Two-year-old Noah Matthews walked between the canine enclosures at the Sampson County Animal Shelter on Saturday, his parents by his side as he gazed intently at each of the dogs in pen after pen, some poking their wet noses out to greet the eye-level youngster. Noah saw dozens of dogs before locking his eyes on the very last pup in the very last pen.
He knew he wanted Belle, a 5-year-old mutt with a permanently-wounded front leg, unable to walk without a slight limp. Unlike the other dogs, Belle couldn’t leap to her feet and greet Noah, but he was enamored with her nonetheless.
“We were looking for a smaller dog,” said Noah’s mom Ashley, “but then he really attached. When he saw her, he liked her the best.”
“That was the last dog he saw,” said dad Jonathan, as his son hugged the friendly girl he affectionately called “my Belle.”
From the Clement area of Sampson, the Matthews had read on Facebook days earlier that the county’s animal shelter would be doing something it had never done — holding a “Clear the Shelter” event. Ashley knew about a similar event in neighboring Cumberland County last year.
“I had heard about it before and I heard this was the first time Sampson has done this,” Ashley remarked.
So they came to the shelter, a few of the many who lined up outside the Clinton facility before noon Saturday, when it was raining cats and dogs in more ways than one. The heavens opened up just moments before the doors to the shelter did, but the torrential rains didn’t keep the crowd away, as 50 animals found their forever homes — the bulk of them in the first two hours of the four-hour event.
Among those providing the new homes were Jonathan, Ashley and young Noah, who was perched on his dad’s shoulders as they awaited their turn to adopt.
“I’m so glad this baby got a home,” said Trish Oglesby of Belle. “I was worried she wouldn’t.”
Dr. Bill Oglesby and wife, Trish, operate Veterinary Medical Clinic in Clinton and worked closely with local shelter staff, including director Anna Ellis, to get dozens of cats and dogs ready in weeks preceding Saturday’s event.
While “Clear the Shelters” has become an annual nationwide pet adoption drive, it was a first for Sampson. As part of the event, the local shelter adopted out spayed, neutered and fully-vaccinated animals for free on a first-come, first-served basis to those meeting requirements, including having a photo ID and being at least 18 years old.
“It was lined up when I got here,” said Trish. “I recognize a lot of the people showing up today, which makes me happy, because I know they’re good pet owners. It’s good to see Sampson County pet owners come in to adopt.”
Bill agreed, saying local adoptions were always a positive sight. He praised the mission behind “Clear the Shelters” event.
“I think this is probably one of the better ideas they’ve had as far as getting animals adopted. This is better even than these animals being rescued and leaving the county,” said Bill, a longtime local veterinarian who, along with Trish, has worked extensively with the county and its shelter in recent years.
“The rain probably hurt them a little bit,” he said, “but not a whole lot from the sound of it.”
Indeed, little harm done, if any at all.
Ellis said 50 animals — 35 dogs and 15 cats — had been adopted by the time it was all over. Nearly all of those came in the first couple hours, with traffic waning over the last two hours along with the rain.
Another one of those adopting Saturday was Sampson native Beverly Summerlin, who cuddled with her new feline friend, Taz, as she talked with Sampson vet assistant Adam Radford.
“This is my new guy,” Summerlin said of Taz, comparing his coloring to Tiger, another beloved cat from her past. “This is my new boy.”
Originally from Sampson and now a Duplin resident, Summerlin had also heard of “Clear the Shelters,” as her daughter Jessica works at the Duplin County Animal Shelter. She was glad to see Sampson take part in it. As Summerlin pet Taz, the rain still beating down outside, Melissa Griffin and her girls Allison and Katie Barcomb were in the next room picking out their new kitten, 1-year-old Daisy, the last cat available.
In the end, nearly every adopted animal at the shelter was part of a new family, save for a handful of dogs.
Assistant county manager Susan Holder, who was at the event, lauded shelter staff and volunteers, touting the “wonderful partnership” with the Sampson Board of Commissioners, which allocated resources for the spay and neuter procedures prior to the event.
The board has disbursed an increased amount of funds to the animal shelter in the past two yearly budgets — a total hike of about $100,000 — in an effort to improve overall operations at the facility.
Funds have been utilized toward beefing up staff, increasing medical supplies and purchasing new dog pens as part of a three-year replacement process. Those decisions came in the wake of a failed state inspection of the shelter in early 2018, which ignited a firestorm from animal advocates and the general public calling for sweeping changes at the facility.
Shelter officials, with the help of county administration and local and state animal experts, implemented corrective actions that included new intake procedures, personnel and practices designed to improve the facility and its care for animals.
Last month, the state inspector praised the Sampson facility’s improvement during an annual inspection.
Ellis said “Clear the Shelter” is something the shelter sought to do to further open the lines of communication to the public. She called Saturday’s event an open house.
“We’re trying to get our public more involved in our local shelter and know that there are great adoptable animals,” Ellis stated before the event. “My goal is to have more events like this where we bring the public in and bring more awareness to the shelter.”
After the event, Ellis expressed her gratitude to the many county residents and others who participated, helping a plethora of dogs and cats find forever homes.
“I was very pleased with the turnout,” said Ellis. “Everybody seemed to be patient with us despite the rain, which I know was aggravating, and we were appreciative of that. The shelter appreciates the support the public gave us. That means a lot to us.”
Adopters were vetted, with Animal Control officer Sgt. Jessica Kittrell on hand Saturday to check for any records regarding animal-related convictions and surrenders for those wishing to take home a dog or cat. Ellis said there were no issues throughout the day.
“It’s been a lot of work for the shelter staff and Animal Control staff, but they were probably the most excited about this,” said Holder. “I’m absolutely amazed at the turnout, even with the rain.”
“I’m very surprised,” Radford added, “very pleasantly surprised.”
Ellis has noted the revised paperwork and veterinary care procedures, as well as cleaning protocols and shelter upgrades, that have taken place since early last year. Public outreach has been a vital step in the process of continual improvement, she noted.
Ellis wants to see the free adoptions through “Clear the Shelter” become an annual occurrence, while also potentially extending regular adoption hours on a Saturday every month at the facility, which is currently open to the public from just 1-5 p.m., and only on weekdays.
At around 11 a.m. Saturday, as Ellis and the other shelter employees prepared for a watershed moment for the Sampson facility, Ellis peeked out the window. Vehicles were already filling the modest parking lot outside, many relegated to the grass. The queue of people had already begun, and was inching longer.
“I saw that line forming and I said ‘this is what we needed,’” Ellis stated. “It was more than I expected to be honest. I was very pleased and very appreciative.”
