AVERY COUNTY, N.C. — It was a packed house at the Avery County commissioners meeting in Newland Monday afternoon, and nearly every person in the public seating section or standing in the back was there to speak for the animals and against a county plan to outsource limited animal services to a Mitchell County shelter.
Animal advocates say they have been calling for a local animal control for years, but not in the way Avery County has recently proposed.
The county announced late last month it would contract with Mitchell County Animal Rescue (MCAR) to kennel animal cruelty cases. Avery County also plans to hire an animal cruelty investigator.
A new animal shelter is also slated for construction on the Mayland Community College property to allow MCAR to house animals in two locations. Avery County officials said this came after a verbal agreement with the college's board of trustees.
Some with rescue groups in the area said addressing only cruelty cases, but not strays and other animal-related concerns, only helps a fraction of the problems. Many are also against moving Avery County taxpayer money into other counties.
"We've taken in almost 500 animals in two years and two days," Ellie Lecka, founder of volunteer- and donor-driven organization Avery County Animal Support, said. "Only 16 of those were considered cruelty case animals by our sheriff's office."
Lecka has described the lack of animal control as both a public health concern, with little to no oversight on dog bites and rabies control, in her view, and a perfect storm for animal abuse and neglect to flourish in the county.
She and other speakers addressed county leaders with their concerns Monday, with about 45 minutes worth of public comment pertaining to the topic of animal control. Some described personal stories of taking in starving and neglected strays on their own dime and time, since there is no official place to bring them.
"We're done turning a blind eye to these animals being starved and beaten and, in some situations, given back to their owners," one woman said to county commissioners. "That's unacceptable."
"We need you guys to step up," she continued. "Our buildings are okay. We don't need more police cars. We need animal funding services in Avery County, not Mitchell, which is about an hour away, not a neighboring county. We need to step up and take care of our animals."
Some also said they are worried Mitchell County will not be able to house both its and Avery County's animals.
"We pull animals from Mitchell County to save them from euthanasia every single year," another woman said, noting she is affiliated with the Avery County Humane Society. "They have no room. We have two dogs in our shelter right now that came from Mitchell County a week ago, because there was no room for them to take them. It makes no sense to have a facility that is a co-facility, when we are both overrun with animals. The only thing that's going to happen if we have a co-animal services is the euthanasia numbers are going to be through the roof."
When contacted last week to share details of Avery County's plans to work with Mitchell County, County Manager Phillip Barrier sent WCNC Charlotte a statement that read, in part:
"While animal services come with a broad range of questions and concerns, the county commissioners feel these steps are in the right direction. The hope is that working with MCAR, the Sheriff’s office, the Avery Health Department on rabies and other testing, Avery Humane Society, and other animal agencies together we will do the best job possible for our animals."
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.