Beating the heat: Shelter passes inspection, works to control stray population

ROCKINGHAM — Following their “disapproved” inspection in January, the Richmond County Animal Shelter was approved on their mandated follow-up inspection last week, with only three minor issues being noted.

Elizabeth Garner, the official with the Animal Welfare Section of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services who conducted both inspections, wrote in her report on the Feb. 16 inspection that the Richmond County Animal Shelter (RCAS) “addressed all areas noted within the recently disapproved inspection report,” including reaching out to the county’s building management staff to address the lighting issues and chipped surfaces that were flagged.

“Animals housed here look much better today, and the shelter clean and organized,” Garner said, adding that she would follow up again after 60 days.

Each inspection judges the facility on 144 metrics. The unannounced January inspection found the RCAS “not in compliance” on five metrics, and that it “needs improvement” on three others, while the follow-up only noted that the shelter needs improvement on three metrics and is in compliance on all others that are applicable.

The February inspection was also unannounced, though it was to occur some time after 30 days had passed since the previous inspection.

“Remedial action has been taken with respect to the areas identified in the report, and the requirement to uphold established standards of care have been reinforced,” K2 said in a statement. “We believe that we’ve had a positive impact on the Shelter and are proud of the changes that we have made during our first 6 months of operation. We have executed a deep clean of the facility and coordinated with Richmond County to provide infrastructure repairs and renovations, including cleaning of the ventilation system, pest control, new flooring and updated paint. We’ve received tremendous support from the community in this effort.”

The disapproved inspection on Jan. 12 was the first time the RCAS had received this result since February 2013 when it was under the management of the Humane Society of Richmond County, state inspection records show.

K2 Solutions took over the RCAS from the county on July 1, 2021, but assumed operational control on Aug. 1. The current license the Richmond County Animal Shelter is operating under, with K2 listed as its owner, was issued on Aug. 3, 2021.

Since K2 took over, the RCAS has passed two previous unannounced inspections, in July and September 2021.

What went wrong

The most severe issues found in the January inspection related to the care of three cats — Spot, Red and Pumpkin — for whom there was no record of them being treated for their illnesses. Red and Pumpkin had “swollen and matted eyes” and “clearly needed veterinary care,” Garner wrote at the time.

Additionally, Garner noted lapses in the administering of rabies vaccines, and that other cats were heard sneezing in the facility.

K2 had never previously been responsible for the care of cats prior to taking over the RCAS, but the company said that this was not a factor in the poor state of the shelter in January.

In an emailed statement, K2 attributed these issues to “the exponential increase in the intake of animals, and adoptions due to community involvement and trust in the Shelter.” They explained that the intake and adoption rate for dogs from Jan. 1, 2022 to Feb. 23, 2022 is triple the rate during that same time period in 2021 and, for cats, that rate has doubled.

The lingering issues that need improvement, as listed in the Feb. 16 inspection report, are as follows:

• Records of veterinary care — Logs of medical treatment were in compliance with the exception of one cat, Ginger, who is taking two medications, one of which is apparently not an option within the shelter’s PetPoints system. Garner said the kennel tech didn’t know how to input this medication, so she advised that they track these medications with a paper treatment log instead.

• Light fixtures in compliance with state building code — Overhead lighting in a K9 intake room has two blown overhead light fixtures, reducing visibility for the staff as they work with the animals. The shelter has put in a work order with the county to address this.

• Surface that animals come into contact with subject to moisture damage — There is still minor chipping on a surface in the facility that Garner said needs to be addressed. The shelter has put in a work order with the county to address this.

The RCAS has taken in 177 dogs since January 1, 2022, and has adopted out 144 in 2022 as of Feb. 23, according to K2. They have adopted out 118 cats and kittens from Jan. 1, 2022 to Feb. 23, according to K2.

The population of cats at the shelter at the end of July was 40, and that number increased to 85 by the shelter’s September inspection, against their total feline capacity of 90. The shelter still had 85 cats on the premises by the January inspection, but from Jan. 12 to Feb. 16 the cat population decreased to a more manageable 30.

“Though we are taking in a significantly higher number of animals, we are functioning with the exact same payroll budget that was previously in place — the same number of personnel are managing a considerably increased workload,” read the company’s statement. “It’s important to recognize that two or three times as many animals means two or three times as many opportunities for disease to enter into the population. In cats alone, it is estimated that 80-90% will arrive to the Shelter with latent feline viral respiratory infections, and we anticipate that most cats will have respiratory symptoms during their stay with us.”

K2 added that inexperienced staff may have contributed to the issues Garner initially flagged as well.

“In reviewing our January 12, 2022 inspection, inexperienced staff, relevant to the specific tasks associated with running this Shelter, may have contributed,” they said. “To ensure that all protocols are being followed, and that staff is adequately trained, we have implemented Quality Assurance corrective actions, which will improve our Shelter staff experience in animal care, animal welfare and animal facility management.”

When K2 took over from the county, the existing staff were invited to apply for their jobs. K2 declined to disclose how many incumbent staff were hired and how many new staff were hired since the takeover, but said they “fully vetted” whether they were new or rehired from the county’s staff.

“All RCAS personnel are continually trained in K2’s protocols and SOPs. K2 performs nightly Quality Control reviews and unannounced spot checks of animals and facilities,” K2 said.

When K2 took over, they asked the county to budget “significant dollars” for infrastructure improvements and repairs to the facility, said CEO Lane Kjellsen. Though K2 is in charge of the “shelter,” the building it operates out of is still owned by the county, Kjellsen explained.

Kjellsen gave kudos to the county for “making good on their commitment” to improving the facility, referring to the work orders they’ve put in with the county to address the issues with the lighting and the floor, which he said helps them take better care of the animals.

The shelter was closed beginning on Feb. 21 while the floors were being repaired by county maintenance staff. They plan to reopen on March 1.

Rebuilding public trust

This time last year, the RCAS was receiving a barrage of criticism on social media and protestors lined up in front of the Richmond County Administration building demanding change in leadership at the shelter following news of the state fining the county for failing to provide pain medication to an animal that had been hit by a car for about 30 days (though the dog was only in the immediate care of the shelter for a small part of that time period).

K2’s efforts to restore relationships with local rescue agencies and those in the region, partnering with local businesses to hold adoption events, and aggressively sharing up-to-date information about animals that are available for adoption has been a major part of the increase in efficiency at the shelter, as well as the relationship with the community, Kjellsen said. He credited Program Manager Rachel Royston with doing much of the legwork for the shelter on this front.

“Rachel’s adopted out more dogs this month than what our capacity is, so that means she’s turning them over at a rapid rate and you can’t do that on your own, there’s just no way to do that,” Kjellsen said. “The relationships she’s built across the board, and there’s no way to properly thank everyone that’s been involved in that … but we are dependent on every relationship and she is dancing a tight rope with that many animals coming into the shelter every month and trying to get them out — if we lose one of those relationships it would be catastrophic.”

Kjellsen said that from the beginning of their time running the shelter, the community has “embraced” K2 and have been active in helping the company do their jobs.

“In many cases that has set us up for success,” he said.

Director of Growth Amanda Begins said that their goal is to “beat the heat” — meaning the period in which female cats and dogs are most receptive to mating — to solve the county’s stray animal problem, and said the only way to do that is to increase the rate at which the shelter cycles animals through the facility. Rescues streamline that process.

“When you’re moving animals into [a rescue’s] care you know that they’re going to be properly vetted … and they’re also going to go to homes that have been properly vetted so you’re able to move them faster than through an adoption process where you’re reviewing applications and choosing the right family,” Begins said.

In addition to increasing the number of animals they have connected with rescue agencies, K2 has also increased the amount of in-house adoptions, according to Begins.

Their adoption coordinator also runs their Facebook page, which has amassed 2,073 likes and 2,227 followers as of Feb. 25 since starting it last summer. Begins said they had to start a new page for the shelter — titled “Richmond County Animal Shelter – RCAS” — because they had trouble accessing the shelter’s previous page.

For example, this week the page shared information about an upcoming adoption event in Aberdeen, posted two lost dogs that were brought in asking for help finding their owners, and on Friday alone advertised four dogs that were available for being pulled by (taken into the care of) a rescue.

Kjellsen said they need to work on educating the public on how to prevent the types of situations that lead to strays in order to make a difference on this issue. Right now, that means working to increase the number of slots available at the spay and neuter clinic.

Royston said that when the cat population last summer spiked from 37 to 85 — their capacity is 90 — it was due to “kitten season” which saw them taking in four to five litters of cats on a semi-daily basis from August to September. There are 48 spots available every other week at the spay and neuter clinic and they’re “pretty much filling them up” each time, according to Royston.

Kjellsen said this demand for spay and neuter procedures keeps the shelter on a “razor’s edge.”

“What we really need … is a community outreach and education program to start preventing the problem before it starts and working to get more people to be responsible owners in the first place,” Kjellsen said. “[This will get] more people to maintain their animals in such a way that they don’t become strays.”

He added that K2 encourages everyone to spay and neuter their pets, unless there’s a reason for those animals to retain their breeding capability.

“We don’t take lightly the shortfall resulting from the inspection report, we have taken corrective action,” Kjellsen said. “We are trying to be good stewards of the community and the community has treated us well, and we’re thankful for that and look forward to continuing to improve so we don’t have similar shortfalls going forward.”

For more information about the services at the RCAS, follow them on Facebook by searching “Richmond County Animal Shelter – RCAS” or call 910-895-0335.