The Scoop-News and Notes from the Dare County Animal Shelter

Latest issue of a local newspaper column by an Animal Control Officer

THE SCOOP

 

NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE OUTER BANKS S.P.C.A. & THE DARE COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER

By: Richard C. Crino

 

 

Welcome back! I trust that you all had a happy and safe holiday. 2007 was a good year for the Outer Banks S.P.C.A. and the Dare County Animal Shelter. We accomplished a lot in the last year and are looking forward to an even better year ahead of us! As always, we owe much of the credit to the support and generosity of this community.

ON THE ROAD IN 2007

 

In the last column, we recapped some of the improvements and accomplishments of the Outer Banks S.P.C.A. and of the Shelter itself that were made in the last year.

Since then, I talked to our road officers about what they felt were their most interesting or gratifying calls of 2007 and these are some of their favorites.

There was the litter of puppies we all got to know as the “Rub-a-Dub-Dub Gang”. Born and nursed under a house, they were infested with fleas, and had fungal infections that left them with bare spots and open sores on their tails and legs. After being assessed by a local veterinarian, the staff took turns taking these pups home, giving baths and sulfur dips, and getting them socialized. We are thrilled to say that each and every one of “The Gang” was adopted!

Reunions are, of course, one of the most gratifying aspects of the road officer’s job. Returning a lost pet to it’s family is a great feeling. During the past year we’ve had several tearful reunions of pets with their families.

You may remember reading about “Chloe”, the cat that was found trapped at the college in an unused locker room. Skinny and dehydrated, she had been a chubby house cat when she was lost months before during some construction at her home. She is back at home with her family and her brother.

A gentleman in the town of Duck had called to report that his Spaniel had been lost. This man truly considered this dog to be his best friend. One of our officers found the dog in a most unusual place and to this day we don’t know how he would have gotten there. The Army Corps of Engineers Research Facility in Duck has a pier that extends some fifteen hundred feet into the ocean and this brown and white little Spaniel had gone all the way out to the end. He was either exhausted or frightened or both and had to be picked up and led back to shore before he was reunited with his anxious owner.

There is much more to being a road officer in Dare County than just dogs and cats. We had a close encounter with an Emu running-at-large right here in Manteo last Spring. Thankfully, his owner was able to get him back home before we had to wrestle! We’ve gotten calls for horses and goats wandering aimlessly in traffic, even peacocks in the road.

Bridges are a fact of life here on the Outer Banks, and where there are bridges there will need to be bridge rescues. I think you’d be surprised at how many animals get out on these bridges and can’t get off. This, of course, is dangerous not only for the animal, but for all of the motorists that try to avoid them. In the last year we’ve rescued cats, kittens, dogs, raccoons, and quite a few injured sea birds from these bridges. One call reported a colony of thirty Cormorants that decided to land on “new bridge” to Mann’s Harbor Several were rescued and taken to safety and two injured birds went to wildlife rehab!

Many of our calls involve wildlife. Just last weekend we received a call about a harbor seal on the beach in Nag’s Head. We’ve also come to the aid of falcons, owls, pelicans, gannets, gulls, rabbits, and snakes (including 2 pythons) this year!

 

 

LOOKING FORWARD

 

Some of our new board members are going to be working on a membership drive. This will give us a base of support and involvement in the community. Better communication with the public will help us to identify ways that we may serve you better.

An organized volunteer program is also underway for those of you that want to roll up your sleeves and get involved-hands on to directly help us to help the animals of Dare County.

 

Another one of the things we’re looking forward to is a new policy to test all of our cats for Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS prior to being adopted.

We continue to work on and hope to finish our Emergency and Animal Disaster Plan. We’ve made great strides toward the accomplishment of this huge undertaking and you’ll be hearing more about this soon.

 

A MILLION DOLLARS!

 

Well, that got your attention didn’t it? Our (yours and ours) Dare County Animal Shelter is participating in a contest that could mean a million dollar makeover for our facility. This is a national contest sponsored by ZooToo.com and it’s based on community support. Each of you that log on to www.zootoo.com can earn us one hundred points or even more by sending pictures, reviews of the shelter, participating in product reviews and referring friends. I have been assured that this is a reputable website that we can trust and I hope you will log on and put in a good word for us.

ADOPTIONS

 

Adoptions were down a bit this time due to shortened hours, but we still managed to place quite a few of our animals to homes for the holidays. Our most recent adoptions include Flounder, Tyler, Molly, Nick, Chica, Rex, Nellie, and Sam. Brandy, our nine year old Boxer was also placed with a Boxer rescue! Congratulations to all of them and their new families and we hope you’ll bring ‘em back to visit or at least send pictures

ASK ANIMAL CONTROL

Q:

My dog was recently picked up by Animal Control and taken to the shelter even though he was wearing current rabies tags and his county license. I thought since there is not a leash law, that he could run loose…I don’t understand. Mrs.L.D., Manns Harbor

A:

Without more details, I can’t say exactly why your dog would have been picked up, but I can only surmise that there must have been a complaint of some sort. The fact that there is not a leash law per se, does not mean that the dog can do whatever he wishes when not on your property. Dogs are considered a public nuisance according to Dare County Statute 91-027 if they “chase, snap at, attack, or bark at pedestrians, bicyclists, or vehicles, turn over garbage pails, damage gardens, flowers, or vegetables, or coduct itself as a public nuisance….” Being in the road and a hazard to motorists constitutes a public nuisance as well.

 

 

UNTIL NEXT TIME…

Let’s not forget, too, that we humans invited and encouraged these animals to become dependent on us and we now have an obligation to care for them!

 

 

Send your questions or comments to:

Ask Animal Control

C/o Dare County Animal Shelter

P.O. Box 1000

Manteo, N.C. 27954

E-mail Rich at [email protected]

Reviews

[Dianne]

I really like what you are doing with this newsletter. I do have a suggestion however. I'd love to see stories about one or two of the animals that you currently have available for adoption. I think this might help to get them adopted out and it would then make it more meaningful when you told us which of your babies found new homes.

[Sara Muschweck]

This was such a good article, informative, funny, and interesting. You would have to have such wonderful stories to tell of life on the Outer Banks. You write with such ease that I think anything you attempt would be interesting to read. Start small. I started writing about my family, little things, and after time tried other things. Most are very kind when they read and review, so write away. I look forward to seeing what you have come up with.

[Jennifer Ryan]

I think the work of animal shelters and their staff is not only important but a vital part of a community. I am a proud owner of a mixed dog we adopted from a local shelter and we couldn't be more happy with our new addition. The only suggestion I have would be maybe write more heartfelt narratives of the events and goings on of the staff. Ones where you get inside the heads of the people who work for the shelters and give a more moving perspective on the sides of the animals. If you are not comfortable using their names maybe write fiction based on the events. I am sure these kinds of stories would be greatly apprciated and read by the members on this site.