On the second Saturday of October, the parking lot of an independent pharmacy on Idlewild Road will fill up with something you don't often find at a drugstore counter: adoptable dogs, a fire engine, costumed characters, and a barbecue truck.
Hillcrest Pharmacy, at 7892 Idlewild Road in Indian Trail, hosts its Fall Dog Adoption and Festival on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free to attend and benefits the Humane Society of Union County, which will bring dogs available for adoption along with information on how to take one home.
The Humane Society is a fitting partner for a small, independent business, because it is itself a small, independent operation. The organization describes itself as a foster-based rescue. It has no physical shelter; its puppies, kittens, dogs, and cats live in volunteers' homes while they wait to be adopted. The group has been working in Union County for more than 30 years, funded solely through contributions and receiving no federal or local government money.
Its reach extends well beyond adoptions. The Humane Society operates the Monroe Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic, a program aimed squarely at the root cause of pet overpopulation. Wellness Days are also part of its offerings, providing low-cost vaccinations, testing, and preventatives. The clinic's receptionists field anywhere from 200 to 600 calls a day.
At the October festival, the adoption side of that mission takes center stage, but the pharmacy has built out a full afternoon around it. Hillcrest will hand out free gift bags to the first 50 people who register at its table, and will offer free blood pressure screenings — a natural fit for a pharmacy that specializes in complex medication regimens and personalized care. The Hemby Bridge Fire Department will bring a fire truck for kids to climb on and photograph, and will run fire safety training and hands-on CPR instruction at its table. Carolina Action Figures will provide costumed characters for photo ops. Lowe's will staff a table with giveaways, kids' DIY kits, and a surprise raffle item.
Local craft vendors will sell their wares at discounted prices, and several raffles will offer gift cards to local restaurants, crafts, and dog baskets. Smoking Joe's BBQ truck will sell barbecue, and a flavored ice truck will be on hand for something cold. United Real Estate will answer real estate questions and give away items; Pet Suites will have information and giveaways. Other sponsors include Bagelgram, Food Lion, Mia Famiglia Pizzeria, and The Bridge Restaurant.
Hillcrest Pharmacy has a shorter but similarly local story. It is an independent, family-owned pharmacy that came under new ownership in 2023. Its local owner and pharmacy manager, Cody Puzinski, PharmD, graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy and then completed the University of North Carolina's Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residency Program. He has worked in independent pharmacies in Connecticut and North Carolina. The pharmacy's team also includes certified technician Katelyn Cook, staff pharmacist and clinical consultant Leina Morales, PharmD, and technician Leslynn Smith. Beyond prescriptions, the pharmacy runs a USPS Contract Postal Unit, offers medical equipment, free delivery, and pet prescriptions, and promises most prescriptions ready within 15 minutes.
That last detail — pet prescriptions — hints at why a dog adoption festival makes sense at a pharmacy counter. Indian Trail has changed enormously in recent decades. In 2011, CNN reported on a single census tract in the area that had grown from 499 people in 2000 to 5,353 in 2010, an increase of more than 970 percent, in what it called one of the fastest-growing places in the fastest-growing county in one of the fastest-growing states. The subdivisions off Wesley Chapel Road were filling with newcomers from Florida, New York, Michigan, and Charlotte itself. A town that grew that fast is a town full of new pet owners — and a town where a locally owned pharmacy looking to be a neighborhood anchor has reason to throw a party in its own parking lot.
The event runs rain or shine as scheduled, though organizers of community events like this one sometimes adjust details late. Anyone planning to attend should confirm specifics with Hillcrest Pharmacy or the Humane Society of Union County before heading out. Adoption inquiries, meanwhile, can start before the event: the Humane Society asks that prospective adopters complete an application before meeting a foster animal, and notes that adoptions involve a conversation with its adoption team, reference checks, a fee and contract, and in some cases a home visit.
For a Saturday afternoon, the appeal is simple. There will be dogs looking for homes, a fire truck to explore, free gift bags for the early arrivals, a blood pressure check if you want one, and barbecue within walking distance of the pharmacy counter. It costs nothing to walk in.