South Georgia Equine Rescue is a magical place, and it has nothing to do with horses (although they have twelve). SGER began in 2019 initially to rescue horses, but once it became evident that there were hundreds of dogs in need of rescue in this county that has no municipal shelter, the dogs poured in….
It has been ten years since Edgecombe County Animal Services had to euthanize any dogs for reasons other than extreme behavioral or medical. That changed last year. In 2022, the shelter took in 551 dogs and euthanized 119. The weight of those deaths clearly weighed on Amy as she answered our questions, and explained that…
The Hazel Y Clark Patrick County Public Animal Shelter is tucked away beside a creek just before you get to the waste transfer station in Stuart, Virginia. The shelter began in 2002. Prior to that, it was run out of a local vet’s office. The building looks new and it’s in a lovely spot (although…
If they aren’t working, he and his wife Jackie are rescuing; it’s their life, Billy explained to me on our second visit to Scott County. Jackie added, “We have no social life. Everything is the dogs.” And this weighs on their hearts because they worry what will happen if they were to step away. Something…
Avery County is the only county in North Carolina that has absolutely no animal services – no animal control officers, no shelter, and no private rescue shelter contracted to take animals. Here is what happens when a county has no animal services: Despite good anti-cruelty laws, with nowhere to place animals, police officers cannot enforce…
I always learn something at every shelter we visit, but at Moore County Animal Services, we saw an entirely different way of handling adoptions. The entire staff has completed the Fear Free shelter program. To minimize the stress on their dogs, they do not allow the public to tour the kennels to pick a dog….
Our 100th shelter visit was (appropriately) at CARA – Carolina Animal Rescue & Adoption, a private, nonprofit rescue in Sanford, North Carolina. CARA is tucked away on a wooded lot, beside a cement plant, which is perfect because they don’t mind noisy neighbors. The building is the old Lee County shelter, which morphed into a…
We just returned from a week traveling in the south visiting nine shelters in four states. It was a great trip and as always, we met incredible heroes, interesting locals, and so many beautiful dogs. I can’t wait to tell you about them in the coming months on the blog (after I finish telling you…
Onslow County Animal Services is a busy, bright, welcoming place conveniently located near schools and beside a county park. Municipal shelters are often located next to county utilities, often near the landfill or the waste processing plant. Too often they are down backroads, in out-of-the-way places, so it was great to arrive at this bright,…
I just can’t wait to get on the road again. At this moment in history, so many shelters are in crisis. And not just in the south, although things are undoubtedly worse there than anywhere. Which is why I can’t wait to get down there to help in any way we can. Ever since my…
