American Kennel Club makes donation to assist with Hurricane Florence efforts
On Thursday, September 20, 2018 Pitt County Animal Services (PCAS) Director Michele Whaley was notified that the Pitt County Animal Shelter had been selected to receive a $5,000 AKCReunite donation from the American Kennel Club. The purpose of the donation would be to assist with the Shelter’s response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Florence. During the peak of the storm, the Shelter offered emergency housing for as many as 224 pets from Hurricane Florence evacuees. Currently, around a dozen pets taken in for emergency sheltering still remain at the shelter, which is expected to return to normal operations by next week.
The AKCReunite donation is expected to greatly assist PCAS in returning the Shelter to its normal services and schedule; including the covering of lost resources as a result of the additional demand during its emergency operations. In an email notifying Whaley of the donation, AKCReunite President and CEO, Tom Sharp said “Our staff has many friends and family down east. We are thankful for folks like you and everything you are doing to help the people and pets affected by the storm.”
The Pitt County Animal Shelter will remain open today (Friday), September 21, 2018, for owner reclaims until 5:00pm, and will operate tomorrow (Saturday), September 22, from 8:00am – Noon. The Shelter will be closed on Sunday, and is expected to return to its normal schedule on Monday, September 24, 2018.
Despite the benefit of this donation, owners of the remaining emergency sheltered animals are still encouraged to reclaim their pets as soon as possible, so as to allow PCAS staff to resume routine services such as adoptions, and new animal intakes. Patience and support from within the community have been both tremendous and welcome by PCAS, and donations such as the one from AKCReunite are greatly appreciated.