Our advocacy efforts did not emerge from thin air. We wanted to know why. What causes someone to surrender their pets to an animal shelter?
So before we decided on program offerings, some of our companion animal advocates dug into national data provided by national and local pet rescue organizations. We looked for common reasons for surrenders by pooling the numbers from leading national authorities. We relied on data from PeTA, United States Humane Society, ASPCA and local rescues in surrounding communities.
This was not all theoretical or based on numbers. In fact, advocates called rescue agencies. Some drove to local shelters to speak with staff and volunteers. Still another spoke with animal control officers from Bertie County and surrounding communities.
Late one evening, pet advocate and CAABertie volunteer Deborah Tayloe physically wrote each “reason for surrender” onto an index card with a marker. She fanned them out on her dining room table. As she shuffled, moved, and stacked the cards, trying to organize the information visually, she realized that she could put every circumstance that could cause a pet surrender into three broad categories:
- Financial
- Transitional
- Behavioral
Once she realized this complex problem stems from simple reasons that the community could address, Tayloe excitedly shared these data points with committee founder Beth Northcott. As a result, they developed Companion Animal Advocates of Bertie’s programming.
Can You Chip in to Help Our Advocacy Efforts?
100% of every donation goes directly into our programming.
Why We Need Advocacy in Bertie County
The need for companion animal advocacy in Bertie County is readily apparent as you drive around the beautiful rural community.
Animals are often “dumped” in rural areas, confused and left to fend for themselves. If they survive the predators (we have coyotes) and avoid getting hit by cars, they are lucky–at least initially. From there, they turn to foraging through residential or commercial trash cans, risk getting caught for preying on small farm animals like chickens, or die from the extreme heat and a lack of fresh water in the North Carolina summertime.
The culture of “throwing away” animals must change. And that change will start with the efforts of Companion Animal Advocates of Bertie.
The Three Pillars
Companion Animal Advocates knows that addressing the behavioral, transitional, and financial challenges will not be easy. However, we view overcoming these issues as a positive–the three pillars of responsible pet ownership.
We will help support local efforts and work in a spirit of goodwill with the Bertie County Animal Control officers, the County Board of Commissioners, other concerned citizens, and local rescue organizations. The programs we propose support the efforts of other agencies in an interconnected and meaningful way. Of course, progress will take time. But that’s okay. Our volunteers will be right here, taking one baby step at a time to improve the lives of companion animals in Bertie County.