When I started as Director here, one of the first things I did was climb up on the front counter and start tearing down the old COVID plexiglass and ripping up the "stay 6 feet apart" signs. My first act was to remove the physical barriers between this community and us.

Because to me, an animal shelter should feel like a place people want to walk into and stay.

But almost immediately, my world came to a stop.

I'm going to be direct with you: this shelter is in a fight for its life.

I started working in animal shelters in 2003, and I have never seen a situation this dire. We aren't just "underwater" — we are at the bottom of the ocean. We are carrying a significant amount of inherited debt to our vendors.

It's so bad that vendors have shut us down. In my first days here, we couldn't place an order for basic medical supplies because of unpaid bills. Aside from our mortgage, my wife and I live debt-free. Finding out I'm now responsible for a "ball of debt" this massive — including one bill for almost $100,000, with more interest accruing every month — tore a hole in my gut.

I've had young employees in past jobs sit in my office over their personal debt, and I realize now I never truly understood their pain. I do now. It's overwhelming, to say the least.

But I'm not here to point fingers or dwell on the past. I'm here to save animals, and to fix this quickly.

What We're Already Doing

We are moving at lightning speed to fix the human-made problems:

• Opening the Doors
  Clearing clutter from the lobby, setting up a visible retail area for merchandise that had been stuck in a closet, and replacing the loud music in the kennels with music made specifically for shelter animals. I also made it easy for the public to leave Google reviews — good or bad — right from the front counter, because transparency matters.
  
  
• Strengthening Accountability
  Reviewing staff pay inconsistencies, building a new internal budget from scratch, tightening approval processes so every dollar is tracked and intentional, and putting written enrichment procedures in place for our cats and dogs.
  
  
• Prioritizing People
  Reopening volunteer access to the back of the shelter that had been off-limits for years, and meeting one-on-one with every team member in this building. My office door is open. Come see me anytime.

Here's the Bottom Line

The animals don't know about the debt. They just know they're hungry, they need medical care, and they need a home. That care can't pause while we fix our books.

I've seen communities move mountains when they know the truth. So here's the truth: we have no cushion. We are operating on nothing. And we need your help more than ever.

How You Can Help Right Now

• Adopt a Utility Bill
  Keeping the power on for surgeries and the lights on for our animals is at the very top of our list. By "adopting" a utility bill, you keep our residents safe and comfortable while we work through our arrears.
  
  
• Clear a Medical Debt
  Our medical suppliers have carried us for too long. We owe it to these partners to make them whole and clear the slate, so we can keep our focus where it belongs: on the animals.
  
  
• Replenish the Pharmacy
  We can't do this work if we can't stock our medical shelves. When you help "stock the pharmacy," you help us keep animals healthy and ready for adoption — and help us avoid another bill we can't pay.
  
  
• Donate
  Every dollar goes directly to daily operations: food, medical care, and keeping the lights on. Make a donation today →
  
  
• Adopt or Foster
  We are eliminating the appointment-only adoption model, putting animals in homes faster and clearing out one more COVID holdover. Until we get more cats in the building, we need help clearing the dog kennels to lower our day-to-day costs.
  
  
• Engage
  I believe in radical honesty and transparency. Whether it's a 5-star review of our progress or a 1-star review of where we still need to do better, we want to hear it. Come see the changes for yourself.

I'm here for the animals, and I'm here for my team — who have stolen my heart.

I won't rest until this debt is at zero and this shelter is a place we can all be proud of. But I need you to stand with me — with my team, and with the animals.

Because failure is not an option for any of us. And it shouldn't be for you either.

With honesty and focus,
Doug Rae, Executive Director
Humane Society of Catawba County
"Integrity You Can Trust. Care They Can Feel."