NEWPORT — From taking care of pediatric patients during the day to showing love to shelter animals during their free time, two local doctors are making a difference in our community. Dr. Samuel Puckett and Dr. Jennifer Sauceman both go a step above and beyond to make sure people — and animals — feel loved and get the attention they deserve.
Dr. Puckett has practiced medicine since 1982 and sees patients all day at Newport Pediatrics. In his free time, you may see him caring for cats in cat colonies around town or walking dogs at Smoky Mountain Humane Society (SMHS).
He explained he was heartbroken when his dog Daisy died in November 2022, and his wife encouraged him to go visit the shelter.
“I was both sad and nervous about visiting there,” he said. “I thought I’d feel more depressed to see these dogs living in a shelter. I was so wrong. It is a magical place, and our community is fortunate to have such a clean, loving and welcoming place for our animals.
“Every animal is known by name. They are all fed, loved and nurtured. As long as they live there it is a special place. It isn’t a shelter, it is their home until they get a new home. There is never a word about how long is too long for an animal to be there.”
SMHS is a no-kill shelter.
Dr. Sauceman’s testimony is very similar. She helped recruit Dr. Puckett after volunteering at the shelter.
“My grandmother passed away in May 2022, and I needed to do something to make me happy,” she recalled. Her first encounter was a hound named Jennifer, so she knew it was meant to be.
She also has nothing but kind words for SMHS. According to Sauceman, the staff goes above and beyond to ensure each animal gets the love and attention it needs.
Dr. Puckett was Sauceman’s pediatrician, and she said since she was 5 years old she has known what she wanted to do. While she loves “critters” as she calls them, she said she is better at providing care for her pediatric patients.
“I am better at what I do. Veterinary medicine is more surgical while pediatrics is more procedure based,” she said. “I talk to people all day, then I talk to the animals at the shelter.”
Dr. Sauceman visits the shelter on her day off, which is Tuesday and sometimes makes her way there on Thursday mornings and Saturdays. Dr. Puckett said he visits the shelter on the days he is off from the clinic, but the cat colonies require care on a daily basis.
While walking the dogs, it isn’t uncommon for people in the community to come out and wave or water the dogs, he said. “It is totally cool. Some of them cannot have pets, so that is their way of being able to have a pet if only for a couple of minutes each week,” he added.
Puckett has one cat at home, he said, and 15 dogs at the shelter he visits regularly.
Both Puckett and Sauceman do get more attached to some dogs than they do others, but they are happy when a dog finds its forever home.
Sauceman said she never was a cat person, but she does have a cat named Romeo she shares with a neighbor. She said he adopted her one day while she was doing push-ups on her porch. She sometimes says “hi” to the cats at the shelter as well.
“Our county is totally blessed to have such a shelter. It is a wonderful place, and is better than my wildest dreams. It is a really neat environment that allows the animals to thrive,” Puckett said. “I encourage everyone to take the time to visit the shelter.”
Sauceman recalls some special pets at the shelter, such as Peachie who she said would be a great house hippo, Sadie and Prince. She also said she recalls how Deacon was challenging but Dr. Puckett got him on a leash and started walking him and now he has a home.
She encourages people to donate items to the shelter, such as cleaning supplies. The shelter has an Amazon wishlist, which allows items to be ordered and delivered directly to the shelter for convenience if the individual doesn’t have time to stop by for a visit.
“Coming from the volunteer state we think of our sports teams that we love to follow,” said SMHS Vice President Sara Kenney. “Smoky Mountain Humane Society volunteering has a whole new meaning. To run an animal shelter there are a lot of hard messy jobs for our staff to be done every day of the week. As we do the work we learn each animal’s name and most important their personalities. We give each one our time and attention but time is limited.
“This is where our volunteers come in. They may help with some of the simple chores like dishes or laundry which frees our staff up to work on harder chores. What they also do, which is most important, is spend individual time with each animal. We have several volunteers who come to just socialize; which helps the mental well being of our animals. These animals look forward to these folks showing up.”
Kenney noted that Drs. Puckett and Sauceman are there no matter the weather to give the dogs a long walk and the dogs never forget who they are and they never forget the dogs.
“When we thank them for their time and commitment they simply say it’s rewarding to help,” Kenney said. She said they serve as role models for the shelter’s staff and the community.
“Their efforts are a vital part of the care each animal deserves and we believe leads to good adoptions. So, being a volunteer means more to us than playing ball, it means giving love to our furry friends who deserve all the love we can give, Kenney said.
Kenney thanked Drs. Puckett and Sauceman as well as all of the shelter’s volunteers “who donate their time to Smoky Mountain Humane Society.”
Smoky Mountain Humane Society is located at 420 Humane Way in Newport. Shelter hours are 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Visit www.smhumane.org to learn more about the shelter and to learn how you can help. You can also call (423) 532-8475.
Most Popular
Comments / 0