No time to ‘paws’ at the Outer Banks SPCA

by Danielle Puleo

By Friday at noon, Outer Banks

SPCA shelter manager Leann Saunders has already had a packed day, let alone a busy week. Her role at the shelter is an extremely dynamic one, with an ever-shifting environment that requires diligence, problem-solving, a lot of time and an intense amount of care.

Every day is a little different at SPCA. There are days when three dogs are surrendered by their owners and must receive vaccinations and possible medical care given their current condition upon arrival. Some days, strays make their way in by local residents, while other days cats, dogs, rabbits and even guinea pigs are either taken in or adopted out. And on other days, meet-and-greets are set up and the reading room sees several families willing to spend time with possible future pets. But some things never change, like the time spent ensuring each animal taking up residence at the facility – whether it be for a day or a year –receives the care it needs.

Saunders is making her rounds, checking in on a large mixed breed dog named Buddy who was overly anxious during his first days at the SPCA and needed to be moved to a private part of the building. “He got super kennel stressed, so we moved him back here where he is living his best life.” Concerned for his mental health, Saunders knew this was the right move: “I was like, we have to do something.” She was pleased with his current state, while admitting she wished the facility would afford enough space to allow more dogs the same privacy if needed.

While stopping at the “reading room,” the shelter manager lifted a sheet off of a larger cage that housed three guinea pigs, all of which were surrendered earlier that week and are looking for a new home. Pictures and brief descriptions of all the animals located at the shelter can be found on the SPCA’s website for those looking

to adopt.

If adopters are looking to see how the animals are prior to making the decision to bring a new pet home, they are welcome to spend time with the animals at the shelter, either outside in the large play pen areas or inside in areas like the reading room. “Moms and dads will sit and kids will be on the bean bags chairs,” Saunders shared. “A lot of times the dogs will just want to run, but the kids like it because then they don’t really have to read,” she laughed.

While making her way down toward the front desk, Saunders was greeted by a local resident and a stray dog named Buck, who was found in the resident’s backyard. She checked his tags and found the name and number of Buck’s owner, who was contacted immediately. Buck then trotted down the hall with Saunders, kept safely in the stray intake room until his owner was able to come by and retrieve him. There never seems to be a dull moment at the SPCA. “We have to work around the clock,” Saunders pointed out, “I used to be with animal control before I got promoted to shelter manager, so I was used to the at night stuff. Sometimes it’s a lot by yourself, so I will still go with girls on a call.” Leann is in charge of what happens in-house; she oversees what dogs come into the shelter and scans all adoptions before dogs leave their care, while still maintaining substantial knowledge of cats, small pets and animal control. She enjoys going to the local schools to educate students and speak on behalf of the SPCA, and is available during emergency hours and during the weekends to assist with meet-andgreets, trapping feral cats and dogs, and filling in the gaps when volunteer help is short.

As Saunders plays in the fenced-in grass yard in front of the facility with a hound named Lary, who came to the shelter with a broken leg, she provides insight: “We are fortunate, in Manteo there’s leash laws, but we cover all of Dare County … in other towns there are no leash laws. A lot of times they just let their dogs go,” she shared. “Owner-surrenders vary. We never know what’s going to come through. I would say there are at least two strays a week and at least three owner-surrenders, like we get hit.”

The Outer Banks SPCA is the only shelter in the county, and a no-kill shelter at that. “We have dogs here until they find a spot to go.” Saunders noted that she will pull dogs from neighboring county shelters that do euthanize after a set period of time, so that they have more time to find a home.

A few cats are playing in the front room while animal control officer Crystal Simpson and cat care technician Karen Fortunato are tending to felines in the next room over. Saunders is then greeted by one of their dog care technicians, Jessie McDade, whom the kennel manager hired a couple months prior. McDade makes her way out to the play pen with a boxer mix named Princess, who happily carries around her tennis ball while

McDade throws more toys for her to run after.

“We have a hard time finding people that have the heart for it,” Saunders says as she watches McDade play with Princess. “Everything she [Jessie] does, she stays late or comes in early, but everything she does is what the dog needs and it’s hard to find people that put the dogs above themselves.” Consistent volunteers are something the shelter have had a hard time finding; the core crew is invaluable, but new eyes are always welcomed and appreciated.

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