Best of South Lake, A Win For Kermie, And An Oligodactyl Cat [News – March 2026]

Thank You For Voting Us The Best Of South Lake!

We are having a rather crazy time here at The Animal League, where busy is an understatement, but seeing dogs and cats successfully rescued, nursed back to health and finding their happy places again makes every minute of it worthwhile. Your belief and support in our mission makes a difference every day, and strengthens our resolve to do more. That is why we are so incredibly proud that you voted us the “Best Pet Services” winner in the Best of South Lake Awards 2026! It’s a celebration of the hard work put in by our amazing team and the love from you, our community, and we look forward to continuing to work together to bring many more second chances to animals in need.

It is also a double celebration, as we are proud to share that our new bookkeeper, Calicia Landry, won in the “Best Accountant or CPA” category. So welcome and congratulations to Calicia, and a huge thanks to our outgoing treasurer, Bonny Bowyer, and bookkeeper, Amanda Moore, for their years of dedicated service.

A Win For Kermie Too!

More fantastic news that’s had us cheering and celebrating is Kermie’s adoption! Kermie came to us at just six months old. Black dogs are frequently passed by in shelters, and because Kermie requires some extra love and support to help him keep on track, he ended up waiting for his special people for almost three years! We’re incredibly grateful for the staff, volunteers and Kermie’s foster mom who have dedicated their time to his needs and celebrated each milestone with him, and now give huge thanks for his big hearted new parents. We never give up hope on any animal here at The Animal League, and special adoptions like this have us exploding with joy!

Here he is, from a small puppy to having a wonderful family to now call his own. We wish them a lifetime of love and many happy adventures together.

Puppy And Kitten Season

Behind all the celebrations, there’s a lot of hard work being put in here at The Animal League. Puppy and Kitten Season is upon us, and families and their pets are needing us now more than ever. Donations are slower, people are rightfully thinking twice about being able to afford a pet, making adoption rates lower, and meanwhile the number of surrenders and pets awaiting rescue is rapidly increasing. We recognise all the difficulties people are facing at this time, and that is why we are so especially grateful to everyone that continues to support us. Every donation, wish list purchase, volunteer hour, kind word or recommendation, adoption, and so much more that you contribute, enables us to continue our mission to rescue, rehabilitate, rehome, and create a better world for the animals that rely on us.

If you are looking for new ways to support us this Puppy and Kitten Season or know of someone who may be interested, you may like to consider the following:

Puppies and Kittens are a lot of work, requiring more intensive care and medications. Cash donations help us to provide for them, or you can place an order from our Amazon wish list and have it delivered to our shelter. We are particularly in need of Pedigree Puppy Chicken flavor food – canned and dry, and Pedigree Small bites – dry.

Volunteer at our shelter, or perhaps you would consider fostering a litter? Puppies need a space separated from other pets, and we typically set you up with a play pen and pee pads to keep things clean. We’ll provide all of the supplies you would need (food, medications, sheets, towels, etc.). All we need is some space in your home and a bit of love and care.

If you know someone that is thinking about a new puppy or kitten, now is a great time to be looking. Keep an eye on our pet search tools over the coming weeks and months for newly available pets, or why not pop into our thrift shop on a Saturday morning to meet some of our dogs and support us with a little springtime shopping whilst you are there?

Meet Sugar, The Oligodactyl Cat

You may have heard of polydactyl cats, which have extra toes, but have you ever seen a cat with fewer than the average number of toes? When a cat has less than 10 toes (including the dewclaws) on the front feet or less than 8 on the back feet, it is referred to as oligodactylism. This term originates from the Greek word “oligo,” meaning “few”.

We had one of these pretty special kitties arrive at The Animal League recently. Oligodactyly rarely causes issues, and Sugar was able to run and climb just the same as her brothers and sisters.

She has now headed off to her new forever home, and we wish her and her new family a life filled with fun and cuddles.