The Cougar Pets Mission
Cougar Pets is a no-kill, non-profit rescue organization affiliated with the Central Carolina Community College Veterinary Medical Technology program. We rescue dogs and cats from high-kill environments and take them into our colony so that they can receive medical care and socialization until they are adopted. The students of the VMT program learn husbandry and clinical skills by caring for the colony animals.
Saving lives is our passion! When we transfer animals out of shelter situations, we are not only providing invaluable education for our students, but we are also helping to save lives by freeing up much needed space, and giving dogs and cats a second chance at adoption.
Though we are registered as a research facility with the USDA, we never do any research on our animals. We also operate as a no kill facility, and pride ourselves on our 99.8% adoption rate.
Cougar Pets Quick Facts:
· Founded in 1965
· No kill, no research facility
· 99.8% Adoption Rate
· We only euthanize in cases of medical necessity
· Average Time in Colony:
· Dog: 12 months
· Cat: 18 months
· All animals are housed in large runs with daily enrichment and social time
Our Team
Jessica Holt, DVM
Animal Care Coordinator
Dr. Holt graduated from the University of Tennessee and worked in small animal practice for several years prior to joining the faculty at CCCC in 2016. She loves both cats and dogs and working with rescue animals. She spends her free time with her husband, her lab, Amos, and her two cats, Coconut and Bob. Dr. Holt also has two CougarPet alumni: a dog named Statler, and a rabbit named Missy Elliot. There is often also a foster pet or two in the house for extra love.
Justin Pedley, RVT
Animal Facilities Manager
Justin is an Registered Veterinary Technician and an alumni of the CCCC Veterinary Medical Technology program. He joined the VMT staff full time in 2020, but worked as a Kennel Assistant during his time as a student. He has worked in both Large Animal and Small Animal practices. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, going to the lake with friends and family, and spending time with his four-legged children, Marley and Grea!
Lauren Dunlap
Jessica Wells
Hallie Huls
Kennel Assistant
Lauren is a student in the CCCC VMT program. We are grateful to have her on the team and cannot wait to share more information about her!
Kennel Assistant
Jess has lived in Sanford, NC her whole life. She's currently a CCCC student in the VMT program. She graduated from UNCW in 2019 with her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Jess has previous experience as a vet receptionist, vet assistant, and kennel assistant. Her journey to her true passion, animals, may have taken longer than she'd like it to have, but she's more than happy to finally be here. Jess hopes to work with exotic animals in the future, focusing on the conservation of species. Jess has an old black lab-chow mix named Maxx and a spicy tripod cat named Spike, both of whom she will talk about for hours if given the chance!
Kennel Assistant
Hallie is currently pursing her Associate's degree through the CCCC VMT program. She has known ever since she was little that she wanted to work with animals. Once she heard about the program here at CCCC, she knew this is exactly what she wanted to do. In the future, Hallie would love to work with both large and small animals after graduating. Hallie was born in Texas and moved to North Carolina when she was very young. She has 3 dogs, Tux, Felix, and Neil and they love to go on hikes on their free time!