Community Champion: Hardeman Adoptable Animals
It’s time to recognize a Community Champion, an honor given to people making a positive impact in the community, in partnership with Leaders Credit Union.
For April of 2025, we show you how an animal shelter is helping some furry friends get to their forever homes.
“Every dog that’s here has done nothing wrong. They’ve simply been let down somewhere along the line by a person,” said Cindy Hamrick. Hamrick is a volunteer at Hardeman Adoptable Animals.
Hardeman Adoptable Animals opened about 20 years ago when a group of residents saw a need in their community. They have since saved 7,000 dogs.
“One thing that’s pretty unique about us is we’re 100 percent volunteer run. There’s no paychecks. There’s no salary. Just a lot of love from a bunch of hardworking people,” explained Hamrick.
The animal shelter is located in Bolivar and they have about 33 kennels. They help to save stray, neglected, and abandoned dogs in Hardeman county.
“When an animal comes to us, we don’t necessarily know their back story,” Hamrick said. “We really try to get to know each dog’s temperament because when they are eventually adopted we can tell their backstory at least from the time they hit our door, and then the story just continues to grow from there.”
When a dog comes to Hardeman Adoptable Animals, they are given all their vaccinations and taken to a veterinarian if they need medical care.
“I think the goal of any shelter is to not just focus on saving lives, but to create a world where no pet needs saving because they’re already in the perfect home,” Hamrick shared.
Currently, the shelter is at full capacity and they need the community’s help to protect these animals.
Pet owners can be responsible by spay and neutering their pets and getting microchips.
If you’re not looking for the permanent responsibility of adopting a pet, you can still help.
“We’re looking for auxillary volunteersm” explained Hamrick. “Someone who might like to do crafts or help with the bake sale or help with fundraising. We need lots and lots of people.”
She went on to say, “there’s another option that would really help us out alot and that’s a shorter term commitment of fostering a dog. So it would open up a kennel for a couple of weeks.”
Hamrick says they also work with a sister organization called Kitten Kapers. They are also in constant need of fosters for both kittens and adult cats.
“I think all rescues are kind of based on the premise of hope. Hope for a better future. Hope in people doing the right thing and being responsible owners. Hoping that they’ll make the choice to do what’s in the pet’s best interest. And really selecting a pet that fits with their family. That hope is what keeps us going,” Hamrick shares.
To learn more about Hardeman Adoptable Animals and ways you can donate to the shelter, you can go to its website.
If you know someone doing good in their community, you can nominate them for the Community Champion award by clicking here.
