I had the chance to visit the Vance County Animal Shelter in the fall. I’ve heard so many great things about the people and volunteers there. It was wonderful to see them in person and experience the struggles of rural county shelters. The Animal Control Director Frankie Nobles is amazing. He has such a wonderful, kind heart and has advocated so much for the animals in his community. Animal Control and the community have pushed for almost ten years for a new shelter. Now the time has come!
As you can see in the photos, the shelter is small and the animals are mostly kept in outside kennels where their only shelter from rain, snow or ice is a tarp that is dropped down. Nearly half of the kennel space was also filled with dogs that are “evidence” in pending animal cruelty cases. One dog has been there for a year. These dogs can’t be adopted out until the case clears or the county surrenders control to allow them to be adopted. Meanwhile, that’s space that prevents other animals from having a chance. The current shelter is visually one that most people picture when going to “the pound.” I hear so many people say “I can’t go. It’s so sad.” And yes it can be. But that’s all about to change! After lots of advocating and rallying by the community, the county approved a loan to build a new shelter! Not only will the animals have a major upgrade and have heat/AC, but it will be so much more inviting for the public to come find a new family member.
A couple donated five acres of land for the new shelter. The community raised $44,000 so far for the $1.75 million project. The current shelter is 2,000 square feet and the new shelter will be 8,700! I attended the ground-breaking ceremony last week where there was quite the crowd! It was exciting to see so many people show up for this event and stand outside on a very cold morning. It’s easy to get to places close to Raleigh, but Henderson is an hour away. The crowd certainly shows how much community support this project has. How exciting and inspiring! The new shelter is expected to be ready in the fall! I can’t wait to see it in person!
Above: Animal Control Director Frankie Nobles
Above: This tarp is is what currently keeps out the rain and cold.