The Sampson County Animal Shelter has made inroads on its redemptive mission since a failed inspection last year, and a local contingent wants to aid in that journey.
Tommy Tucker, a face of local animal advocacy, this week renewed his plea to the Sampson Board of Commissioners to establish an animal advisory board in the county.
Tucker was one of many who addressed county leaders multiple times in the spring of 2018 in the wake of a failed shelter inspection that revealed a lack of necessary veterinary care for animals, improper record-keeping and the euthanization of more than a dozen dogs and cats before the required minimal three-day holding period.
“As you know, we were fined $5,000 in April of 2018 for not following state policies,” Tucker said during the public comment portion of the board’s regular meeting this week. “There is no doubt about it, that the situation has been improved a lot. We came before the board in May 2018, one and a half years ago, and requested we have an advisory board for the animal shelter and animal control.”
Tucker recalled that he and others were told they would find out — and potential talks of an advisory committee would take place — when the state’s final report was completed.
When the Animal Welfare Section of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Veterinary Division levied the fine in March 2018, the news 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.
The Board of Commissioners has allocated an increased amount of funds to the animal shelter in the past two annual budgets — a total hike of about $100,000 — in an effort to improve overall operations at the facility. Monies have been utilized toward beefing up staff, increasing medical supplies and purchasing new dog pens as part of a three-year replacement process.
In August, the shelter also held a “Clear the Shelters” event, a first for the local facility, adopting out spayed, neutered and fully-vaccinated animals for free on a first-come, first-served basis to those meeting adoption requirements. In just a couple hours on a Saturday, 50 animals— 35 dogs and 15 cats — found their forever homes.
Tucker said he was glad to be a part of that, and wants only to continue the positive strides at the shelter. He pointed to the animal advisory board as an effective avenue to do that. Nancy Gump, another animal advocate who also spoke in favor of an advisory group back in early 2018, again stood with Tucker this week.
An advisory group, she has said, is meant to be supportive, not authoritative. it could be a “win-win,” she said.
“But we have not been made aware of any decision a year and a half later,” Tucker stated. “I don’t know why this is so contentious. It seems like everyone should be working for the benefit of the animals. Even without a board, we were able to raise $2,000 to partner with (shelter director) Anna Ellis so that all the kennels would have a Kuranda bed to keep the dogs off the floor.”
Tucker noted that Sampson is bordered by six counties — all but one has an animal advisory board, he said.
He read a portion of a statement regarding Advisory Boards and Commissions from Sampson County’s website.
“It is the philosophy of Sampson County Local Government that providing our citizens with adequate information and managed and fair opportunities to have their ideas, opinions and concerns addressed fosters and maintains trust in the government process, encourages public participation in this process, and allows us to develop and implement programs and services which are responsive to the specific needs of our community,” Tucker read.
There are 35 different Sampson County Advisory Boards and Commissions listed, however the animal shelter isn’t one.
“Sampson has a plethora of advisory boards, why not for animals?” Tucker queried. “Even though we’ve had improvement here, I know an advisory board could greatly reduce the euthanasia rate of the animals, which is my greatest concerns and should be everybody else’s too.”
He said members could be utilized to post new animals on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as improve existing relationships with rescue groups and bring on some new ones. A “code red” could be put in effect for animals whose time was running out, so efforts could be made to save them. Ways of raising money could be brainstormed so that adoption rates and fees could be reduced for potential adopters, said Tucker, who said grants could also be explored.
Additionally, advisory members not bogged down by the day-to-day of shelter operations could visit other shelter facilities to see what they are doing to lower the euthanasia rate. That rate at the Sampson shelter hovers around 50 percent.
“The reason I’m here is to help the dogs and cats, and especially to lower the euthanasia rate,” said Tucker, who quoted Mahatma Gandhi. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Tucker said an animal advisory board “has been a long time coming,” and asked commissioners when they might approve one. An answer was not forthcoming, but board chairman Clark Wooten thanked Tucker and Gump for their efforts.
“Thanks for all you have done to improve our animal shelter,” said Wooten. “Those efforts do not go unnoticed. We appreciate it.”
