Vance County's decrepit animal shelter in need of donations
VANCE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Vance County Animal Shelter is outdated, underfunded, crowded, and in desperate need of donations.
Its tiny staff is a dedicated group of people who love animals, but the property is on its last legs.
One of the shelter's inhabitants, Captain Hook, came to the shelter with a fishing hook through his nose, mouth, and paw. But he didn't get stitched up at a veterinarian's office.
"If we have to bring a dog in with an injury, we have to do it in our laundry room," said a shelter director Frankie Nobles.
Animal Control officers have responded to 95 animal abuse calls in Vance County in the last 16 days. The need for a shelter is immense, but the building hasn't been updated since it was built 40 years ago.
"There's no heat and air," said Nobles, "we have kennels deteriorating, paint that's peeling."
More than 3,000 animals come through every year, and there's only room for about half that many. So, the shelter was forced to put pens and crates outside.
"You see how bad it is, we have to set them up in our parking area because we have no place to put them," said volunteer Gail Latta.
Fans and shade outside are all they have to keep the animals cool in the summer, and they use tarps in the winter to try and keep them warm.
The shelter is always full, and staff is forced to euthanize about 20 percent of the animals that need rescuing.
"I go home a lot of nights crying, and I know everyone here does," said Latta.
Only four people are on staff, the rest are volunteers. They rely heavily on donations, and now they have a chance at a new location. They have the land, they just need the money for a building.
"It would be overloaded with animals in Vance County, just running the streets," Nobles said, as he explained what the area would be like without the shelter.
County commissioners approved a new building, but now the shelter has to come up with the money for a down payment on a loan.
If you'd like to make a donation, click here.
