New shelter in Warren County
By Amy Abern, Best Friends StaffThe story behind the Animal Ark animal shelter in North Carolina plays out like an episode from MacGuyver. You remember the old TV show – it’s the thriller that features the hero who finds his way out of certain death with a tube sock, a tweezers and a used piece of dental floss. The Animal Ark, a brand new up-to-snuff animal shelter in Warren County, was built on little more than sheer tenacity, determination and teamwork.
The new shelter features a 4,100 square-feet facility with an exam room, a feral cat holding area, waiting room, play room, puppy and kitten adoption rooms, an isolation room and kennels for larger dogs. It’s a far cry from the original shelter, errant pieces of plywood wobbling under a tarp roof.
So how did the second poorest county in the state find a way to build a $605,360 facility? Classic grass roots efforts resulting in a collaborative effort between a county government and a couple of not-for-profit organizations. And at the root of the grass roots movement was one Lake Gaston resident, June Gibbs.
She got her first glimpse of what passed for the animal shelter in 2003. When June came upon a stray dog she called Walker, she contacted a local woman to see if she could help find a home for the pooch. The woman agreed to take Walker if June would agree to come by and look at the shelter.
“I had been in Warren County since 1990,” said June. “I didn’t even know there was an animal shelter.”
What she saw horrified her. Dogs crowded into a makeshift shack living for the bare minimum food and water. Human attention? Well, that came with the people who spent all of two minutes feeding the animals and giving them the once over.
The dire situation prompted June to take action. She stepped up earlier efforts to put an animal welfare ordinance into place (which was passed in 2004) and began a dialogue with the county commissioners to address the issue of getting a new animal shelter in place.
While she was off on her own, a group of local citizens concerned with animal welfare had become something of an influential presence in the area as well. In 1999, the group formally incorporated as the Citizens for Animal Protection.
“You have to understand Warren County is the second poorest county in the state,” explained June. “And there are a lot of people who could care less about animal welfare. But fortunately, there were enough people who did and they organized so they could make a difference.”
Between June and CAP, a real process had begun in efforts to build a new animal shelter. But they really needed the help of the local government to make the shelter a reality.
“The only way this was going to work was through partnerships,” said June. “We needed to work with the government, not against them to see this project through.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. The government doesn’t work fast.
“The process is tedious,” said June. “People think you can go in and wave a magic wand and in six months, you have a shelter. It doesn’t work like that. And that’s why a lot of people get frustrated ad give up.”
One of the previous county managers involved in the project early on didn’t want anything to do with a new shelter. So in addition to working through a painfully slow month-to-month process of getting permits and approvals, June and CAP kept running into bureaucratic roadblocks created by the manager every step of the way.
But they didn’t give up. CAP continued to fund-raise. In 2004, a shelter committee was formed; June held the vice-chair office. She also lobbied at the state level for appropriate legislation. In 2005, the government came through with a new state law, calling for county shelters to adhere to certain codes and standards according to rules set forth by the Department of Agriculture under Veterinary Division 52J. The Warren County shelter didn’t even come close.
“I told the commissioners what was coming,” said June. “I proposed we find a way to work together to build a new facility; something had to be done; the time for talking was over.”
The commissioners came on board and in doing so, formed a strong partnership between CAP and the shelter committee.
The county agreed to supply the land and the building for Animal Ark. CAP took on the contractual agreements for low-cost spay/neuter programs, shelter assistance, adoption education, emergency assistance and vet care. The Shelter committee worked on fund-raising and securing in-kind donations. Their efforts began in earnest in October 2005. Just in time to compete with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
“There was no state or federal money to be had,” said June. “No grants, nothing. Everything was stacked against us.”
June viewed those setbacks as a personal challenge. The shelter committee worked around the clock and received in-kind donations from contractors, a flooring company, office supply house and other companies. June and members of CAP also helped to secure financial donations. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on November 2 of 2005. The ribbon cutting ceremony took place a year later to the day, three months earlier than the projected date and several thousand dollars under budget.
At the grand opening, Vice Chairman of the Warren County Board of Commissioners noted, “This doesn’t simply represent an animal shelter. It represents a process…of working hand in hand for the betterment of the community.”
June looked around at what they had accomplished and smiled.
“Not often do you see government, citizens and business come together in a team effort to achieve a common goal but the teamwork is the key to the success of this project,” said June. “I cannot thank enough our team, Citizens for Animal Protection, our supporting Commissioners Chairman Ulysses Ross, Vice Chairman Luke Lucas, Commissioner Janet Humphries, Commissioner Barry Richardson, Linda Jones County Manager, Dr. Amy O'Malley, and those that have donated to make this a reality in our rural community.”
June sees the Animal Ark as a triumph for the area. But the facility still needs a few key components to service a wide spectrum of animal welfare needs in the community. Right now, the need for spay/neuters in the area is crucial. Vets and vet techs are in place to help out, but a few key pieces of equipment are needed including an anesthesia machine, autoclave and feline/canine spay packs. Any donations to help Animal Ark purchase these items would be greatly appreciated.
To make a donation send a check to Animal Ark at the following:Citizens for Animal Protection
Shelter Spay/Neuter Equipment
P.O. Box 334
Macon, North Carolina 27551
Or log onto http://caprescue.org