Stokes County Animal Shelter fails to meet state standards in annual inspection

STOKES COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The Stokes County Animal Shelter is working to address compliance issues after an inspection by the state earlier this month.

The shelter failed to meet the state’s standards when an inspector checked out the facility for its annual inspection.

North Carolina’s Department of Agriculture And Consumer Services Animal Welfare Section conducted the inspection on Aug. 5. An inspector with the state visited the Stokes County Animal Shelter on Sizemore Road.

There’s a long list of about 250 items they look for. Out of those hundreds of items, the shelter was found to be out of compliance with seven.

The inspector noted the reason the SCAS failed is because the shelter failed to provide adequate veterinary care in a timely manner and failed to keep up with adequate documentation of veterinary care, which also includes the shelter’s isolation policy.

The documents go on to say that a great Pyrenees did not immediately receive treatment for an eye infection and a total of three dogs were supposed to be in isolation, but they were not. A shelter employee told the inspector it was because the facility was full.

The inspector noted the facility must designate an area for adequate isolation. 18 days after the inspection on Friday, FOX8 stopped by the shelter. The shelter was open and continued to provide services.

Stokes County Interim Manager Amber Brown provided a statement which reads in part:

There were absolutely no animals left suffering in kennels at any time. The animal control staff and I take our jobs very seriously and the necessary changes have been made to make sure that these things don’t happen in the future.

Stokes County Interim Manager Amber Brown

In that statement, Brown also noted that the dogs mentioned in the inspection all received treatment but confirmed it failed to be documented.

In February, the SCAS was given a $25,000 grant from the state for improvement and/or upgrades to the primary enclosure flooring and fencing of the enclosure gates. The inspector noted these areas had been improved since its previous inspection.

In Sept. 2023, the county made plans to move the animal shelter into a larger facility, converting the old state-owned prison on Dodgetown Road.

Brown says those plans are still in the works, and county leaders met with architects about the project in July. Bid documents are expected to go out in Feb. 2025 for the construction of the new animal shelter.

The state said all facilities have the option to fix the problems, and they typically do not require facilities to close. Shelter administration or facility administration officials work with the inspector on the corrective actions.

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