An animal shelter is spreading some much needed holiday cheer to its cat and dog residents with a special Thanksgiving dinner.
Staff at Hoke County Animal Shelter in North Carolina served up a special meal tailor-made for the 50 dogs and 55 cats spending Thanksgiving with them this year.
Shelter manager Kristi Pylant came up with the idea during her first Thanksgiving working at the shelter some 18 years ago.
“I was sitting with a dog in his kennel thinking about how it was a day for family and all these animals were alone,” Pylant told Newsweek. “So I went home and gathered all of our Thanksgiving leftovers and took them back to the shelter and fed them to everyone.”
Hoke County Animal Shelter hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for its residents. Some 50 dogs and 55 cats shared a holiday meal to remember. wellbehaved1
Every year since, Pylant says the Thanksgiving meal has “gotten a little bigger and a little better” much to the delight of their animal residents.
“We ask the community to donate turkey and they bring pet-friendly dishes,” she said. “We cook everything tailored to the animals.”
While the dogs enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, minus the turkey skin, fat, spice and seasoning that would otherwise prove problematic, the shelter’s cats are treated to plates of shrimp and tuna
It’s a tradition that provides a boost to both the shelter’s animals and the hardworking staff during what has been a difficult period for animal rescues across the U.S.
Each year 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet ‘Shelter Watch Report’ found.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
The hope is that every one of the cats and dogs currently housed at Hoke County Animal Shelter find their forever homes. There are countless stories proving that, even in the toughest of situations, it is possible.
For now, Pylant and the other dedicated staff are happy seeing everyone enjoying a little respite and a delicious meal together.
“They all deserve good things,” Pylant wrote alongside a video capturing the Thanksgiving dinner and the reaction of their many cats and dogs.
The dinner certainly proved popular. “They absolutely loved it!” she said. “You can see the excitement on their faces.”
There was even more good news once they had finished too. Pylant revealed: “We have so many leftovers they just had a second feast.”