At Second Chance, our mission is to champion homeless cats and dogs in their quest to find their forever homes. Our secondary mission? To HAVE FUN!
AUGUST 28, 2017
SHADY STAFF
The whole country was caught up in eclipse frenzy, and it was no different at Second Chance! Our director, Lisa, had to attend an important meeting off-site, but Allison, Rachel, and Jess took a few minutes to watch the peak of the eclipse. None of the kitties seemed to notice it was happening, though we did see some odd behavior in the cats in the days leading up to it–then again, aren’t cats always a little odd?
AUGUST 14, 2017
BIRDS OF SUMMER
Back in January, we revealed a little behind-the-scenes nugget: we maintain bird feeders so our office felines (Chiquita and Vanna) can enjoy some window kitty cat “television.” (Scroll all the way down this page to see that post.) We’ve been meaning to show you just how busy the feeders get in the summer. The birdies are really entertaining!
AUGUST 7, 2017
AMERICA’S FAVORITE PASTIME
With almost 800 dogs in attendance, our volunteers were super busy at the final Bark in the Park of the regular season! We had A BLAST meeting so many adorable dogs. Look how cute they are!!! Big big thanks to the Durham Bulls Baseball Club for donating all the dog ticket sales to Second Chance animals–to the tune of almost $4,000! And of course, thanks to the volunteers, without whom we could not do this event!
JULY 31, 2017
BARKHAPPY SUMMER YAPPY HOUR
Last week we gave you a sneak peek of the doggy ice cream-eating contest, hosted by BarkHappy at their Summer Yappy Hour, and promised that photos were soon to come. Now that the gallery is up, we hope you’ll enjoy looking through the pics of doggies enjoying ice cream and pools and humans enjoying the event and the brews! Remember, if you’d like to have a blast at events like these while helping animals, submit an application to volunteer with us! 
JULY 24, 2017
ICE CREAM EATING CONTEST
Enjoy a sneak peek of the Hungry Paws Mobile Dog Treats doggy ice cream-eating contest, hosted by BarkHappy at their Summer Yappy Hour this past weekend! We had a blast–photos soon to come! Want to help animals at events like these? Submit an application to volunteer with us! (Psst–missed the event and super bummed? Download the BarkHappy app today so you’ll learn about their monthly events!)
JULY 17, 2017
DOG WASH: TAKE TWO
Even though we just held a dog wash last weekend, it was also time for one of our monthly dog washes at Unleashed this past weekend. What can we say, can’t go wrong by spending a day hanging with pups! Our volunteers Kristine, Blake, Sydney, and Holly had a great time with Ginger–always the first customer on the list–and all the other dogs that came through!
JULY 10, 2017
SUGAR COOKIE SCRUB DOWN
It might be hard to get in the holiday spirit for the Big Ones–cleaning the house! having guests stay over! all the food prep! shopping for and wrapping gifts!–but celebrating National Sugar Cookie Day was pure FUN! We hosted a dog wash with free sugar cookies for humans and free canine biscuits for the pups who endured their baths. Of course, we couldn’t pull it off without volunteers, and they had a great time! Loving on dogs was definitely a fun way to celebrate the special day!
JULY 3, 2017
PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN? PICS!
Everyone loves an after-work happy hour, so on National “Bring Your Dog to Work” Day, it only made sense to host a dog-friendly happy hour at Bottle Revolution! Folks sipped on cool brews while enjoying the nachos bar by Chuy’s, and after visiting with canine and human BFFs, we closed the night with a raffle. And of course, it was all for a great cause–Second Chance animals received $736! Thanks to Bottle Revolution, Chuy’s, and all of our attendees for the donations!! We had a blast and we can’t wait to go back in 2018!
JUNE 26, 2017
…AND THAT ONE GUY BUYING RAFFLE TICKETS
Members of the Second Chance family had a great time at Happy Hour at Bottle Revolution this past Friday! From staff (Lisa!) and board members (Dave and Dave!) to sponsors (that’s Mike from Glover in the black shirt) and volunteers (and dogs!), we had a ton of fun together and are grateful to Bottle Revolution for having us and everyone who came out to support our animals!
JUNE 19, 2017
ATHENA, YOUR REPORT WAS DUE AT NOON!
One of the great perks of working with a rescue organization is that there are often animals to be held, loved on, and socialized…even during a meeting! As we hash out the details of our next fundraiser or review the budget, it’s not uncommon to do it while holding a pup or kitten! This here is Athena, a dog we rescued last summer, in a meeting with Board members Bonnie and Dave–after her grooming session and haircut, she probably weighed two pounds soaking wet!
JUNE 12, 2017
KICKIN’ IT CLAIRE-STYLE
Did you know we have a ton of different kinds of volunteer jobs at Second Chance? We’ve got kitty care each morning and evening, as you’ve probably assumed, but we also have special event volunteers, photographers, and admin assistants! (Learn more here.) This is Claire, who comes in to help us with office duties like prepping adoption folders and Second Chance brochures. Thanks for being a part of the Second Chance family, Claire!
JUNE 5, 2017
KEEP IT FUN!
Thanks to Peterson Toyota for looking out for pets this summer and sharing this infographic! Remember, it might be a fun day out when your dog tags along, but sitting in the car is NOT fun and can be downright dangerous!
MAY 29, 2017
MEMORIAL DAY
No blog post today, as Second Chance is closed for Memorial Day. 🙂
MAY 22, 2017
MIA AND HER KONG
Please help us give a big THANK YOU to the Petfinder Foundation for awarding us a Kong product grant! They sent 10 Kongs our way to enrich our dogs’ lives, challenge their minds, and relieve any stress and anxiety they might feel as they transition into our program and into family life. This gal, Mia, is a dog we rescued a couple of weeks ago. Her leg was severely injured–we believe she was probably hit by a car. In an effort to save her leg, we’ve put a rod in her leg that constricts her mobility. Because she struggles to accept other dogs, she’s not a good candidate for a foster home, so she gets to hang with the staff all day… but as busy as we are, it’s not the most fun a dog can have and she can get a little bored. Treats in a Kong = a big deal to Mia right now! We’re glad to have this supply for her, the other dogs in our program, and many more to come! Thank you, Petfinder Foundation, for the generous gift and helping our dogs! (Note: Mia is not adoptable yet and will probably be with us for a couple of months, but if you’re interested in her, keep your eye on our adoptable dogs.)
MAY 15, 2017
PETS IN PRINT
Why, who’s that on the cover of the most recent issue of 919 Magazine?! It’s our Director, Lisa! So excited to finally reveal that Second Chance was selected for a feature story and got to enjoy a photo shoot around the Center. 
Pick up a copy near you and see our feature on pages 30-33 (or check it out here).
MAY 8, 2017
PLEASE NOTE: There were no blog updates the week of May 8-12, 2017, as the staff member who maintains this blog was out of the office.
MAY 1, 2017
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN “ELECTRIC SLIDE” PERFORMANCE
The reports are in: our Volunteer Appreciation Party was a ton of fun! We ate great food, played silly games, gave away neat prizes, and best of all, got to spend time with our volunteers, getting to know them better and letting them know how much it means to us that they give so much to our animals. 
Next year’s party feels too far away!
APRIL 24, 2017
DRUNK ON LOVE
Our volunteers had an awesome time at last week’s Wine Walk at Lafayette Village! Put a little wine in them and they get giggly and entertain guests by dancing the Electric Slide! 
Seriously, though, we did raise over $2,000 for the animals that night–thanks to the Village for hosting this amazing event for us, to the attendees for coming, and, of course, to our volunteers for helping us pull it off! We have so much to be grateful for, and we’re so proud of this amazingly supportive community who give so much to the animals.
APRIL 17, 2017
SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB, DOG IN A TUB
Matt and Kayla–the duo behind Tippett Creek Dog Soap–snapped a selfie on Saturday at Unleashed…with one of our dog wash pups! These two generously donate their time and some revenue from their soap sales to rescue animals and we are lucky to count them–and all our volunteers–as part of the Second Chance family!
APRIL 10, 2017
KITTY CAT PLAYTIME
You might wonder why we have so many “head shots” of cats instead of “action shots”…this Facebook album will answer that question! It turns out that trying to show the playful side of our kitties yields a lot of funny or awkward outtakes! We hope you enjoy these–feel free to caption them or give us your best “invisible cat meme” solutions! 😉
APRIL 3, 2017
SUN’S OUT, TONGUES OUT
We always try to put a cat’s best face, er, foot, forward in their adoption profiles, but behind the scenes, our volunteer photographer, Kelsey, gets a lot of hilarious shots! We noticed a pattern in the pictures and thought we’d put together a collage for your viewing pleasure! 😉
MARCH 27, 2017
DRAGONFLY
There’s always a lot to do around here, but we always make sure that the kitties are getting enrichment! Thankfully, our supporters send us new toys pretty often and we have a steady stream of volunteers and community members who play with and socialize the cats. Here’s one of our fantastic volunteers, Marti, playing with a sweet dragonfly toy she brought for the babes, and who is she playing with but everyone’s favorite: Snickers!
MARCH 20, 2017
PUPPY CAM
Every day at Second Chance is a great one. There are animals everywhere and it’s impossible to be sad or angry for long. Around every corner there’s an animal waiting to be petted, ready to snuggle, or happy to play with you or show off for you! But some days are even better–like when there’s a puppy cam on your desk! When foster mama’s gotta keep an eye on the babes while out running errands, it’s puppy cam to the rescue! Watching them sleep, snuggle, and crawl around is simply amazing.
MARCH 13, 2017
SHE’S SAFE NOW…JUST NOT FROM OUR FASHION SHOW!
The Carolina Hurricanes are collecting supplies for us all week leading up to the South Plaza Party this weekend, and maybe you’re wondering what we do with those supplies. In 2016, we sent 482 animals to their forever homes; that’s almost 500 animals who–until they find their forever family–need food, medicine and medical treatment, litter, enrichment, and training treats, many of whom live in a facility that always needs stocking with hand soap, paper towels, trash bags, bleach, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and so on. Supplies save lives…but that doesn’t mean that, on occasion, we can’t have fun with them. 
Lucy was adopted by our director, Lisa, a few years ago after showing up pregnant with 10 puppies. Recently, she was subjected to a fashion show after we received a large box of bandanas. We think she’s happy to leave them behind for the animals who are still waiting to be adopted! 
MARCH 6, 2017
A TAIL, ER, WE MEAN, TALE OF PAWS AND POURS
At Second Chance, we do some very traditional fundraising…but we also REALLY enjoy how many fundraisers we have at wine and beer events! Those are always super fun for our staff and volunteers–and our animals! At our annual wine-tasting event at BottleMixx, we raised $2,700 for the animals and had a blast in the process! Check out our Facebook album to learn more about what these events include! Thanks to everyone who attended and volunteered and, of course, to BottleMixx!
FEBRUARY 27, 2017
SALLY, ER, SHANE SAID SO
All dogs are good dogs…but not all know they are good dogs right away! That’s why we are so grateful for Sally Said So! Professional Dog Training and their help bringing out the best in our pups! Sometimes we go to Shane, and sometimes Shane comes to us (on his day off, no less!). Always so cool to watch dogs putting two and two together so they can be the best doggos for their new families!
FEBRUARY 20, 2017
THE TALENTED MR. DARIUS
Each week, an awesome volunteer named Kelsey comes in to take great (and sometimes hilarious) photos of our kitties. Last time she was here, she revealed a secret: it’s not always her behind the camera! Here, she shows us who the real photographers are… #OurCatsAreSpecial #AndTheyKnowIt
FEBRUARY 13, 2017
SPOTTING ONE IN THE WILD
Matilda, a 2-year-old corgi-boxer mix, was brought into Second Chance in November 2016 as a stray with a severe neck wound. This little lovebug was able to heal a bit in Dogtopia’s care (one of the many dogs Dogtopia has fostered for us) before finding her forever home.
Imagine the joy when a Second Chance staff member went to the dog park with her pup–only to find Matilda running right alongside her! We were thrilled to see Matilda (and her neck) in great shape! She happily ran around with the other doggies, and in chatting with her family, it was abundantly clear just how much they adore her! #mondaymotivation
FEBRUARY 6, 2017
IT’S LIKE “BRING YOUR DOG TO WORK” DAY…EVERY DAY
No doubt, fun is built into our jobs and volunteer work here at the Adoption Center because of all the animals we get to play with! Our Board president, Dave, comes in almost daily and can often be seen lovin’ on a pup, like Pinto Bean here. Pinto Bean and his sister, Lima Bean, visited us every now and then from their foster home, where their mom, Butter Beans, gave birth to them. It was such a delight to see these kiddos go from newborns to happy, healthy, adopted babies! (All three beans have already gone on to their forever homes, but you can see our adoptable dogs here–and check back often, because more are always coming available!)
JANUARY 30, 2017
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY…
(Just kidding–Chiquita is more like no work and all nap!)
It’s not every day you walk into an office to find a feline receptionist! As you can see, though, Chiquita takes her job very seriously! She has no time for shenanigans like photo ops. Lighten up, Chiquita!
JANUARY 23, 2017
DINO MIKE GEARS UP FOR “PUPS AND PINTS”
How do we have fun at Second Chance? NCACPA recently invited us to their “Pups and Pints” event at Lynnwood Brewing Concern. (Already fun–we could end this post here!) To prep for the event, one of our board members, Mike, came by the Adoption Center to pick up supplies…and donned a dinosaur hat…as you do. (And no, we DON’T know why we keep a dino hat in the staff office!)
JANUARY 16, 2017
SECOND CHANCE AND THE JANUARY PHOTO CHALLENGE
One of our volunteers recently participated in the “January Photo Challenge” on Instagram–and chose to make Second Chance her focus for the day! She writes: “Day 5 of the #januaryphotochallenge is ‘small’ and this tiny little girl was one of the many kitties I snuggled & fed tonight at @secondchancencpets! Volunteering there was a really terrific self care decision last year, and the wee smol ones are definitely a big bonus! While the kitties I loved on tonight probably aren’t quite ready for adoption I know they are gonna make someone a wonderful furever buddy someday. #volunteer #kittyvolunteer #adoptdontshop #secondchancenc #catsofinstagram #tabbykitten”
JANUARY 9, 2017
THE BIRD FEEDERS
Did you know that our staff and volunteers at the Center take care of cats, dogs…and birds?! Yep, we maintain a couple of feeders outside the office windows, and Chiquita (the lobby kitty) and Peaches and Cream (the staff office kitty) very much enjoy keeping an eye on them! We’re not sure the birds enjoy being watched, but they do enjoy the steady source of food!
