Linden Spear
talks on the phone while loading dogs in cages to be taken to PetSmart
for adoption. The beagle in the carrier, bottom left, is there because
her master is deployed.
RAEFORD - Linden Spear walked past the pens at the no-kill animal shelter pointing to dog after dog that belonged to families who gave them up because of military deployments.
"See the beagle. He's a deployment dog," she said, strolling beside a row of cages. "This is Molly. She's a deployment dog. This is Bailey. He's a deployment dog."
Spear runs The Haven Friends for Life animal rescue near Raeford. With the recent deployment announcement, she said, the rescue is being overwhelmed with abandoned animals. The animal shelter's answering machine was filled with messages Wednesday afternoon from families who want to give up their dogs. Most of them were military members, Spear said.
About 7,500 to 8,000 soldiers from Fort Bragg are expected to deploy by the end of year. Spear said the shelter has gotten 10 extra calls daily from soldiers who can no longer care for their pets. The shelter gets more than 100 calls a day.
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Linden Spear
talks on the phone while loading dogs in cages to be taken to PetSmart
for adoption. The beagle in the carrier, bottom left, is there because
her master is deployed.
|
Most times, a family's plans for its pet have fallen through or people wait until the last minute. The pets are usually hard to adopt because they are often adult, medium to large dogs. Spear said people often prefer puppies and smaller dogs.
Families turn to the rescue because it is a no-kill shelter. The Haven covers 200 acres in Hoke County and provides a spacious and healthy place for unwanted pets. Some will never be adopted, Spear said.
"These are probably all lifers," she said, pointing to a pen of tan, black and shaggy dogs.
One family had to give up their Great Dane because the husband had been deployed and his pregnant wife could not care for a second child and the dog. "It just breaks your heart," Spear said.
To make matters worse, Spears said, some of the volunteers are military and many of them are also being deployed.
"Just when the need is great we lose our volunteers, we lose our donors and we are left trying to care for the animals," she said. "It's really tragic."
Most shelters in Cumberland County are crowded and have waiting lists, Spear said. Others won't take animals if they aren't strays. Some families have left their dogs in the woods with a bowl of food hoping the animals would be rescued, Spear said.
People can help by adopting unwanted pets, sponsoring a pet, or serving as foster families. The shelter needs volunteers and donations of food, too, Spear said. The animals eat 1,000 pounds of food a day.
In August, the rescue needs volunteers to help remodel the shelter. The Haven needs donations of plastic dog houses, carports to provide shade for the dog pens and a 6-foot chain-link kennel. The "work days" have been scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 14, 15, 21 and 22.
For information call (910) 875-6768.
Staff writer Amneris Solano can be reached at
solanoa@fayettevillenc.com or 486-3521.