James Wood
Staff Writer
The Bedford County Animal Control (BCAC) center has had an influx of anonymous sponsorships on its animals throughout the Christmas season, particularly with a recent donation for 13 dogs.
Many of those who cannot own animals have made donations to cover the costs of adoption for others. “It happens a lot around the holidays,” Whitney Yeargan, an employee at BCAC said, “People who can’t own animals want to give them homes during holiday season.”
The BCAC has also accentuated the importance of getting pets fixed. The shelter does spaying and neutering in-house and offers it for dogs and cats that are taken in to better prepare them for adoption and finding a new home.
The holiday season, however, often is when adoptions slow down the most throughout the year according to the shelter. “The sad truth is people throw away older dogs to make room for Christmas puppies,” Yeargan said.
According to those at BCAC, most of the animals that admitted into the shelter are well-behaved, likely due to the fact that most of them come from homes for a variety of reasons. Both dogs and cats often come from being dumped by their owners or get lost from their homes. However, BCAC has frequently helped pet owners reunite with their animals.
With BCAC being a no-kill shelter, things are always at high capacity with the animals, which means there are lots of animals that are in need of a home. Josie Lowery, the Director of BCAC, commented on the importance of the welfare of animals especially during the holiday season, “People should start thinking proactively about what happens to our animals,” she stated, “it does lighten our hearts to receive the donations that we do, I’d like to thank the community for all the support.”
In terms of this important yet often understated government resource, the BCAC is seeking to promote animal welfare throughout all points of the year, particularly around the holidays.