ALBEMARLE — Last Thursday, March 25, Stanly County Animal Protective Services officially embarked upon a partnership with the Humane Society of Charlotte.
As a direct effect of this new arrangement, the animal shelter, located at 1037 Coble Ave. in Albemarle, will now have pets that are spayed or neutered, as well as registered service animals, readily available to the public.
After only a few days of the partnership, Stanly County Animal Protective Services (SCAPS) was able to provide 20 animals with surgeries and vaccinations thanks to the services offered by the Humane Society of Charlotte.
“This partnership will allow us to have fully vetted animals available for public adoption, behavioral/medical animals fully vetted and ready to go to their rescue, and SCAPS Barn Buddies vetted, ear tipped and ready for their next outdoor adventure,” SCAPS (formerly known as Stanly County Animal Control) said in a social media post. “We are overly excited about this amazing partnership, and what the future has to offer for the animals of Stanly County.”
The “Barn Buddies” adoption program, which also began last week, is designed to promote safe homes for pairs of unsocialized cats that are spayed or neutered, microchipped, dewormed and treated for fleas. These cats, which are available for an adoption fee of $40 each, are also vaccinated for rabies, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia.
Stanly County Animal Protective Services’ new partnership with the Humane Society of Charlotte is the latest in a set of recent changes for the animal shelter.
On Oct. 5, 2020, the Stanly County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a measure that moved the day-to-day jurisdiction of the animal control department from the county health department to the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office. The change in operational duties now mirrors the chain chain of command for animal control shelters in nearby Cabarrus and Union counties.
Later in October, the sheriff’s office officially announced the hiring of its new command staff for the Stanly County Animal Protective Services. The office introduced shelter manager and director Jana Aviles, who has previous experience working for the Cabarrus County Animal Control. Sergeant Tim Rogers was also named as the first full-time animal control officer for the facility and will be supervising the law enforcement aspect of the shelter.
As of last week, SCAPS expanded its availability and is now open to the public Monday through Saturday from noon until 4:30 p.m. The shelter’s website currently holds an animal adoption questionnaire and application as well a form for lost pets, which can be sent to [email protected]. In addition, an updated registry of found pets, reclaimed pets, and animals available for adoption can be viewed on the SCAPS Facebook page.