In its continuing two-year effort to make and then keep Bradley County shelters no kill, Cleveland for a No Kill City has launched a new volunteer team to help get animals out of the SPCA of Bradley County and to areas of the country where they’ll have a better chance at finding loving, forever families, said officials.
C4NKC’s new “transport team” is responsible for organizing all aspects of transport for animals from the SPCA to partner shelters in other areas of the country. C4NKC, in cooperation with the SPCA and Westwood Farms Foundation, has already done several transports of dogs out of the local shelter and into shelters in other parts of the country.
Because of affordable, accessible spay/neuter that has been in place for decades, some areas of the country, particularly in the northeast, do not grapple with the same companion animal overpopulation issues that plague the south, said officials. Shelters in these parts of the country are often willing to take dogs from shelters in the south because they have local adopters waiting for new furry family members.
The transport program is being expanded in light of the SPCA board’s vote last week to no longer adhere to the organization’s original no kill mission. The board set a cap on the number of dogs and cats who will be housed at the shelter beginning Jan. 1 and voted to make killing an option in order to maintain the cap on population.
Jeanine Warren is coordinating the transport team. She said volunteers on the team do everything from networking with partner shelters and bathing dogs to driving animals to veterinary appointments and to meet transports.
“There’s really a place for anyone who wants to help shelter animals on this team,” Ms. Warren said. “If you’re better at working the phones and Facebook, we need you. If you want to work directly, hands on, with the animals, we need you.”
Recognizing the benefits of transport programs, the SPCA of Bradley County has promised to match donations toward the transport programs dollar-for-dollar, up to $3,000 through Dec. 31.
For more information on volunteering with the transport team, or for more information about donating to fund transports, contact C4NKC at 464-6070 or by email at clevelandforanokillcity@gmail.com.