501(c)(3) public charity · Since 2015
A rural animal rescue, one family at a time.
Heart of the Foothills Rescue serves the rural counties of western North Carolina, where access to shelters and spay and neuter services is limited. We take in surrendered and abandoned dogs, cats, and the occasional farm animal, provide medical care, and work to place them with families in the region who understand rural life.
1,900+
Animals placed since 2015
600
Spay and neuter surgeries last year
4
Rural counties served
What we do
Foster homes, not kennels.
Animals waiting on adoption with us sleep in real beds, get used to kids and other pets, and arrive at their new family with a behavior profile built over weeks, not a label stuck to a crate.
Read our storyRural Intake
We accept surrenders and strays from four counties where no municipal shelter exists. Animals arrive weekly, sometimes daily during kitten and puppy season.
Spay and Neuter Access
Partnering with two regional vets, we subsidize sterilization for low-income households. Over 600 surgeries last year, preventing an estimated 4,000 offspring.
Barn Cat Placements
Not every cat wants to be a lap cat. We match semi-feral cats with farmers who need working cats to manage rodents, saving animals that would otherwise be euthanized.
Every dollar moves an animal closer to home.
Our budget is public. Over 91% of donations go directly to animal care, not overhead or fundraising.
Donate today