12/31/2025
A Year in the Life of the Humane Society — 2025 Reflections
What a year. A whole 365 days of fur, purrs, tail wags, vet runs, bottle feeding at 2 a.m., chewed-up foster applications, community miracles, and moments that left us laughing and crying — sometimes at the same time.
2025 will forever stand as a milestone year for the Humane Society of Lincoln County. A year of fresh starts, new leadership, bold changes, and growth we once only hoped for. We welcomed a brand-new director, new board members, a new president, and yes — a new building. (Because nothing says “we’re growing” like realizing we’ve outgrown the corner office where files, dog treats, and a litter of kittens all shared the same drawer.)
And through it all — we continued doing what we do best: saving lives.
This year we took in 349 animals in need.
• 166 dogs & puppies (including that one escape artist who taught us the true meaning of humility).
• 182 cats & kittens (who are technically employees because they supervised us daily).
• And one goat — who reminded us that we really will take on anything with a heartbeat.
We experienced moments of pure joy — adoption days when goodbye hugs became happy beginnings, seniors finding new homes, scared animals learning to trust again, and community members stepping up with open homes and open hearts.
We also faced heartache — losing a dear friend and foster in a tragic accident. Her love for animals lives on in every life saved, every adoption completed, every tiny being we wrap in a blanket and whisper, “you’re safe now.” We remember her with love and gratitude.
We navigated government shutdown challenges, yet still managed to keep pets fed, families supported, and hope alive. Because no shutdown stops hunger — or puppy eyes — and this community rallied just like it always does.
We’ll be honest — this year wasn’t all perfect.
We had some missteps, a couple of “we’ll never do THAT again” moments, and more than one learning curve steep enough to qualify as a roller coaster. But we also had huge successes, joy-filled adoptions, miraculous recoveries, and stories that remind us why we keep going — for the animals, for each other, for this community we love.
We witnessed hearts heal — fragile animals and fragile people — both finding comfort in connection. And if 2025 taught us anything, it’s that rescue isn’t just about saving animals — it’s about saving one another.
Now we look forward — with big plans, big dreams, and a whole lot of determination for 2026. More outreach. More adoptions. More spay/neuter support. More community partnerships. And definitely more coffee. Possibly a goat policy. We’ll see.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
Thank you for standing with us.
For your donations, your patience, your prayers, your laughter, your understanding, your willingness to step up when things were hard and celebrate when things were beautiful.
God bless you. We are grateful. We are hopeful. And we are ready.
Here’s to wagging tails, warm laps, healed hearts, second chances, and a wonderful new year.
Cheers to 2026 — let’s go save the world, one paw at a time. 🐾❤️
