About Us

When we have resources available, this program provides pet food as a safety net for those people who are truly in need for their animals. This includes the elderly, disabled, and homeless individuals who have nowhere else to turn and are at risk of otherwise surrendering their pets. Without this program, individuals are forced to make decisions between meeting their own basic needs and feeding their loving companions. Local management offices including 411 assistance, Marion Animal Shelter, and Marion Animal Control all refer individuals to this vital program. This program has positively impacted our community by feeding 2,940 dogs and 6,579 cats in 2022. 

Our Emergency Community Assist Program is designed to help those animals in need of medical care and their families in the most imminent financial need.  As money is available, this program provides funding for sick animals by arranging their veterinary care through the Animal Hospital of Marion. Our Emergency Community Assist program has helped 132 animals and their families over the last year.  

Mercy cares for senior dogs and cats with special needs and circumstances of different disabilities. These animals have been turned out and are not adoptable, but Mercy is committed to ensuring they have an opportunity to be cared for and lead peaceful lives for the balance of their journey. This program provides medical and veterinary care for medical conditions in this fur pack including diabetes, blindness, heart conditions, seizures, incontinence, and more. In 2022, Mercy helped 48 Senior and Special Needs animals and on average Mercy has 15 or more animals in our ongoing care. 

Our Adoption Program is focused on helping re-home those pets who are surrendered by their families, are homeless, or displaced for any reason. In 2022, our program helped place approximately 74 dogs and 104 cats, and these numbers are growing rapidly based on community need. 

Our Shelter Program provides dog houses for those in the county that have dogs without safety or shelter from inclement weather. This is vital because currently there are no ordinances regarding tethering or leash laws in McDowell County. We have provided over 80 homes to exposed dogs in the last year.  

Our Trap Neuter Return program captures feral cats, neuters or spays them, and then returns them to their caretaker colonies. We have addressed over 500 cats the last two years which is helping control overpopulation. 

Our Spay and Neuter local program assists our community in addressing overpopulation which is often the root cause of many of the issues we are solving for. In 2022, we provided spay and neuter to 66 dogs and cats, and an additional 215 cats (2022) and 289 cats (2021) through our Trap, Spay/Neuter, and Return Program.