepherd. The more people that adopt from GSRA, the more dogs that they can save.

German Shepherd Rescue and Adoptions has been saving shepherds in the Carolinas and Virginia since 1992. They are based in Raleigh and offer care and adoption services to stray, surrendered and neglected German shepherds through their network of foster homes in their service area. They also work to spread knowledge about sharing life with a German Shepherd so that people are more aware when they make the decision to welcome one into their family.

One of their adoptable dogs is Walter! This cutie is about 7 months old. Since he's a young guy, he's learning all kinds of new things in his foster home. He has doggy siblings in his foster home and originally arrived in the shelter with his sister so he's got a lot of experience with dogs and would love to have a confident doggy sibling in his home. For all the information on Walter and to apply to adopt him, check out his profile on the GSRA website, here.

You can see all their adoptable shepherds on their website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Make sure to stop by their booth to say hello!

Helping Paws International brings pet-assisted therapy to the people who need it

Helping Paws International is another group that is new to Spring Fling and we are so excited to have them! They hope to meet interested volunteers and their pets who want to join them as therapy animals teams, reading assistance animals, and special needs interventions dogs.

This group is an all volunteer non-profit, consisting of people and their service and therapy animals, that brings pet therapy to a wide range of people who need it. They originally formed in 2000, a group of greyhound owners who were inspired by the gentle and loving temperaments of their rescued greyhounds. Helping Paws International is mostly comprised of greyhounds and their people but they accept all types of dogs over one year of age with the correct temperament for this work.

"Our purpose is to assist healthcare as well as other facilities and individuals to improve the quality of life for patients and staff by providing therapeutic pet-human interaction.

Our goals: 1) Lift the hearts & spirits of those needing emotional support; 2) expand the minds & futures of children through literacy; 3) support a patient’s physical, speech, or occupational therapy goals; 4) promote the healing power of animals; 5) support & promote greyhound & pet rescue; 6) prove rescues have value & can contribute positively to their communities; 6) to provide service animals free of charge as a training program permits"

In addition to the traditional therapy work in healthcare facilities, Helping Paws International has a reading assistance program, for both children and for adults re-learning how to read and speak, and trains assistance dogs to perform tasks for individuals that need them.

Make sure to stop by their booth and say hi! You can keep up with Helping Paws International on their website and social media channels: Facebook (their general profile, the one for their therapy greyhounds) and Instagram.