By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Everyone needs another best friend, but sometimes many animals in our area and across the state don’t have any friends at all. The Carter County Animal Shelter, located at 846 Dry Fork Road in Olive Hill, works to rescue stray animals and help them to find forever homes – because everyone deserves a home.
Paige Lunsford has been working at the Carter County Animal Shelter for more than a year and she has seen many dogs come through the doors for various reasons. Many are strays that never had a home, she said, though some are animals that have wandered off from their homes for various reasons.
The latter case is why the shelter has a five day hold on animals picked up; so that their owners are able to find them and pick them up. The other animals are housed and cared for, given medical treatment at local veterinarians when necessary, and wait for someone to adopt them.
On Thursday, May 16 the shelter will be hosting an adoption event, encouraging people to come in and adopt a dog and give them a good home. The May 16 event is being organized by a local Girl Scout, Gracie Leach, as part of her Gold Award project.
Lunsford said that Leach is a true animal lover and has been volunteering at the shelter for about a year. Volunteers like Leach are always need, she said, to help with everything from cleaning the kennels to walking the dogs – and of course the all-important job of just showing the homeless animals a little love and kindness.
The animals of Carter County and beyond need that, Lunsford said. Currently the shelter is full to capacity with dogs ranging from puppies to much older animals, all of whom need homes to call their own. With the help of organizations like the Girl Scouts and volunteers like Leach the shelter hopes to get the word out to concerned citizens everywhere.
The process is simple, Lunsford said. Anyone interested just needs to come in and fill out an adoption form and pay the adoption fee of $100. Along with the paper comes a voucher that can be redeemed at participating local veterinarians to have the animal spayed/neutered and get their first rabies shot.
“People might think that’s expensive,” she said, “but that 100 dollars goes straight to the vet to cover the animal’s appointment and the spay/neuter and rabies shot. It is much more expense if someone just takes their animal to the vet, so the 100 dollars is a really good deal.”
Lunsford said the Carter County Animal Shelter is grateful for all the donations of food and even bleach and other cleaning supplies. They do accept monetary donations as well, and those donations go to local participating veterinarians who treat the animals when they are picked up if necessary, and also goes toward the voucher program for adopted animals. Recently, for instance, West Carter High School won a Penny Competition with other schools, and was able to donate $100 to the shelter.
The shelter had a Senior for Senior adoption event recently as well, which Lunsford said was a huge success. By placing a senior dog with an older individual, the person gets a dog with all the love of a puppy, but that is past its rambunctious stage and is easier to care for. Animals never stop loving, she said. But they need people of all ages who are willing to return that love.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
