By Mary McDaniel
Like animal shelters across the South, the Dillon County Animal Shelter is overcrowded. Adoptions are at an all-time low, and rescue options are limited, too, because they are full. So when Kind Keepers Animal Rescue in North Myrtle Beach found a spot for five little Dillon pups, there was a scramble to arrange their transport. Volunteer transports are an integral part of the shelter-rescue process, and the Dillon County Animal Shelter always needs volunteer transporters.
Teresa Stephens, also known as the Gopher because of her errand-running business, volunteered to make the ninety-minute trip to take the pups to the beach. But transporting five shelter pups to a rescue was a first for her, and luckily all she required as payment was sweet puppy kisses.
In addition to the need for transporters at the Dillon Shelter, the need for fosters for the animals is also very great. There are very few people willing to take shelter pups or cats into their homes on a short-term basis, but fostering plays such an important role in the rescue process. Fostering an animal gets it out of the noisy, frightening shelter and gives it a semblance of a calmer, more normal life. It is so much healthier and safer, too. Rescues are much more willing to pull animals who have been fostered. So their chance for a better life is greatly increased. Call the Dillon Animal Shelter at 843-841-8884 for more information on this wonderful opportunity for volunteering.
The whole problem of over-population and proliferation of unwanted cats and dogs in Dillon County could be alleviated by more pet owners having their animals spayed or neutered. The Humane Society of Dillon County works had to fund a spay/neuter program for pets whose owners meet low-income guidelines. A major fundraiser for this spay/neuter program is the Humane Society’s Chili Cook-Off. Canceled last year because of Covid, the Cook-Off is planned for November 20 this year on the grounds of the Dillon Wellness Center. It will be held in conjunction with the City of Dillon’s Parks and Recreation’s Holiday Goodness Bazaar. Sponsors for the event, competitive cookers, and also people willing to eat lots of chili are needed. Contact Mary McDaniel at marymcdaniel99@gmail.com or 843 487-75092 to find out how you can help the needy animals.
