Do you remember these Second Chance animals, staff, volunteers, and events?

AUGUST 17, 2017

CATS IN COSTUMES

We’ve just scheduled our annual Barks ‘n Brews event at Raleigh Brewing Company (save the date: October 29!) so we’re getting stoked about seeing dogs in their Halloween costumes! But what about kitties–shouldn’t they get in on the fun? Well a few years ago at Second Chance, they did! We have a little Facebook album from way back when–check it out!

AUGUST 10, 2017

THE 16th ANNUAL EVENING OF PAWSIBILITIES

As we count down the days (44!!!) to this year’s Evening of Pawsibilities auction for the animals, we’re focused on making this year’s gala the best one yet! Here’s a look back at last year’s event, the fun we had, and the (baby!) puppies and kittens that are now all grown up. We hope you’ll be joining us this year–get your ticket TODAY to receive a FREE drink ticket! 

AUGUST 3, 2017

PINTS FOR POOCHES 2016

Since we just announced our second annual Pints for Pooches event, we thought we’d throwback to last year’s event with this photo album. On August 13, 2016, we brought some ADORABLE puppies to Compass Rose, the cold beer was fantastic on what was a very hot day, and folks had fun with games and a sweet raffle! Looking forward to this year’s event at Bombshell Beer Company–hope to see you there!

JULY 27, 2017

Board member Bonnie at Moon Interiors

OPEN HOUSE, OPEN HEARTS

Throwback to the Moon Interiors Inc. Open House this past spring! We so appreciated Angelia for having us at her event, board member Bonnie for representing Second Chance, and the vendors for donating a portion of their proceeds to our animals! We couldn’t do this rescue work without the support of our community! 

Moon Interiors Open House

JULY 20, 2017

Peanut and her sibling

CORA (FORMERLY PEANUT)

Cora, formerly Peanut

We rescued Peanut–and six of her siblings–from an overcrowded shelter last summer. (That’s her on the left there.)

She was adopted last July and today, we got an email from her mom, Emily. What a difference a year makes! 

Now known as Cora, this beautiful girl has grown into a wonderful, wonderful dog!

Another happy Second Chance family! 

JULY 13, 2017

YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD DOG DOWN

Last July, we rescued a puppy who’d been hit by a car. Sully’s leg was swollen and bruised, and we considered several options for how to move forward in the best way for him. Ultimately we decided to amputate. Sully had surgery and, later that night, was already running around, never missing a beat! After being fostered by Ellen and Bruce, co-owners of our Platinum Paw sponsor BottleMixx, he was adopted and he’s been to several Second Chance events (including a Halloween event at BottleMixx) since then. Here’s a little before and after for ya!

JULY 6, 2017

TIPPETT CREEK THROW BACK

Throwback to April, when Matt and Kayla–the duo behind Tippett Creek Dog Soap–helped us out at a dog wash fundraiser! Their all-natural, homemade dog soap is available at Second Chance and for sale at Woofinwaggle, where we happen to be having the Sugar Cookie Scrub Down dog wash this Sunday! Bring your pup in for some pampering and free cookies–message us today for an appointment so you don’t have to wait! 

JUNE 29, 2017

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? WE DID!

Throwback to this time last year when we set up a playpen out back and let some dogs who were waiting for foster homes run around under the hose, expending energy and cooling off…  Lotsa fun–look at their smiles!

JUNE 22, 2017

DOG DAYS OF CARY, 2016

Boy was it hot last June for our Dog Days of Cary event! Despite the heat, you can see that everyone had a blast–dogs most of all! It was a great day, but we’re definitely glad that we moved the event to October this year…hopefully the weather will be fantastic!

JUNE 15, 2017

TYSON: TWO MONTHS LATER

Here’s a little throwback to two months ago, when we took in a liiiiittle boy we named Tyson (he was weak, but a fighter!).  He popped up on our Instagram feed April 20…one of our #instagramexclusive photos.  Are you following us on IG? If not, you’re missing out on photos that don’t make it to the blog, Facebook, or Twitter! See more behind-the-scenes–and see what this growing boy looks like TODAY–at instagram.com/secondchancencpets

JUNE 8, 2017

JUNE 8, 2016: BARK IN THE PARK

This game was one year ago tonight! Were you there? Do you have tickets for the Aug. 2 game yet? Who’s loving the pre-game puppy parades the Bulls introduced this year?!

JUNE 1, 2017

ZOLA MONKEY

Remember our tiny kitten from 2016, Zola? Now she’s known as Rey and we received an update on her! She turned a year old in April and, according to her mom, “she’s very curious all the time, super sweet, has lots of energy, and loooves her toys! Her favorite game is playing with the laser pointer, but she will pretty much play with anything she sees!”  Check out how much she’s grown!

MAY 25, 2017

2013 AUCTION FOR THE ANIMALS VIDEO

As we did some digging today for info from our 2013 auction, we happened across the video we made for the audience that night. It features plenty of Second Chance pets from a few years ago. Please enjoy, remember fondly, and if you adopted one, please send us an update (and hopefully a photo)!

MAY 18, 2017

TED E. BEAR

We got great news today about Ted E. Bear! This kitty went blind and deaf during his neuter surgery as a kitten. After he came into our program as an adult, he was having seizures. To let him know people were there who loved him, we’d wear him in a little papoose around the office (as pictured here), and he loved hanging out with us… until, one of our amazing volunteers adopted him! He’s been home for several months now, but today, we learned that he has his own Instagram channel! Follow him for your daily dose of inspiration.

MAY 11, 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 4, 2017

CATAWBA

In light of the recent adoption of our staff office kitty, Peaches and Cream (who was only in the office for a couple of months after Arwen Gigi was adopted from the office), we’ve been thinking about our current office cat situation. Vanna lives in the office now, as she needed some help and attention for eating (she’s gained almost a pound since moving in!). She’s on a high-calorie food and we’d like to have her food available to her all the time, so we’re considering if any other kitties in the program would be a good match for her, the space itself, and her diet. This has gotten us thinking of office kitties of the past, including Catawba. We’ve got a Facebook album that sort of tracks a day in his life and it still puts a smile on our face today. We miss him dearly!

APRIL 27, 2017

   2012 BARK IN THE PARK

Tonight is our first Bark in the Park game with the Durham Bulls for the 2017 season. We’re excited about all the dogs we’re going to see–and love on–tonight! These games are always a ton of fun for dogs and their humans alike. Don’t believe me? Check out this Facebook album from a 2012 game. Here’s to making more memories tonight!

APRIL 20, 2017

   2013 FURRY 5K

We can’t believe that Racing for Rescues and the Family Reunion are just 17 days away!!!  We’re getting pumped up by looking back on our past races–and all the smiling faces!! Who was with us waaay back in 2013? Anyone spot themselves (or their dogs!) in the photos in this album here? More importantly, who will be joining us THIS year?!  Raise your hand if you’re registered and ready!

APRIL 13, 2017

   AND NOW: CHIHUAHUAS OF 2012

Everyone has been enjoying our old photo albums of kitties past, so we thought it was time for some puppies! These chihuahuas were rescued from a hoarding situation in 2012 and, well, they were just as cute as could be! We even have an updated photo of Jayde (below). We hope to catch up with Jayde and the other pups at our Family Reunion. (Even if you aren’t doing the 5K run/2K walk, you can register for the reunion and receive a special event t-shirt.) See you there!

APRIL 6, 2017

   OUR BLIND CATS OF 2012

At Second Chance, we believe in rescuing both healthy and treatable animals. It’s important to us that we provide a second chance for kitties (and pups) with special needs, because we know they are capable of loving and being loved. On May 7 this year, we celebrate all the Second Chance families we’ve helped create over the last three decades, including and especially those who would have otherwise been overlooked, abandoned, or euthanized, like the blind cats in this album. Join us at our Family Reunion! (Even if you aren’t doing the 5K run/2K walk, you can register for the reunion and receive a special event t-shirt!) See you there!

MARCH 30, 2017

   HOSS

Today we throwback to 2011 and this photo album. In 2011, Hoss, a then-3-year-old Great Pyrenees, was found on the side of the road, licking garbage to get food. He was in pretty rough shape when we rescued him, but like so many who have made the Second Chance journey before him, he came out the other side healthy and ready for a loving family.

It amazes us to think that, thanks to your support, we have been able to rescue dogs like Hoss–and cats, of course!–for THREE DECADES now! We are very much looking forward to celebrating our journey–and reconnecting with the Second Chance animals we have sent to their forever homes–at Racing for Rescues and the Family Reunion!

MARCH 23, 2017

                           

   TIFFANY (FORMERLY WINTER)

We love love LOVE seeing pictures of our animals in their new homes, being loved on by their new families. That’s why we’re inviting all of YOU who have adopted from us to bring photos to Racing for Rescues and the Family Reunion! We’ll have a big Family Tree bulletin board for you to proudly display your beloved fur children. Over the course of 30 years, we’ve met so many wonderful animals–like Tiffany here. Tiffany was named Winter when she was with us. We took her in as a stray in–you guessed it–the winter of 2015, and she found her new home not long after! Here she is enjoying all the rooms in her house! Was anyone here volunteering for us when we took her in?

MARCH 16, 2017

   A YEAR AS FINE AS 2009

We had a great time flipping through this album from 2009. Not only are the cats so wonderful and adorable, but it’s also interesting to see the changes the building has gone through in the last 8 years. We’ve since expanded (more room for kitties, and dogs, too!) and moved the staff office to the front of Second Chance by the new lobby. Were you with us in 2009? Did you care for these cats while volunteering? Did you adopt one? Enjoy having a look and, if you brought one of these babes home, leave a comment on their photo with a picture of them at home (and consider bringing a photo of them to our Racing for Rescues event for the Family Reunion bulletin board)!  

MARCH 9, 2017

     

   2016 Racing for Rescues

Feeling some nostalgia today looking at previous years’ photo albums from our Racing for Rescues events! This is last year’s album, when we had absolutely perfect weather! (We’ve ordered up the good weather for this year again!) Were you there? Will we see you this year? The early-bird sale is on NOW (and we’ve got student and team discounts) so get registered! If you need some inspiration, check out the Facebook album. 🙂

MARCH 2, 2017

   HUGO AND BLUTO

Happy #throwbackthursday! Five years ago, a litter of 8 bulldog puppies were born into our program…which means they recently celebrated their 5th birthdays! We were thrilled to hear from Janet, who adopted not one, but TWO of the pups! Here’s a present-day photo of best bros Hugo and Bluto (now Winston and Angus). We hope everyone who cared for this litter while they were with us gets a kick out of seeing these buddy boys all grown and handsome!

FEBRUARY 23, 2017

   REMY

In September of 2007, we took in a stray kitten named Remy (left, 2008), along with his mother, Tia Maria, and siblings, all found in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. He lived in a community room with his mama until August of 2009, when Tia passed over the rainbow bridge. The vet said that her heart had failed…and then the concern turned to her babies, who might have been afflicted with the same condition. Indeed, Remy was diagnosed with heart disease, and since he was still not socialized enough to receive medicine, all we could do was send him to a foster home for hospice care. Yet, he finally started to accept medicine from his loving foster mom, Lisa Best (yep, Lisa again!). After many echos and lots of medicine, his heart is now perfect. He is social and sweet (on his terms) and, after an official adoption in 2012, a permanent part of Lisa’s family. That’s him on the right in 2016!

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

LACY AND LESTER

Lacy (bottom left) and Lester (bottom right) lived together in Lisa B.’s foster home. They aren’t littermates, but they grew very fond of one another! In the few days after Lacy was spayed and Lester was neutered, and they had to spend time apart, they clearly missed each other very much, and once they were together again, they went crazy celebrating and playing! We were thrilled, then, when their new family wanted to adopt them together, and even happier when we received a photo update showing how much they still love to be with one another!

FEBRUARY 9, 2017

IRISH AND JULIUS

If you know Lisa Best, you know she is a foster mom extraordinaire at Second Chance. She’s fostered over 100 cats with us since 2005 (!!!)…but did you know that she kept the very first kittens she ever fostered? Yep, “foster failures” happen to even the best! Irish and Julius, siblings, were, as Lisa puts it, “mean hissy spitty things” (don’t worry–now she calls them “lovely babies”). She says of Irish, “I really had no choice but to adopt Irish because I could never touch her or catch her to bring to Adoptathons. She always knew when it was a Saturday. Once, I did get her to an Adoptathon and a lady stuck her hand in the cage to pet her and she bit the lady. So she stayed at my house… Julius, I did bring to the Adoption Center to live. He stayed there for like a year so I brought him back home.” Check out these pictures of her “two monkeys” 11 years ago and now today!

FEBRUARY 2, 2017

ZOE

Zoe came to Second Chance when she was only a few days old, with three other siblings from the same litter and a (separate) mama cat and her litter. Two of her brothers did not make it, but she and her other littermates flourished under Sarah’s care. Sarah fostered the group until they were 5-6 months old; even then, Zoe was the tiniest of the group and loved to be held like a baby. She always sought out Sarah’s attention, so she ended up staying with Sarah! She settled right in with all of her new feline siblings and adds lots of fun to her home. Today, Zoe keeps the house lively with her constant talking and meowing!

JANUARY 26, 2017

  

HETTIE

Who here remembers Hettie? We received her–and her 4 puppies!–as a stray in 2013. Six years old, she was a great mom and took wonderful care of her kiddos. After her pups all found homes, David took this loving girl into his home in 2014…and she’s been living the good life ever since! Here’s a present-day pic of them together at the beach!

JANUARY 19, 2017

BILLY

Little throwback to 2 years ago when all of YOU helped Billy win a sight-restoring surgery! This photo shows what Billy used to see (on the left) compared to what people could see (on the right). Now, thanks to the funding the awesome Second Chance community scored for him with daily voting, this precious boy can see again!

JANUARY 12, 2017

     

QUESO

Now known as Elphie, Queso was part of a litter here at Second Chance. She was adopted at just 12 weeks old and this week, she turned FIVE! Her mom sent us this photo of her as an adult on her 5th birthday, but we dug in the archives for this squeal-worthy throwback picture of Elphie and her siblings! Anyone out there have an updated picture of any of Queso’s littermates? If so, we’d love to see them, too!