Sometimes you hear a phrase and realize that, although you meant it literally, it works for the bigger picture as well. That’s exactly what happened when we chose this title to write about two particular dogs.

Ann Perkins and Leslie Knope literally grew up in an animal shelter. Their mother was seized from a Caldwell County puppy mill in December and taken to a local shelter where Ann and Leslie were born a few weeks later. Because of legal processes and court delays, none of the dogs could be released for adoption until last week (eight months later).

When Ann and Leslie arrived at SPCA Wake, they were too terrified to move and had to be carried (weighing 60 lbs. each) to their kennels.

Not all pets need to be literally carried, but it’s not uncommon for us to have pets who are “stuck” and unable to find loving homes right away. Many pets need SPCA Wake to do heavy lifting of some kind before they are ready.

It might be a medical issue. It might be a particular behavior. Or it might actually be fear of walking across the grass.

Whatever is keeping these pets from moving forward, we are here to carry them. SPCA Wake is dedicated to finding these pets the medical attention, behavioral help, and TLC they need to move forward into loving homes.

We receive no government funding, have no umbrella organization providing us funding, and are not associated with any other humane society. Our work is made possible by people and businesses in our local community, making it possible for us to say “yes” when the phone rings again.