Pittsylvania pups go to N.Y. no-kill sanctuary

The Animal Welfare League of Pittsylvania County would like to see improvements at the county’s animal-control facility. But the organization has taken steps of its own to find sanctuary for some of the area’s unwanted pets.

Since early this year, the league has been working with the Martinsville-Henry County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to transfer puppies from Pittsylvania County to the North Shore Animal League America rescue facility in Long Island, N.Y., said Tonja Reynolds, vice president of the Animal Welfare League of Pittsylvania County.

The Long Island facility is the largest no-kill shelter in the world, said Leslie Hervey, executive director of the Martinsville-Henry County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Reynolds hopes the league’s efforts will help alleviate the area’s problem of having too many animals.

“We just have a huge pet overpopulation problem,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds and Hervey hope the Pittsylvania County Animal Control facility will partner with their organizations to send of its animals to North Shore.

Coy Harville, chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, has appointed a committee to look into making improvements at the facility. The committee, including Harville, Chatham-Blairs Supervisor Hank Davis and Dan River Supervisor James Snead, will meet with the league and county staff to discuss options.

County Administrator Dan Sleeper said the county recently closed on the purchase of land and a small house near the shelter. The house could possibly be used to keep animals, Sleeper said.

The league has asked the county to make several changes at the facility, including allowing transfers to state-approved rescue organizations at no charge, open the animal-control facility on Saturdays to increase chances for pet adoption and reduce the facility’s kill rate, which was at 84 percent in 2007. Franklin County and Campbell County had kill rates of 40 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

The league, a nonprofit organization, has sent about 20 puppies so far to the North Shore facility via the Martinsville-Henry County SPCA, Reynolds said. The league hopes to one day become a rescue organization, Reynolds said.

The Martinsville-Henry County SPCA has so far covered medical costs for the league, Reynolds said. The Martinsville-Henry County SPCA also takes in pets from Patrick and Franklin counties and rescue organizations in North Carolina, Hervey said.

The Martinsville-Henry County SPCA transfer program is designed to prevent litters of puppies from being given away and further multiplying only to end up abandoned or in animal-control facilities, Reynolds said. It also allows puppies to be spayed or neutered before they’re adopted.

Martinsville-Henry County SPCA, also a no-kill shelter, has had puppies transferred to North Shore since 1992 and sends 40-60 there every two weeks, Hervey said.

Puppies must have two sets of shots — at no cost to the owner — after the owner signs a release to the Martinsville-Henry County SPCA. The pups must also be de-wormed and pass a check-up from a veterinarian before going to North Shore.

“In order to go into the program, shots should be started by 8 weeks of age,” Reynolds said. “The owner of the puppies is requested to keep the puppies until they can be transferred to Martinsville into the North Shore program.”

Dogs with hair loss — an indicator of bad health — will not be accepted, Hervey said.

Owners of the mother dog, and the father if available, are also provided a low-cost spay/neuter for the pets, Reynolds said.