September 3, 2018 update - The SPCA of Wake County took in two additional dogs from the original hoarding case as well as several other dogs from Mitchell County Animal Rescue on Labor Day.
August 15, 2018 - It was all-hands-on-deck for staff at the SPCA Admission Center this morning. Twenty-four dogs were on their way from western North Carolina and there was a lot to do before they could settle into their kennels.
Let's rewind to late last week. Mitchell County Animal Rescue contacted us about a large rescue effort to help dogs in a hoarding situation. The small rescue had taken in almost two dozen dogs from the home where the dogs ran freely in unsafe conditions and had little human interaction. To help ease the strain on their rescue we agreed to take some of those dogs as well as some the rescue had saved from other situations. (Help care for them with a donation)
The living conditions where the dogs came from were far from ideal. The woman had tried to help the dogs, but became overwhelmed. She was very grateful for Mitchell County Animal Rescue stepping in to care for them.
Two volunteers drove four hours from Spruce Pine, North Carolina to Raleigh with the dogs. They arrived around 10:30am to the SPCA Admission Center. SPCA staff gathered supplies, medicine and cleaned kennels in preparation. One by one the dogs were evaluated. Someone took notes of each dog's name, physical description, weight, medication dosage, and more. Someone else held the dog while the medical team drew blood for heartworm tests and gave dewormers, vaccines, and flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. Someone was standing by to take dogs for a bath as needed. When one dog was finished, someone else would scoop him up and take him to a clean kennel. Then the next dog in line could be evaluated.
The dogs from the hoarding situation seem to be in good shape physically. Some had clouds of gnats following them.
A few had fleas.
They are very nervous and don't appear to have had much interaction with humans. Only a few know how to walk on a leash. The others had to be carried so they wouldn't injure themselves with the leash.
In total, we received 14 dogs from the hoarding situation and 10 dogs the rescue got from other situations. We are happy to be able to give these dogs a better future, but a large intake like this takes a toll on resources. If you would like to make a contribution to help care for these pets and others like them, please click here to donate online or call 919-532-2083 to make a gift over the phone.
*Our staff is still assessing the animals to see what needs they may have before being available for adoption. Some may be available for adoption by this weekend, but at this time we don't know which dogs or how many. If you are interested in adopting one of these dogs, you may get your information on file even before they become available. You will need to come to the Pet Adoption Center (200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh, NC 27603) in person and speak with an adoption specialist to begin the process. As these dogs become available, they will show up on our website and you can express your interest in individual dogs at that time. If you have questions about the adoption process, please go to spcawake.org/adopt or speak to an adoption specialist at 919-772-2326.
