Animal Shelter’s state inspection ‘disapproved’ for first time since 2013

ROCKINGHAM — The Richmond County Animal Shelter, which has been run by K2 Solutions since July 2021, failed their unannounced inspection conducted on Jan. 12, 2022 with a result of “disapproved.” This is the first time the shelter has received this ruling on an inspection since February 2013, state inspection records show, which was when it was under the management of the Humane Society of Richmond County.

The most severe of their infractions was the failure to provide veterinary care to three cats that were observed sick but did not have any record of being treated. This resulted in two of them having “swollen and matted” eyes and “clearly needing veterinary care”, according to the inspection report. The only sanction put on the Richmond County Animal Shelter (RCAS) as a result of being disapproved for this inspection is that they must submit to another random inspection sometime 30 days after the failed inspection.

Failure to correct the issues noted in the January inspection by the time of the next one could result in disciplinary action, such as a fine, according to Heather Overton, assistant director of Public Affairs for the Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (DACS). The inspection was conducted by Elizabeth Garner with the Animal Welfare Section of the North Carolina DACS.

“This inspection is disapproved today due the numerous areas out of compliance to include providing and recording appropriate veterinary care and administering a rabies vaccination,” Garner wrote in her general comments on the inspection.

An inspection can be approved, contingently approved, or disapproved, explained Overton.

“Disapproved means that the violations were such that they were not in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act,” Overton said in an interview.

She added that further sanctions would be dependent on “the repetitive nature of the violation, a failure to correct previous violations or a particularly severe violation that affects the health and well-being of the animals.”

Since K2 took over, the RCAS has passed two unannounced inspections, in July and September 2021. Each inspection judges the facility on 144 metrics. The January inspection found the RCAS to be “not in compliance” on five metrics, and that it “needs improvement” on three others.

Those metrics are:

• Record of veterinary care – not in compliance

• Open bags of food stored in airtight containers with lids – not in compliance

• Forevery adult animal, at least one food receptacle offered – not in compliance

• Sick or diseased, injured, lame, or blind dogs or cats provided with veterinary care – not in compliance

• Rabies vaccine for any dog or cat older than 12 weeks old or until such animals have been in the shelter at least 15 days – not in compliance

• Interior building surfaces are impervious to moisture and can be readily sanitized – needs improvement

• All surfaces with which an animal comes in contact impervious to moisture – needs improvement

• Prior to the introduction of dogs or cats into empty primary enclosures previously occupied, enclosures and accessories sanitized in the manner provided in 02 NCAC 52J .0207(b)(3) – needs improvement

It’s common that new managers of animal shelters run into difficulties early on, according to Overton.

“It’s easier to have continuity of care and easier to stay in compliance when all the staff has been there for a while,” she said.

Senior leadership of K2 Solutions did not respond to a request for comment by press time Friday.

Prior to taking over the RCAS, K2 had never been a licensed boarding facility and didn’t need that license because their primary focus has been training dogs for high-level security and explosive detection, law enforcement as well as being service dogs for mental health patients. K2 had never previously been responsible for the care of cats.

The current license the Richmond County Animal Shelter is operating under, with K2 listed as its owner, was issued on Aug. 3, 2021.

Last summer, K2’s CEO and founder, Lane Kjellsen, told the Daily Journal he was confident that the company would be able to take on this new role based on their care for animals “on a mass scale” for more than a decade.

“We are very accustomed to government oversight, we do a lot of federal contracts,” Kjellsen said at the time. “We are very accustomed to response under the national Animal Welfare Act and the subject matter experts that provide oversight, so we feel like we can provide leadership and guidance, and … most importantly, provide community service to hopefully put some of these issues (the fines from the DACS) behind all of us.”

The three cats specifically named in the inspection with regard to their care are Spot, Red and Pumpkin. All three had no records of being treated for their illness.

Spot has been sick at various times since arriving, improving and then worsening. Red and Pumpkin had a record of being treated for L-Lysine, a supplement used to support immune health and ward off feline herpes, from Jan. 2 – Jan. 8 but no meds on Jan. 6, according to Garner. Garner also noted that “several other cats are heard sneezing in the ward” but no other cats were seen with the eye reaction that Red and Pumpkin experienced.

“I have educated the manager on the expectations of the NC AWA that all animals observed with signs/symptoms of illness are to be provided veterinary care, with an updated treatment log that includes the name of the treatment, strength, dose & time/date/initial when administered,” Garner wrote in the notes for the violation in the keeping of records. “If the treatment is not working, then they need to be reevaluated for another course of treatment or euthanized. No animals are to be in the care of this shelter without veterinary care provided when needed.”

The number of cats at the shelter has increased dramatically since K2 took over last summer. Their first, complimentary inspection reported that they had 37 cats in their care out of their total capacity of 90. That number rose to 40 by the end of July when they passed their inspection, then jumped to 85 by their September inspection, which they also passed. The shelter still had 85 cats as of their Jan. 12 inspection.

K2 is a service-disabled veteran-owned business based in Southern Pines with locations in Jackson Springs and Aberdeen. They describe themselves as “a global defense and threat mitigation company.” Its Canine Training Center was established in Richmond County in 2009.

Richmond County transferred control of the shelter to K2 in summer 2021 after the county received two fines in two years, the most recent coming in January 2021.