The mini-drought in mid-spring broke with a deluge early Friday morning in our hometown, preparing for a buy May weekend that features the annual Cosby Ruritan Ramp Festival.
I have a fondness for dogs, and some particular cats, so I keep up with the efforts of the Friends of the Animal Shelter, since our ad rep. Sharon Bryant is active with the group. We are fortunate to have Dr. Carol Hood managing the city shelter off Humane Drive.
When Dr. Carol Hood arrived here in 1981 from North Georgia with her husband, Dr. Mike Hood of the Family Practice Center, she probably had no idea that retirement would mean she is working harder then ever. The hard work she does alongside staff and volunteers at the Newport Animal Shelter and Friends of the Animal Shelter is resulting in a significant life-saving effort. Over the years I've watched the change and growth of services to handle the huge problem of abandoned and stray animals. Several of them live at my place and many others are staying with you. To update business leaders on the new programs and continuing challenge, Dr. Hood spoke at the Newport Kiwanis Club in April. Those who know her, know that she sold her veterinary practice, Cedarwood, and retired. Well, at least that was the plan-and to help Mike in the vineyard, mashing out grapes in the wine vats. I think that Robert Brannon, president of Friends of the Animal Shelter, had something to do with convincing her to manage the shelter. And, that has made all the difference lately. She admits to working "three times harder" but the job "brings me unlimited rewards," she said. Dr. Hood credits her great staff and the volunteers for changing the old animal shelter death camp into one that offers life to animals. I'm not sure I heard the statistics correctly that the euthanasia (killing) rate was 80 percent compared to the high percent in the Nazi death camps. She is also seeing an increase in the number of owners giving up their pets because of the weak economy, joblessness, and people's inability to afford pets. So, more animals arrive at the shelter, where their fate is then entirely in the hands of the caretakers. In years past, lack of funds meant no vaccinations against disease and that meant killing animals all day long at times. People won't adopt sick animals. Lack of space resulted in a cap on the number of animals that could be kept there.
I agree with Carol that animals make us human particularly when we care for them in a humane way. She said it is not natural to administer a lethal solution to a friendly pet "because you have no more time or space and then put them in the freezer awaiting a trip to the landfill." I was glad to hear that the county has upped its contribution to $20,000. The majority of strays and abandoned animals come from the county. The City of Newport provides about 90 percent of the annual funds.
One of the volunteers that I've known from years past is Cynthia Wood, who came up with the suggestion to look for homes out of state. But before this plan would really work, the animals had to be in good health. Dr. Hood vaccinates all dogs and pups for parvo and keeps new animals quarantined and cats in a separate enclosure. The program that has made all the difference is called Rolling Rescue. I'm sure you've read about it in the Plain Talk, especially some stories when Police Chief Maurice Shults helped drive a truck full of dogs to the north. The first trip about 20 dogs were taken. During April in just one week, about 130 dogs were transported. Shelter Friends have located about 15 animal shelters that need and accept healthy pets for adoption. You and I do not pay taxes for these trips. Folks give donations and volunteers drive. Recently, the Manhattan shelter contacted the Newport shelter. That was rather amazing to me since they never have worked with another shelter to accept animals for adoption. Big dogs, little dogs, adults and pups are finding homes. Unfortunately, "there is no answer for pit bulls." Yes, Jacksonville will at times accept pit bulls, said Carol, but not often.
When I visited the shelter on Thursday, the staff was talking about the next Rolling Rescue on Tuesday to upper New York state. The various volunteer drivers often choose the same routes that they have done before. I heard shelter worker Christine Hayes and Carol mention officer Ronnie Landers as the newest driving vol. Even pilots volunteer to fly pets to new homes under a program called Pilots and Paws.
You've seen ads for giveaways in the Plain Talk. Many times, the shelter answers these ads to get these pets for Rolling Rescue. Local folks who want to adopt pets always get first choice but there are just not many folks arriving to adopt. Christine, who is from Pennsylvania, said that state requires licensing to own a pet. This is true of many states and the amount is kept small, usually $20 to $25, but it finances powerful spay/neuter programs that keep animal populations in check.
Here is an interesting statistic Carol presented on the cost of euthanizing a dog compared to saving it. For a big dog, the cost to save is $23.80. The cost to kill the same dog is $23.42. It costs only 38 cents more to save an adult dog. "What can you buy for 38 cents?" she asked. And, it actually costs more to kill a puppy than to save it. Last year, the Rolling Rescue mission saved about 1,000 dogs and about 500-600 the prior year. This year more than 1,000 will be sent to other states to new homes. Yet, we are not staying ahead of the ever-growing pet populations. She estimated the non-spayed and neutered population in the thousands and that's the problem. The goal for the shelter staff is to have a 75 percent save rate.
I asked Carol how she ended up in Cocke County from Harrison County, Georgia. She had met Mike at school in Nashville and was planning to attend the veterinary college at UT Knoxville. Mike located a job at Valentine-Shults Clinic just months before it closed. Newport was close enough to Knoxville to commute so they moved here and love the county. I met some of the shelter staff who also include Shawn Estes, Lisa Layman, Erica Jenkins, Brittany Belcher, Sherry Kingrea, Chris Reyes, Wanda Perez and Nelson Perez. Chip Rollins and Ely Trent are the animal control officers. I learned that Chris Bedell is the volunteer coordinator.
Carol and Christine were preparing the certification on a litter of puppies to be sent north soon. I have seen such pups at times abandoned along the roads or dumped in trash cans. But times are changing rapidly since those days. Spay programs are available in many ways and affordable. One of these is a mobile unit from Madisonville that visits the shelter twice a month. People can bring pets but must call 423-487-3115 in advance. I know the woman in charge of the scheduling. Sharon Shinall is the widow of my late friend, arson investigator Roy Shinall.
By the way, Cynthia Woods has taken on the unique program to rescue pot bellied pigs. That sounds like a story in itself.