Paw-Sionate Volunteers Fight for Animal Rights
By: Grace Smith – Wise News Network
RUTHERFORDTON, NC (WNN) – Thumping tails and happy barks filled the kennels at the Heart of the Foothills animal shelter. Five dogs sat in crates, eagerly awaiting treats in the procedure room; they had no idea how close they came to euthanasia.
The dogs were placed on euthanasia row because of overcrowding. There are only so many spots in the Rutherford County animal shelters. When the kennels are full drastic measures are taken. Heart of the Foothills stepped in to rescue the dogs from early deaths, the youngest among them barely three months old.
Rutherford County, like many others in NC, needs an overhaul of its animal control system. Whether it is reports of abuse and neglect or the overcrowding of shelters, members of the community have banded together to create change.
Paola Hayes is the President of the Animal Welfare Alliance of Rutherford, an organization with the mission to address animal welfare policies in Rutherford County. Its goal is to work hand-in-hand with government officials to create an environment of compassion surrounding the rights of animals in Rutherford County.
Hayes said that AWAR got it start after the board members became burnt out from rescuing animals.
“For years we had been working in rescue and getting frustrated because we know that we’re helping that particular animal, but there [were] always dozens of others that needed help.” said Hayes.ย
After years of contemplation, she and other board members witnessedย enough animal suffering to know they had to take their fight to the county.ย
The day after AWAR was formed, the Hanser case hit the media. Hayes said the details of this case only amplified the need of their organization.
The Hanser case involved several counts of animal cruelty. Delores Hanser falsely operated a rescue ranch for horses, goats, and various other animals. When animal services arrived at the ranch in February 2022 they were met with severe cases of neglect.
“Last February they actually went and executed a search warrant on her property and seized 20 some horses, sheep, [and] goats.” said Hayes.ย
She said that two of the horses were in such bad condition that they were euthanized on the spot. Despite the shocking revelations of this case, it was a win for the animal welfare community in the end. Hanser was found guilty of felony charges of animal cruelty and neglect.
“The Hanser case had been worked on by people for years to bring to court, and to have a great success at court was a huge, really a key win for animal welfare in the county because it’s just one of very few cases that go to court and especially that go to court with felony charges.” said Hayes.ย
The Hanser case is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to animal welfare in Rutherford County.
“The largest instances that we see are neglect in general, lack of proper nutrition, lack of proper shelter.” Hayes said, “We also see a lot of roaming dogs, which is a concern because of the numbers of them. And those roaming dogs are typically also not very well taken care of. We also see a lot of medical issues, such as parvo and heartworm.”
Karen Parker, the director of Heart of the Foothills, said that the parvovirus is common. One of the dogs who was saved from euthanasia was a mother. All but one of her puppies died of the parvovirus.
Upon intake, one of the first tasks for shelter workers is to provide unvaccinated animals with their rabies and parvovirus vaccines. Though deadly, these illnesses are preventable with medical care.
AWAR strives to educate the county on how to properly care for their companion animals. On its website, different types of abuse and neglect are listed, as well as links to resources for pet owners and community members.
There has been success in reaching out to the county government, and are slowly fostering relationships that could improve Rutherford County’s animal welfare status.ย
“In a perfect world, we would make Rutherford County a model county for animal welfare.” said Hayes.ย
AWAR’s goal reaches beyond its county and into NC as a whole. According to Hayes, NC ranks 42 in the country when it comes to animal rights.ย
‘We’ve got a beautiful state, we’ve got a beautiful county, we’ve got beautiful people. And this is just kind of a blemish on our otherwise wonderful state that we know we can do better.” said Hayes.
Ultimately, AWAR wants to lobby not just at the county level, but to the state, to push for animal welfare. There are currently three bills regarding animal rights that are making their way through the state government. AWAR advocates for these bills on its website.
The battle against animal cruelty is important for multiple reasons. Not only are animals suffering, but abuse towards companion animals frequently indicates that larger issues are at play.
“Animal welfare bleeds into other areas of the community. Crime, domestic abuse, drugs.” said Hayes.
AWAR hands out fliers that list statistics regarding companion crimes of animal abuse. According to the National Sheriffs’ Association, 88% of families investigated for child abuse are also reported for animal abuse. Five other statistics are listed on the flier.
AWAR wants the community to get involved in its cause, not just to protect the county’s animals, but county’s people as well.ย
On Wednesday, Sep. 27, 2023, at 6:00 pm, AWAR is hosting a town hall meeting for community members interested in tackling animal welfare in Rutherford County.
“The intent of that town hall is to bring the community together, share with them what we have learned. The discussions we have had with leadership, what we feel is a good course of action for us to take forward, plan to make changes and how we need the community to help because [we] need a community to do it.” said Hayes.ย
On a different level, community members can also help the animal population of Rutherford County by becoming fosters. Both Hayes and Parker drive home how important animal fosters are.
Parker said that Rutherford County animal control will only euthanize non-violent and healthy animals in cases of overcrowding. One way to directly combat this issue is by taking on a foster pet.
Pet fosters will house an animal until it is adopted. The Heart of the Foothills website has information on how community members can become fosters. All expenses are covered by the shelter, all the foster has to provide is ample amounts of snuggles and love to the pet in need.
Though the issue seems vast, volunteers at AWAR and the Heart of the Foothills, among others, are confident that animal welfare can improve. All it takes is the community to come together, hand-in-paw, to combat the problem.
Want to get involved?
- If you live near Rutherford County and you’re interested in adopting an animal please go to the Heart of the Foothills’ website:ย https://www.heartofthefoothills.org/adoptable-petsย
- If you live near Rutherford County and want to do more for the animals in your community, please go to AWAR’s website:ย https://www.awarutherford.com/
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