Charleston Dog Shelter

You can't change a dog’s past, but you can rewrite their future.

Are you interested in seeing which dogs are currently available for adoption? We would love for you to come see all of our furry friends at the shelter. Because we run on a volunteer only basis, we would like for you to contact us before making a trip to the shelter.If you would like to look at dogs prior to making a meeting with a team member, feel free to visit our Facebook page and click through the albums!

The Charleston Animal Group’s (The Charleston Dog Shelter) mission is to provide temporary shelter to stray, abandoned or surrendered dogs while adhering to our no kill practice and to find each a lifelong, loving home with responsible owners. Our overall goal is to reduce the number of unwanted dogs through aggressive spay/neuter programs and educational opportunities.
We take care of these animals as if they were part of our family, and we strive to get them adopted to families who will love and care for them just the same.You can't change a dog’s past, but you can rewrite his future. Saving one dog won't change the world, but for that one dog, the world surely changes forever.Here at the Charleston Animal Interest Group, or locally known as, The Charleston Dog Shelter, our volunteers dedicate time out of their days to come spend it with these pups. They feed them, make sure their water bowls are filled up, and even take them on walks around the facility to let a little energy out!

We would love for you to help us!We are in need of donations of all kinds. Please help us in fulfilling our "wish list", which contains items we use every day to make these dogs lives better until we get them to their forever homes!

Our Amazon wish list changes from time to time, but we will always acceptIgloo Dog Houses
Tarps
Automatic Feeders
Canned Dog Food
Doggy Treats
Bleach
Poop Scooper
Topical Tick and Flea Treatment
Large Trash Bags (yard or contractor size)
Paper Towels
Package Thank You Cards
Stamps
Kiddie Pool for Summer Season
Fleece Blankets
Fuel Cards for Transport Van

Emily
Emily was a dog that was abandoned and was suffering from a horrific case of demodectic mange. Volunteer Janet S and family nursed her back to health over a 2 month period. Through telling her story on our Facebook page, we were able to place her in a great home and she is doing wonderfully.

Ginger
Connecticut
Thank you to the amazing volunteers at The Little Pink Shelter for bringing us our girl, Ginger. As a family, we'd never had a dog of our own. We had many dog visitors and dog sitting jobs but none who were ours alone. Finally, we knew it was time to change that.We started looking incessantly on the big websites, until one day a friend told us about The Liittle Pink Shelter. There we found thorough descriptions of each dog. We could tell that these foster families really knew and cared for their foster dogs. Now everything one reads about adopting a dogs says, 'do not get attached to just one dog.' However, one look at Ginger and it was too late. In the video, we saw her run and interact with her dog family, and we were hooked.After some phone interviews and calls with Ginger's foster mom, Renea (that volunteers at the Charleston Dog Shelter), Ginger was cleared and scheduled for her long transport from Arkansas to Connecticut. We'd been puppy nesting for weeks and were ready and eager to bring her to our home-Ginger's forever home. Then, the day before Ginger's scheduled departure, we received an early morning phone call. Ginger had contracted a serious virus. Naturally, we were shocked and scared. (I am tearing up as I write this, recalling that moment.)But because of the dedication and love from the people at The Little Pink Shelter, Ginger was treated at one of their partner veterinarian hospitals and was once again cleared for transport three weeks later.We waited outside the transport truck with eager anticipation. When it was our turn, Ginger came out, tail wagging, and our hearts melted.It has been three months now and Ginger manages to make us love her more each day. She is exactly as the Charleston Dog Shelter described her and we are so thankful for that.Being greeted every morning with her wagging tail and sweet look is an incredibly delightful way to start our day. Ginger has adapted to our unpredictable New England climate and manages to find the fun in every situation.We couldn't be happier and are very grateful to Renea, Susan, and Holly and all the people behind the scenes who make this very involved process successful. The Little Pink Shelter is made up of a unique group of unbelievably dedicated and loving people.We thank you.Susan, Eddie, Ben, and Michael
(Ginger's forever family)

Finn
Greenwood, AR
If you are new to Famous Finn's story, please allow us to tell you a bit about the little boy, who by the terrible abuse and neglect he sustained in his very early life, put a small town in Arkansas on the map.
On July 12, 2016, a heartbreaking picture appeared by way of text from an unknown number to a volunteer with the Charleston Dog Shelter in Charleston, AR. Even though the puppy was not in the jurisdiction of the shelter, it was immediately decided he was in desperate need of assistance or a painful death was imminent. Arrangements were made to get the little pup from his "finder" in Alma, AR, and it was off to the veterinarian as fast as they could go. Time was of the essence.Little Finn was in so much pain from the open sores on his body that he wailed anytime he was touched. His first vet experience was not an enjoyable visit for anyone in the office. Upon examination and a skin scrape it was determined that Finn suffered from a severe case of Demodex Mange and emaciation. This little 10 week old Aussie mix tipped the scales at a whopping 9.2 lbs, when he should have weighed double that. The vet felt he had a good chance of survival if someone was willing to care for him 24/7 for the following 4-6 weeks and nurse him back to life. Finn was so weak from starvation he was unable to walk on his own, his kidneys were shutting down, he had every type of intestinal parasite known to dog and the open sores from the mange had his entire body covered in staph infection. Not only was he hard to look at, it was hard to be in the same room with him due to the odor.
But, thankfully, Finn responded beautifully to the daily antibiotics, anti-fungal baths and a good diet of scrambled eggs and boiled chicken and gained a pound a day for the first 7 days! With each passing day he got stronger and began to come to life!
By sharing his story on Facebook on the Charleston Dog Shelter page, news of this orphan spread like wildfire and immediately donations were arriving in the form of chicken, eggs, puppy food, monetary donations, toys, beds, treats, and even fan mail! It seemed he was quickly known over the US and people were sending well wishes and prayers. It's amazing how one little puppy in a town of 2,500 brought so much awareness to rescue! By his unnecessary suffering, he caused an entire community (and nation!) to come together and work as a team to save him. It definitely wasn't the work of one person, but of many, that brought Finn through his terrible ordeal...right down to the mailman and UPS man that made the numerous deliveries from California, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, and South Carolina... just to name a few! The out pouring of love and support helped restore faith in mankind to many and his positive, happy recovery updates were anticipated daily by many!
Finn is now loving life with a new family who is helping him give back to his community by making weekly visits to nursing homes, schools, and children's shelters. Finn has a bright future ahead of him.Find Famous Finn on Facebook by searching "Wagging Tales of Famous Finn Wigglebutt" in the search bar! We hope you enjoy every post and feel free to share with us other rescue stories.

Mailing address
P.O. Box 118
Charleston, AR 72933