SUMMERS COUNTY W.Va. (WVDN) – Members of the Summers County Humane Society join with Summers County Commissioners, the Summers County Sheriff’s Department, and local government officials are set to cut the ribbon for the newly purchased and now fully operational dog kennels for dogs in the care of the county. The pre-fabricated building was approved for purchase in December and delivered this spring by Horizon Structures. It required a concrete slab, hook-ups to water, sewer, electric, drains, gutters, and fencing, and welcomed its first temporary occupants in June.
“With air conditioning, heating, washer and dryer, and fencing, humane society volunteers and the sheriff’s department’s Animal Control Officer (ACO) are working together in a greatly improved facility for the dogs and those who maintain their living environment”, according to County Administrator Lisa Eads. Eads was the coordinator of the project, working with the Humane Society to ensure the building was prepared and equipped with everything needed to provide a safe and manageable habitat for dogs who have been rescued, confiscated, and surrendered to the county. This is the first kennel facility the county has owned and opened for this purpose.
Christina Cochran is the newly elected President of the Summers County Humane Society/ACWP. Cochran has planned a major role leading up to the acquisition of the building and preparing it for occupancy, managing what is now a team of 30 active volunteers engaged in helping maintain the facility and the dogs, from transporting them to veterinary visits or transports to partnering rescues in other states, socializing the dogs with walks and field trips to run and play in the parks, fostering dogs in their homes, feeding and cleaning up the kennels on weekends and holidays. “The new kennels are providing a much more easily maintained and sanitized environment, as well as a safer space for volunteers to use for taking care of the dogs,” says Cochran. “Dogs are more easily exercised, socialized, and items are more safely stored and accessed” in this new climate-controlled facility.
For the past couple of year,s the dogs taken into the care of the ACO with the assistance and support of the humane society have been kept safe in a temporary kennels facility at the Summers County Recycling Center, where keeping the dogs cool in the heat of summer and warm in the brutal cold of winter has proven to be challenging. “I’m most proud of the relationship that’s been maturing between the county and the
ACWP, the past couple of years since our emergency appeal to the county for space and support,” according to outgoing ACWP President Cheryl Miller, who has led the humane society team for well over a decade. “That commitment from the county commissioners was both immediate and vital. A farm owned by a humane society board member and volunteer was no longer available and out of the way for most of our volunteers, and our need was critical. We needed a place to keep dogs safe, and the county immediately responded. The investment in this new facility is state-of-the-art. The dogs in the county’s care, with the assistance of our volunteers, ensure the dogs are safe, comfortable, well cared for, and ready to be adopted. This new facility is honestly a dream come true.”
Up until now, ACWP has operated solely as a foster home-based all-volunteer effort. “In cooperation with the county, the organization donates at least 20 volunteer hours each week, maintaining and cleaning the facility,” Miller continues. Countless volunteer hours are additionally provided each week, transporting and socializing dogs and in foster homes. We now have a cooperative and excellent working relationship with an ACO, the county, the sheriff’s department, and local officials, and are very grateful to an overwhelmingly supportive community, all of which would not make what we are doing possible.”
Summers County ACO Jacob Perez says having the facility now operational is a huge step for the county as a whole. We’ve already gotten 500 dogs through, more efficiently, providing everything they need in our care and onto new forever homes through local adoptions and rescue organizations elsewhere. In the past 2 years, since the Sheriff’s Department has been involved and working with the Humane Society, these 500 dogs have been rescued, adopted, or rehomed. It’s fantastic we have been able to save that many. If not for our coordinated efforts, who knows what would’ve happened to these dogs.”
A published “wishlist” has brought in over $3,000.00 worth of items needed to open the doors of the kennels, the past couple of months, according to SCHS/ACWP’s new President. Cochran says, “dog food, trash bags, laundry detergent, bowls, leashes, collars, sunshades for the play yard, dish soap, poop scoopers, squeegees, paper towels, treats, kongs, and much more have been donated”. As capacity expanded from the temporary kennels to the new facility, now providing 7 indoor/outdoor runs with heat, AC, and a doggy door to go in and outdoors, the ongoing need for support is welcome. “We will continue to need food, sponsorships, adoptions, and events like profit sharing nights to assist in caring for the dogs. And, VOLUNTEERS,” Cochran continues, “volunteers needed for fostering, walking dogs, cleaning kennels, fundraising, and adoption events. Kroger also offers a community rewards contribution program as a way to help support ACWP that doesn’t cost grocery shoppers anything. (Information about registering can be found on the Summers County Humane Society’s Facebook page or by contacting Krogers). A percentage of every grocery store purchase is donated to the organization. Food drives are always welcome.” The Hinton Area Foundation also has a fund set up to benefit the non-profit, ACWP.”
Summers County Commissioner Ted Kula appeared in a radio interview broadcast on Mountainplex Media. “We are really excited about this new facility. It’s a kennel, not a shelter, a place where we can temporarily house dogs, where we can work with the ACWP to rehome these dogs. This kennel is a wonderful partnership to serve the needs of the dogs in county care. The fact that this is not a publicly accessible facility on a day-to-day basis, we always need dog-related supplies, toys, food, and volunteer hours. WE are very appreciative to all the donors who have come together to fund this facility: Summers County’s representative WV Senator Jack David Woodrum, Senator Vince Deeds, Representative Roy Cooper, the City of Hinton, and multiple private donations, as well as the county commission, and we want to thank all of those donors” for helping fund the new facility. (Community Matters public affairs program is airing on Mountainplex Media radio stations Sunday, August 10 and August 17 at 8:30 a.m. on Classic Hits 98.3 FM, WMTD 1380 AM and ESPN Radio 102.3 FM The Ticket).
The Summers County Commission also threw its support, along with the City of Hinton, local state legislative representatives, and the Humane Society, as advocates for the now permanent ongoing WVSNP spay and neuter assistance funding through the West Virginia Legislature and administered by the Agriculture Department. Spay and neutering is seen as the best line of defense. Theresa Bruner with the WV Federation of Humane Organizations led the advocacy for WVSNP, maintaining, “sustainability is our goal. We may not solve pet overpopulation, but we can manage it IF we continue to support a sustainable spay-neuter program. Lowering pet overpopulation reduces incidents of cruelty, neglect, human/animal conflicts, and community health hazards.”
Animal control and overpopulation issues are dire around the country, and Summers County is no exception. The new Summers County kennels are full, though occupancy is temporary. Some dogs are harder to place in new forever homes, due to their size or even their breed. Demand for space outpaces space available. Yet, need exceeds capacity, and the Director of Summers County 911, Loyd Lowry, says the non-911 number rings daily, “generally receive one to two calls a day” Lowry says 304-466-3333 is the appropriate number to call when there’s an animal control issue and calls are directed to law enforcement or the ACO. When asked for a message he would send to the public: “Spay and neuter your pets.” This message is echoed repeatedly by all humane organizations nationwide and by the Summers Humane Organization. Funding assistance is limited.
Among the upcoming fundraisers is the Humane Society’s Golf Tournament at WillowWood Country Club, Sunday, August 24. To register, call 304-466-3220 prior to August 22. Sponsorships are still welcome. The Paws for a Cause: Golf for Rescue Sponsorship form can be found on the Summers County Humane Society Facebook page. Sponsorships and donations can be sent via acwp@acwp-wv.or or contact via messenger on Facebook.
