THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 27, 1994 TAG: 9411270051
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MAPLE LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
The three black Labrador retriever puppies eagerly awaited Bill Neff's welcoming scratches and hugs as he walked into the Currituck County Animal Shelter in Maple.
These dogs were special because recent extra space available at the county kennels had extended their stay beyond the maximum 14 days.
Neff, president of the Currituck Humane Society, was the one who had pleaded for clemency to an animal control officer.
``We told her that as long as you've got space for the dogs, don't gas them,'' the 70-year-old animal activist said.
Like others within the 60-member local humane society, Neff wants to improve conditions for the shelter's cats and dogs, most of whom are strays who sometimes are adopted but often end up being euthanized.
The humane society believes the animals deserve better treatment during their brief stay at the shelter. Not everyone agrees with the 4-year-old group.
They've appealed to the Currituck County Board of Commissioners for improvements to the 24-by-42-foot cinderblock building designed in 1986 to hold animals for a maximum five days. Today's standard stint is at least twice as long.
Chief among the requests is a way to warm, and possibly cool, the animal occupants during extremes in temperature.
``We've been in there, and it's been 18 degrees,'' said Jan Smith, a member of the humane society.
But some of the county officials who decide on these improvements don't believe they are necessary.
Heating and cooling are luxuries that need not be extended to canines and felines - at least not at the county's expense, they say.
``We've got a lot of people in this county that don't have central heat and air,'' said Commissioner Gene Gregory, an ardent opponent of many of the shelter improvements.
``I don't think Currituck County is ready for air conditioning and heating in a dog pound,'' he said. ``You'd probably make them sick if you put them in there.''
Humane Society leaders want to take over the shelter from the county. But first certain standards must be in place, they say, including a minimum temperature during cold winter months.
County commissioners agreed at their last meeting to look into costs for installing a heating system, including one that may run on recycled motor oil.
The typical Currituck resident, however, may not approve of such a project, expected to cost between $3,500 and $6,000.
Outgoing commissioner Jerry Wright recalled the scandal several years ago surrounding former television evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. He specifically remembered public outcry over the couple's air-conditioned doghouse for their pet.
``Not everyone agrees that dogs should be kept in heated and air-conditioned houses,'' Wright, a farmer, said.
Others, like Commissioner Ernie Bowden, a longtime cattleman in Carova, say animals can easily handle winter cold and summer heat.
In 1990, 90 percent of the 962 dogs and 786 cats impounded at the Currituck Animal Shelter were put to death by gas. That percentage has steadily decreased to 73 percent in 1993.
Humane Society members expect that percentage to go down even more as people become aware of the adoption program and take advantage of a new foster care plan and free sterilization.
Last week the Humane Society, which advertises adoptions with local media and recently opened a hotline, placed 12 animals in homes - almost 10 percent of the 167 pets given away during all of 1993.
In addition, the animal-lovers group has placed rugs and towels inside cat cages and dog houses to keep the animals warmer. ``And it makes 100 percent difference,'' Neff said emphatically.
The group wants to change the animal shelter's form of euthanasia from carbon monoxide poisoning to lethal injection and increase public education in pet care.
An ultimate goal is to have more residents assume responsibility for their pets, treat them properly and bring domestic animal populations under control.
``We're going to be growing as the county population grows,'' Jan Smith recently told the county board. ``And our demands are going to be a heck of a lot louder too.''
``I will say the Humane Society has done a lot of things that we would not have been able to get done,'' County Manager Bill Richardson said.
``For some of them, this has been the best 10 or 14 days that these animals have had.'' MEMO: DETAILS
A dog or cat usually stays at the animal shelter for up to 14 days.
The first seven days, shelter operators look for the stray's owner; the
second seven days, the stray is placed up for adoption. If it cannot be
adopted out, the animal is euthanized.
It costs $10 to adopt a dog and $5 to adopt a cat. Neutering and
spaying is paid for by the Currituck Humane Society.
The local humane society also has a new foster program that allows
mother cats and new litters, or puppies and kittens under 6 weeks old,
to be placed in private homes until they reach a certain age.
The Adoption Hotline telephone number is 453-6807 and open 24 hours a
day. Shelter hours vary weekly. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by DREW C. WILSON, Staff
Jessica Bancroft of Moyock, above, gets a close look at the
6-week-old kitten she adopted from the Currituck County Animal
Shelter. At left, Sharon Cooper and Bill Neff, president of the
Currituck Humane Society, administer medicine to a dog im-pound-ed
at the county animal shelter.
by CNB