Congratulations to the 2024 Northumberland Distinguished Citizens: The Staff & Volunteers of the Northumberland Co. Animal Shelter

The Northumberland County Animal Shelter & Friends of the Northumberland County Animal Shelter have been chosen as this year's Northumberland Distinguished Citizens! Help us celebrate these wonderful, pet-loving people at the NAPS Fall Social, Sun. Oct. 27, 4pm-7pm at the Tavern Meeting Building in Heathsville. Online registration is open until Tuesday, Oct. 22 at NAPSva.org/2024-Fall-Social. Hope to see you there!

Excerpt from the nomination submission by a member of NAPS:

The small staff of the Northumberland County Animal Shelter (NCAS) and the volunteers of the Friends of the Northumberland County Animal Shelter (FNCAS) have proudly sustained a no kill status at the county shelter since 2016.

The shelter was established in the 1980s and is a division of the County Sheriff’s Department. The volunteer program at the shelter began in the 2000s, and over a decade later, the Friends of the Northumberland County Animal Shelter (FNCAS), a public 501(c)(3) all-volunteer organization was established.

There are eight County employees who work at the animal shelter, two of which are the manager and manager’s assistant – the only full-time employees. The rest are part-time without benefits and can only work so many hours per week. That leaves the manager and assistant manager to fill in where needed to finish the daily duties. The manager’s work carries over, even outside business hours, responding to email messages and phone calls. All are responsible for the total care of homeless pets that enter the shelter. It’s an enormous responsibility. The small staff has a laundry list of duties to care for (on average) 30-40 animals daily…24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There are no ‘holidays’ when it comes to pet care.

Each animal requires:

Daily kennel cleaning, which usually requires more than one time per day due to dogs not being house trained.
Tons of laundry every day and other shelter cleaning chores that need to be done daily
Assisting the Animal Control Officer when needed.
Assisting the public.
Daily feeding (puppies/kittens and pregnant mothers require multiple feedings each day). This requires washing the bowls before each feeding.
Medication administration, when needed.
Doctor visits, including transportation to/from (some require specialized medical visits).
Several walks a day and/or time in the play yard (dogs only).
Meets and greets between potential adopters and adoptable pets.
Always maintaining the safety and security of the pets.
Other cleaning chores including the shelter lobby, kitchen, bathrooms, and medication room.

The list above is a glimpse of the daily workload. Too many times, these duties amplify when there’s a seizure of animals by the Animal Control Officer. Clearly, this line of work is a vocation for only the passionate ones who love animals – the workload and responsibilities shouldered by these employees should be commended often.

The saying “It takes a village” is true. The small shelter staff can’t do it alone; they need ‘a village’. That’s where the FNCAS comes in. The FNCAS currently has about 135 resolute volunteers who provide support in three primary areas:

Animal Shelter: Volunteers help walk dogs outdoors as exercise is important to pets wellness; transport dogs (and cats) to local events and sometimes to the vet and to rescue partners; maintain the FNCAS website that requires regular updates to showcase adoptable dogs and cats; and because the county isn’t required to house homeless cats, there’s a dedicated group of volunteers who clean, feed, and socialize cats every day. In 2022 and 2023, volunteer hours averaged 8,600 in this area.
FNCAS Thrift Shop in Burgess: Volunteers collect, clean, price, and display donated items. Proceeds from sales help fund items not budgeted by the county: heartworm treatments, ongoing vet care, medications, special food, vaccinations, bedding, toys, and more. In 2022 and 2023, volunteer hours averaged over 3,400 in this area.
FNCAS Board of Directors: The directors provide administrative and operational support for the animal shelter and thrift shop. This includes maintaining financial records, fundraising, managing improvement and maintenance projects at the shelter and thrift shop. In 2022 and 2023, volunteer hours averaged nearly 3,000 in this area.

That’s over 15,000 hours in each of the past two years by volunteers clearly committed to the wellbeing of homeless pets. The partnership between the NCAS and FNCAS is irreplaceable.

In addition to the volunteer hours, FNCAS provides significant funding support to shelter operations. It is the sole provider of funds for heartworm treatments, ongoing vet care, and vaccinations. FNCAS is also the sole provider for special food, shelter needs, toys, beds/crates, and medications. One consistent expense includes dog and cat care. Over the last twelve months, over $62,000 was spent (each year, outlays vary based on shelter volume). FNCAS funding is raised through volunteer efforts, thrift shop sales, donations, and fundraising events/activities.

In summary, the achievements of the NCAS and partner FNCAS are evident by their ability to sustain a no kill status for eight years as well as their equally remarkable save rate, finding homeless pets their "fur-ever" homes. Over the last two years, nearly 500 dogs and 189 cats were successfully placed: that’s almost 350 homeless pets per year! These extraordinary accomplishments are the result of the daily hard work and dedication of both the county staff and FNCAS volunteers.

The environmental benefits of this organization can be demonstrated in its success in keeping stray dogs and cats off the streets, in keeping unwanted populations of dogs and cats through its neutering and spaying programs to a minimum, in recycling items through its Thrift Shop and by matching homeless pets with loving and caring families in Northumberland County and beyond.