by Martha M. Hill
Northern Neck Partners for Pets (NNPP) president Terri Dort recently signed a contract with Lloyd Dilday of Chesapeake Construction Company to begin construction of the NNPP Shelter and Adoption Center.
NNPP plans to construct a privately funded 5,000-square-foot shelter to accommodate approximately 20 dogs and 30 cats. With a vision to end animal cruelty and foster a community where pets can live without fear, hunger, or needless pain and suffering, NNPP is focused on giving unwanted pets a secure sanctuary until they find forever homes, said Dort. Privately operated, the new shelter will make every effort to find quality homes for all adoptable dogs and cats with no cost to the four surrounding counties.
NNPP intends to coordinate its sheltering with the existing county animal shelters., she said. Each of the four counties of the Northern Neck has a tax-funded animal shelter with limited space and resources. Each year, these four county shelters receive over 1,000 animals. Due to the limited resources provided by the shelters’ government funding, otherwise adoptable animals may face euthanasia as a “solution” for creating space for more animals.
Currently, none of the county shelters meets the criteria to be considered a “no-kill” shel-ter. While this is not a desired practice by anyone at these shelters, it is an unavoidable outcome. Additionally, county resources are limited and have many other demands on them,
and consequently, the shelters are not always provided with adequate resources to keep animals in a minimally stress-free and comfortable environment, said Dort.
With the additional resources that NNPP can offer through additional space for shelter animals, rescue transfer and outreach efforts, fostering opportunities and a robust adoption program, NNPP hopes to see the entire region become a “no-kill” area, she said.
This shelter is the first step to seeing that dream become a reality, said Dort.
