How the U.S. Dog Coalition & Rescue Is Rewriting North Carolina’s Rescue Story
By VALERIE MACON
Did you know North Carolina ranks second in the nation for shelter euthanasia? NC Public Animal Shelter Statistics for dogs and cats show a total intake in 2024 of 98,936; total euthanized, 28,952; euthanasia rate 29.3% (full year data for 2025 is not available). The system is overwhelmed and in crisis. The U.S. Dog Coalition & Rescue, a 501(c)(3) foster-based nonprofit, is taking a different approach — one that focuses on prevention, accountability, and long-term solutions. I spoke with Founder/Director Wilma Herrera and Social Media Coordinator Sandra Zazzara to learn more about the situation and how they’re working to make a difference.
What Is the Problem?
Wilma explains: “Welfare laws are nearly nonexistent, and there is little accountability for neglectful or abusive dog owners. Backyard breeders continue unchecked, and shelters and rescues are overwhelmed by a constant influx of dumped, abused, and forgotten dogs.”
Wilma believes that if clear rules and real consequences were in place, people would think twice before harming an animal, knowing it is not something they can simply get away with. The situation is made worse by the warm climate. In colder states, stray dogs will succumb to winter’s harsh conditions. But in warmer states like North Carolina, Texas, California, and Florida, for example, they survive only to continue suffering on the streets exposed to neglect, hunger and danger year-round.
Wilma has served in various capacities of rescue work for 20 years. She has started rescues, served on rescue boards, and has even served as president of a rescue, but she never wanted to have her own rescue. Then she went to visit her nephew in Mexico in 2021. She relates a heartbreaking story that changed her mind: “I saw all the stray dogs; one little, tiny guy in particular who literally just wanted to die right there on the path where everybody was walking. He didn’t want to be moved. He just wanted to lie there. He was bloated. He was mangy. I moved him a couple times, and he walked right back into the sun. I gave him some food, and he didn’t want it. I cried. I couldn’t take him with me because I was flying out the next day. So, I looked for rescues, and there were none; there were no vets to help. Back home I found an amazing, compassionate vet who does free spay and neuter clinics in that area. I went with her that November and helped her with the clinic. And then, later that year, I decided I was going to be a rescue that rescues from Mexico. But then, I realized I can’t ignore the shelter dogs here in North Carolina because it’s so bad here.”
The U.S. Dog Coalition & Rescue’s Different Approach
What sets the Coalition apart from many other rescue organizations is their emphasis on long-term, sustainable solutions. Wilma says, “We can’t rescue our way out of this; it’s like trying to empty Lake Jordan with a spoon.” This belief inspired her to found the U.S. Dog Coalition & Rescue, not only to save dogs in need, but also to address the root causes of overpopulation through prevention and education.
One example of this commitment is Duncan’s Legacy: Spay, Neuter and Care Program. Through this program, the Coalition raises funds to offer free spay/neuter services and veterinary care for adopters who can’t afford it. This results in reduced unwanted litters and improved overall health and well-being of pets in the community.
Many dogs are surrendered simply because their owners don’t know how to train them, are too busy to learn, or don’t know where to get assistance. The Coalition, in collaboration with Killian’s K9 Academy, offers free training for fosters and for adopters so that everyone starts off on the right path. Fosters are required to attend two basic training sessions. This training includes leash manners, impulse control, and the basics that dogs need to be successful in their adoptive families. Wilma’s rescue tries to take the initiative of teaching the adoptive parent to be the best they can be. The human must understand the dog they are adopting. If the owner understands the dog’s body language and behavior, they can apply the training, and the dog will learn what is expected of them. This, in turn, will avoid situations where a dog develops bad behaviors, like resource guarding and separation anxiety, due to lack of leadership on the human’s part. Wilma regularly gets calls from people who want to surrender their dogs due to misbehavior or aggressiveness. This includes adopters who did not take advantage of the free training offered at the time of adoption.
Being a 501(c)(3), the Coalition cannot lobby but collaborates with like-minded rescues to reform legislation and strengthen accountability. “We have to be proactive,” Wilma emphasizes, “Citizens need to push legislators to change our laws so that irresponsible owners are held accountable and are punished. If we had stricter spay and neuter laws — if owners were required to spay and neuter their dogs — we wouldn’t see so many unwanted litters and backyard breeders.”
Preparing a Dog for Adoption
The Coalition operates entirely through a foster-based network. There is no shelter building, just a community of people willing to open their homes to dogs in need. “We either hear about a case, find a hard case ourselves, or have it brought to our attention,” Sandra explains. “That’s when we decide whether to bring the dog into the rescue.” Once a new dog is accepted, fosters in the Coalition’s database are notified and provided with everything they need: crates, food, leashes, collars, and veterinary care. Fosters are asked to love and train each dog as if they were their own, caring for them until adoption or until they can no longer continue.
Before adoption, each dog is thoroughly vetted, microchipped, and checked to ensure they are healthy and free of illness. They receive more than the standard core vaccines, including rabies, distemper, parvovirus, Bordetella, and leptospirosis. Some dogs have suffered abuse or neglect and may exhibit behavioral issues, so they receive appropriate training and rehabilitation. Once ready, the dogs are listed on adoption platforms such as Petfinder and Adopt-a-Pet, complete with their photos and bios. Dogs are also listed on What’s Up Fuquay-Varina. Potential adopters can submit a free application to begin the process.
The entire process requires significant fundraising. The Coalition relies on a combination of fundraising events, donations, grants, and adoption fees to support its operations. Wilma notes, “Right now, I have a dog with a cleft palate, so we’re fundraising through Waggle.” Waggle is an online crowdfunding platform that assists pet owners and animal welfare organizations in raising money for critical veterinary care. People donate to help a particular dog, and funds collected through the platform must be used solely for the designated animal. Detailed documentation is required, such as medical bills and veterinary estimates.
Fosters Needed
As challenging as it is to raise funds, it is equally challenging to find volunteers to foster. Sandra explains, “We use social media to put the word out. We depend on our existing volunteers to tell their friends; it must be a word-of-mouth kind of situation. We do have a website, of course, but Facebook and Instagram allow us to have followers.” Wilma adds, “Fostering is not for everybody…but there are potential foster people out there; we just have to reach them.”
Wilma has noticed a troubling decline in philanthropic engagement. Fewer people are donating, volunteering, or stepping up to help. At the same time, more dogs are being dumped or surrendered, while adoptions continue to drop. With less money, less help, and fewer volunteers, shelters and rescues are overflowing. “Every other post on social media is someone saying, ‘I need to rehome my dog or I need to rehome my cat,’” she says. “It’s just so easy to throw them away — no big deal. And that’s because in North Carolina, we don’t treat animals as living, sentient beings who deserve better. I’ve been told that people will drop off their 10-year-old dog at a shelter and then try to adopt a puppy the same day. And the shelters allow this because there’s nothing they can do about it.”
Wilma encourages people to look at fostering almost like test-driving a car. She explains, “Just foster the dog. If the dog works out and you fall in love, you can adopt the dog. If the dog is not your speed — maybe it’s too hyper, maybe it’s too chill, or gets too big — then at least you have given him a good start in life, and we could adopt them out to somebody else. And then you can foster again.”
Learn more and support the U.S. Dog Coalition & Rescue at usdogcoalition.org.
