Humane Society announces separation from Animal Shelter

ROCKINGHAM — The Humane Society of Richmond County announced in a Saturday Facebook post that it will “step back” from its association with the Richmond County Animal Shelter.

“Our presence in the local shelter has been neglected and taken advantage of for way too long and we need to focus the efforts of our VOLUNTEER staff to the community going forward,” the post reads in part. “The animals inside the shelter DEPEND on pictures and videos of them to be displayed to the public as a way of being released to a foster and/or adopter. When such a simple task becomes a more coordinated process than entering a prison, the animals suffer as well as those that volunteer their time to help out the animals.”

The Humane Society typically acts as a middleman between the shelter and the general public, posting photos, videos and descriptions on social media of dogs and cats at the shelter that are available for adoption or foster care.

“An organized group, such as the Humane Society of Richmond County (501c3), should not have to beg and plead with local government to work together for a common goal,” the post reads. “The politics have become too much.”

According to the Facebook post, the Humane Society will continue pursue the same initiatives it had as an associate of the Animal Shelter, including finding landing spots such as rescue centers, adoptive families or foster parents for animals; educating the public on animal welfare and other relevant issues; supporting spay and neuter programs in order to reduce the number of unwanted animals locally, thereby reducing the animal euthanasia rate; and coordinating with other local animal advocates.

In October 2019, an investigation of the Animal Shelter conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinarian Division yielded several violations, the Daily Journal reported at the time. The state originally fined the county $2,000, but that was later reduced to $500.

In December 2019, local animal activist Kristi Newton presented to the Richmond County Board of Commissioners several photos of cats and dogs that were allegedly beaten at the Animal Shelter. Newton claimed that in her 11 months as a volunteer at the shelter, she “saw animals being euthanized before the 72-hours were up. I saw a puppy with his chest ripped open, and no medical care given until I got there and took him (to the veterinarian).”

Newton called for a change of leadership at the shelter, arguing for the removal of Bonnie Wilde, the shelter’s director.

Later in that same meeting, County Manager Bryan Land spoke in defense of Wilde and her staff, claiming that there were “good things happening” at the shelter, noting that the agency had increased its adoptions-per-year number from 200 to over 800 and citing a decreased euthanization rate.

When the Commissioners met in January 2020, Commissioner Ben Moss gave a PowerPoint presentation about the county’s investigation into Newton’s claims. According to Moss, the investigation revealed that Newton’s claims were either unsubstantiated or misinterpreted.

“The state has investigated us,” Moss said. “We paid a fine. They found 10 violations, and those problems have been fixed.”

Moss spoke about each photo photo Newton had submitted, and for each one he disputed Newton’s claims of animal abuse. One of the photos was of a dog named Jade.

“Jade came to us blind, deaf and unable to eat,” Moss said. “We had to perform an emergency euthanasia to put it out of its misery. On June 4, Jay’s owners came in and expressed their gratitude for what we had done.”

Wilde could not be reached for comment on Monday.