We did it!

Contributed by EARS Ohio State Coordinator Bonnie Morrison.

Today was beyond belief. We adopted out all of the dogs available for adoption and sent the others to several wonderful rescue organizations. We were OUT OF DOGS BY 5:40 PM!!

The last dog, Cleo, came out the door from the adoption room with her new owner and she ran right over to me with kisses in front of all the volunteer and staff members. It took me totally by surprise ... a wonderful surprise! It was the first time I cried during this deployment -- happiness and sadness hit me at the same time so hard I could not speak for several minutes.

This has been a wonderful experience, both because of the animals and because we were able to work so closely with the other organizations that came for all the same reasons. To help the animals...and WE DID!

Adoption central: 108 animals go home today!

Contributed by EARS Ohio State Coordinator Bonnie Morrison

My initial reaction upon entering the temporary shelter here in Hendersonville last week was a large gasp. I gasped for two reasons: First the smell and second, once I was able to open my eyes from the urine burn, what was before me. Every single room was piled with debris, trash, old cat litter, broken equipment and more. Ceilings were hanging down, water covered the floors and we saw rats the size of cats.

The EARS team (including EARS North Central Regional Director Diann Wellman, pictured) met with all of the other organization involved to determine the scope of work that lay before us. It seemed an impossible task just looking around. To my surprise, once we entered the actual animal locations, the animals appeared to be in good condition.

In the five days we have been here, so many wonderful people from HSUS, the American Humane Association, UAN, PetSmart Charities, several local animal groups and some of the old shelter employees have worked their hardest to transform this dismal facility into a clean, trash-free, functioning animal facility. Everyone's heart is in this 100 percent for the animals, and boy does it show. The animals are quiet, playing with toys, getting treats and walking twice a day. They even have music.

Today our hard work was rewarded. We adopted out 85 dogs and 23 cats! At our debriefing today, I shared one special story about brother and sister dogs who were so excruciatingly shy they cowered to the ground when we tried to take them out because they were born in this facility and had never been out of their cage. But today they got adopted TOGETHER. They are going to live out their lives in a home with eight acres of grass to enjoy.

The dogs and cats got adopted so fast today we could hardly keep up with all the paperwork. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Greetings from Hendersonville, North Carolina

Contributed by UAN's Director of Emergency Services Matt Herlocker

UAN's Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS) is helping the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) with a shelter they took over because it was not in compliance with the state’s Animal Welfare Act.

When our EARS team arrived, we found 154 dogs and 26 cats needing food, water, a clean enclosure and love. What’s really neat is that we are getting to work with local shelters and our national partners in the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition, such as the American Humane Association and The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

We have been working really hard with the animals and cleaning up the shelter. We are preparing the animals for transportation to other shelters and rescue organizations, as well as to be adopted by local residents. All of the animals have received veterinary check-ups from faculty and students from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and all but one passed! Teams are now are assessing the animals to ensure good matches between the dogs and cats and the adopters or receiving shelters.

Some of these critters are so cute. For example, take a look at my new friend Prowler here. Many of these animals are so starved for affection and just want to play and cuddle! There were more than 600 animals on this property when the state began to intervene. And, while the former shelter managers were able to find homes for many of the animals, they never had sufficient staff to provide the animals with more than life-sustaining care. All of us want nothing more than to help these animals find good families that will help them adjust to the pleasures of living with people.

Stay tuned for more stories from Hendersonville. EARS North Central Regional Director Diann Wellman and EARS Ohio State Coordinator Bonnie Morrison are here and I know they have stories they would like to share with you about the special animals in our care. The state officials and our local friends are taking great care of us and our national partners. We are very lucky to work with such dedicated people. They really appreciate everything that United Animal Nations does for the animals!