Homeward Bound In The Heartland Animal Rescue,Inc

05/25/2026

05/22/2026

Not ready for a furever home yet.

This Girly, a 7-8 year old Standard Poodle. Her owner passed away. We are helping to find Girly a new home. She is a little timid at first, but an extremely sweet and well mannered girl. She has lived with cats and other smaller dogs. She would most likely do best in a home with older children. Please share and help us find Girly a new home.

04/27/2026

Do you know

02/22/2026

PLEASE SHARE!!

Children's Book written about two kittens that were adopted in 2015 from homeward bound in the heartland.

Rescue Kittens (Louise and Liesel) Now known as Tonks and Aria, heroines of their very own book, are helping kittens like themselves get rescued and adopted!

Please treat yourself to the heartwarming story of two delightful kittens,
while helping Homeward Bound in the Heartland save more kittens & cats just like them with Spays and Neuters
The author's share of your purchases for February will be donated to the Rescue!

In 2015, Jen and her family adopted two sweet kittens, Tonks and Aria, from Homeward Bound in the Heartland. Jen writes, "We can't thank you enough again for our girls, we love them so much!!"
Jen has written a beautiful children's book about her kittens, to share her love for them with the rest of the world! Please click the link to treat yourself to a copy of this delightful, touching story, and to help us Spay and Neuter more cats and kittens at the same time, as Jen will generously donate her February royalties to Homeward Bound in the Heartland to help more kittens like hers! https://a.co/d/0aH8SdtA

And please share the word about this wonderful book with your family and friends, to further help Homeward Bound:

Rescue Tails, Tonks and Aria Get Adopted, by J.C. Wren https://a.co/d/0aH8SdtA

Thank you so much, Jen, for your generosity and your love for your furbabies! And thank you all for making our rescue work possible.

Rescue Tails: Tonks and Aria Get Adopted

01/17/2026

Gardening tips and tricks:

January = opossum persecution season. You see teeth, assume danger, call for removal. Reality: Opossums are North America's ONLY marsupial, eat 90% of ticks they encounter, immune to rabies, and almost never bite humans. You're killing your free pest control.

Why opossums are garden heroes:
→ Eat 5,000 ticks/week (prevent Lyme disease)
→ Eat slugs, snails, beetles (garden pests)
→ Eat carrion/roadkill (nature's cleanup crew)
→ Immune to rabies (body temp too low—94-97°F)
→ Almost never aggressive (play dead instead)

The "scary" teeth myth:
- 50 teeth (most of any US mammal) = looks terrifying
- Reality: Rarely bite (defensive display only)
- Bite force: Weak (less than house cat)
- "Hissing" = fear response, not aggression
- Play dead = extreme stress (not "playing")

January opossum reality:
- Struggling to survive (coldest month)
- Short lifespan (2-4 years wild)
- Slow-moving = easy roadkill victim
- Frostbitten ears/tail common (not adapted to extreme cold)
- Eating garbage = desperate for calories, not "pest behavior"

What they're actually doing in your yard:

**NOT:**
❌ Attacking pets (too slow, too scared)
❌ Spreading rabies (literally immune)
❌ Damaging property (don't dig, chew, or nest in walls)
❌ Aggressive threats (all bluff)

**ACTUALLY:**
✅ Eating ticks that cause Lyme disease ($3,000-10,000 treatment)
✅ Eating mice, rats, cockroaches
✅ Cleaning up fallen fruit (prevents wasp nests)
✅ Eating dead animals (prevents disease spread)

How to coexist (please):

**IF IN GARAGE/SHED:**
- Leave door open at dusk (they'll leave on own)
- Don't trap (stressed opossum = plays dead = looks dead = you bury alive)
- They're just passing through (nomadic, don't stay)

**IF "THREATENING":**
- Back away slowly (they're more scared than you)
- Wait 5 minutes (they'll move on)
- DON'T corner (that's when play-dead happens)

**TO HELP IN WINTER:**
- Leave fallen fruit (emergency calories)
- Unsecured compost (food source)
- Brush pile (shelter from cold)
- Don't remove unless actively causing damage

**IF INJURED/FROSTBITTEN:**
- Call wildlife rehab (NOT animal control)
- Often fixable with care
- Release back to same area

Opossum vs. Pest Control costs:
- Professional pest control: $400-800/year
- One opossum in yard: $0/year + eats 5,000 ticks + free
- **Let the opossum stay**

Common lies about opossums:
❌ "Carry rabies" - Literally immune
❌ "Aggressive" - Play dead when scared
❌ "Dangerous to pets" - Too slow to catch anything
❌ "Destroy yards" - Don't dig (unlike raccoons)
❌ "Dirty" - Groom constantly (cleaner than cats)

Truth: They're slow, scared, helpful, and harmless.

January = 3,000+ opossums killed/week by "pest removal" for being beneficial.

I'm asking: You pay $600/year for pest control. I do it free. Why are you killing me?

Ugly ≠ dangerous. Let me eat your ticks.

01/04/2026

Spay And Neuter is so essential. Please spay neuter your cats & dogs.

01/01/2026

Happy New Year's Day! Thank you for being with us on our page and supporting us all year! Wishing you a wonderful year filled with happiness & Health.

12/31/2025

The final hours of 2025 are here!

Do you still have donations you'd like to send before the end of the year? With a few clicks at SHAREomaha.org, you can cross "doing good" off your list for 2025.

Remember, SHARE Omaha does not keep any portion of your donation and you can give to up to 10 nonprofits in one transaction.

12/31/2025

Most homeless cats were once pets or born outdoors. Winter fur only slows the cold, it does not stop it. Dry shelter and regular food are survival, not comfort.

A single safe spot can decide if tomorrow happens.

12/31/2025

New Year’s Eve is exciting, but for a lot of pets it can be one of the scariest nights of the year.

Fireworks might look beautiful to us, but to animals they can sound like sudden explosions that come out of nowhere.

Even calm pets can panic, hide, shake, bark, or bolt through a door or gate in seconds.

Every year, vets and shelters see more lost pets and injuries after nights like this.

The biggest help is simple: keep pets indoors once it starts getting loud.

Double check doors, windows, balconies, and gates, and be extra careful when guests come in and out.

Set up a cozy safe room with curtains closed, their bed or blanket, and steady background noise like TV or a fan.

If they want to hide, let them, and don’t force them to “face it.”

Make sure tags and microchip info are up to date, because even indoor pets can escape when scared.

Try to walk dogs earlier, keep routines normal, and stay calm so they feel more secure.

If your pet has serious anxiety, ask your vet ahead of time about safe options, and never give human meds.

If you’re using fireworks, please be mindful that nearby pets, strays, and wildlife are affected too.

Let’s start the new year by keeping the animals who trust us safe at home. ❤️🐾✨