THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 9, 1995 TAG: 9507090208
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MAPLE LENGTH: Long : 126 lines
The gray speckled cat had to stick its nose in every part of the tiny wooden office with the window decal of Garfield the cartoon cat on the front door.
The feline continually slid behind desks and onto a window sill, crawled between people's feet and even snuck into a shower stall. In fact, the animal seemed to want to be everywhere except in its new owner's arms.
``She wants to find out what's going on,'' said W.D. ``Bill'' Neff, the 71-year-old president of the county's Humane Society.
So do a lot of people in and around Currituck County, now that the animal activists have taken over operation of the shelter.
Things are happening at the long-embattled home for the abandoned and the lost. Kennels are being upgraded. Fewer cats and dogs are being ``put down.'' And the adoption rate is at an all-time high.
Even the name is changing, to signal what Humane Society leaders hope will be a kinder, gentler pound.
``We're gonna call it the Currituck Animal Haven,'' Neff said, obviously pleased with the moniker members selected at their last Humane Society meeting.
Neff has a lot to smile about these days.
Since Neff was named president last September and helped wage a highly publicized battle with the county's animal control department, membership has gone from 12 to almost 70 members, including some from neighboring Chesapeake, Va., and Dare County.
Private donations have provided heat for the cinder block shelter, a continuous supply of dog and cat food, new dog houses, fresh bedding and a host of other accoutrements to enhance the quality of life for animals taken into county custody.
Office furniture, a refrigerator and a washer and dryer have been given to make the volunteers' work easier, too. Only a copy machine and desk have had to be paid for with society funds.
Neff and several other Humane Society members first approached the county about assuming responsibility for the shelter last fall. But first, they said, certain conditions had to be met, including heating the gray cinder block building.
Some commissioners and county residents balked at the idea, believing it an insult to provide county-paid warmth to stray animals when some citizens could not afford to heat their homes in the winter.
Eventually a Moyock man offered to finance a heating system. Soon, though, allegations of unnecessary mass euthanizations began to surface.
Tensions grew between the group and county officials during the winter and early spring, but eventually an accord was reached and the society took over the shelter July 1.
It will receive $9,150 this year from the county to help support the animal care. Animal control officers will be autonomous, responsible only for retrieving stray or vicious animals and transporting them back to the shelter.
Snowden said last week she and fellow officer Pam Odom plan to beef up patrols to help curb what has become a growing concern among Currituck residents: dangerous animals running loose.
``What we hope to do is tighten down more on rabies,'' Snowden, who has worked in animal control for about nine years, said during the officers' move to an adjacent trailer on the Maple compound.
Two rabid raccoons were discovered earlier this year. One was found in February after biting a dog in Moyock. Another was discovered this April on South Gregory Road in Shawboro.
It's the county's first rabies outbreak in about 40 years, Snowden said.
``People - they just don't know the seriousness of getting a rabies shot for their pets,'' she said.
Dog bites also are up this year, with more residents taking to the streets to bike, jog or stroll and meeting up with unrestrained, territorial pets.
The Humane Society plans to start an educational program in the public schools to teach children proper pet care, including the importance of sterilizations to control pet populations.
Foster homes have been set up to prevent some of the shelter animals from going to the ``gas chamber'' behind the building.
``This way people don't have to commit. They can check things out before they adopt,'' said Georgia Miller, who took home 21 ``foster'' cats scheduled to be euthanized last week.
``We've got to get a bigger bulletin board to hold everything,'' Sharon Cooper said as she scanned index cards containing current occupants' vital information. More than half of the dogs and about three-fourths of the cats are listed as strays.
Since taking over the adoption program last November, the Humane Society has given 133 animals to new owners. In the 10-month period prior, 47 animals were adopted out.
Adoptions at the shelter are $10 for dogs and $5 for cats. For a limited time, a big bag of dog food is being given with each adopted dog, and a new plastic litter pan goes home with each cat.
Members still rely primarily on word of mouth to bring people in. Collection cans are placed in local stores, with Polaroid shots of animals attached to them.
``Even cashiers will talk people into adopting them,'' said Cooper, Humane Society vice president and Neff's daughter.
Cooper related one incident where a tourist spotted a photo of a fluffy Siberian Husky at a convenience store. She made a detour to the shelter, located off U.S. Route 158 near the county airport, to buy the dog before continuing her trip home.
Folks here are serious about improving the lives of the creatures now under their care. But there's also a lighter side to the animal life.
Stories are shared about the dog that goes crazy without a daily cigarette and the cat that likes to use the commode when the lid's left up.
Many credit Neff, a former paint contractor in Durham, for the initial success of the Humane Society takeover.
Shortly after moving with his companion several years ago to Currituck, Neff started volunteering at the shelter. He now spends up to 40 hours a week tending to the animals and grounds.
He noted during a break from his work that the Currituck center will be modeled after shelters in Pasquotank and Dare counties.
Eventually, Neff would like to see animals everywhere come together.
``Maybe in the future, if I live long enough, we can all get together on a big farm and have a no-kill system,'' he said before heading back into his ``haven.''
FAST FAX
The Currituck County Humane Society took over operations of the county animal shelter in Maple this month.
Adoption rates are among the lowest in the area: $10 for dogs and $5 for cats. The group also will help pay for spaying and neutering.
It's wise to call the shelter ahead of time at 453-6807 to make sure someone will be available when you plan to visit. by CNB