The Vance County Animal Shelter has 44 kennels to house the dogs that find their way to the Brodie Road facility, whether it’s from a stray pickup or from an owner surrender.
William Coker, director of Vance County Animal Services, said in August alone, 213 dogs and cats were brought into the shelter.
The good news was that 33 dogs and 23 cats were adopted from the shelter in August, Coker told WIZS’s Scout Hughes on Tuesday’s TownTalk. September’s numbers were slightly lower – 190 dogs and cats came into the shelter, he said. But adoptions were down in September – only 7 dogs and 8 cats were adopted.
“When you’re bringing in that amount of animals, and the adoptions are like they are, it makes for a bad day,” Coker said.
There’s an adoption event scheduled for Saturday at Petsense in Henderson, located at 1528 Dabney Dr. and it’s a chance for the public to come out and see some of the dogs that are just waiting to find their “furever” home. The adoption event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. One-year rabies boosters also are available for $5 during the adoption event.
There’s a $155 adoption fee for dogs and a $105 adoption fee for cats, but Coker said you won’t find a better deal. The animals get their vaccinations, they get microchipped and most importantly, they leave the shelter spayed or neutered.
“You’re really getting a sweet deal,” Coker said. “The animal, when it leaves here, is in great shape…you should have a good pet that’s going to be around for a long time.”
Coker said he’s so happy to report that the county has received a $50,000 grant to offer free spay and neuter services to pet owners in the county regardless of their income level. The state has a program for pet owners who receive government assistance, but Coker said he wants to be able to offer the spay/neuter program to all pet owners.
“To me, that’s the solution to lowering the numbers in the shelter,” Coker said. In one day last week, the shelter took in 14 puppies. Two have been adopted already. But that still leaves a dozen. And that’s just a snapshot from one day in one week.
The shelter staff does have to make decisions to euthanize animals when the shelter is full. Coker said it’s easier to decide to put down older animals, or those that are sick.
“It does come the time that it’s good dogs that have to be euthanized because we don’t have space,” Coker said. Spaying and neutering dogs and cats is the key to reducing the unwanted pet population.
“You’re not going to adopt yourself out of this situation,” he said.
If you have room in your home for a pet, consider adopting from the Vance County Animal Shelter.
If you can’t adopt, but still want to help, consider making a donation to the shelter. Coker said the shelter needs dog food
“I’m going to have to start begging – or buying – dog food,” he said. He’d prefer to have a monetary donation so the staff can continue to buy the same food for the dogs that they’re used to eating.
For those who’d like to volunteer to work at the shelter, Coker said there’s a brief application to fill out and it shouldn’t take long for the application to be processed and approved.
“Hopefully, we can get them in here in a week or two,” he said.
The shelter is located at 1243 Brodie Rd. Check the website for hours of operation, which vary depending on the day of the week.
Visit https://www.vancecounty.org/departments/animal-control/ to learn more.
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