Sumner County Animals

SumnerCountyAnimals.com is a privately funded and run website and has no official connection nor formal representation of Sumner County. Our goal is to promote animal welfare and provide the viewer with overall information and resources on animal related issues and activities within Sumner County. The website provides links to various animal related organizations (see Coalition Members page) that provides additional information on their individual operation.

SEPTEMBER UPDATES:

Check "Animal News & Events" for animal happenings this month & August Animal Control stats.

Read  our "Hero(ine) of the Month" page .... Bernie Berlin

Under the "Legislation" page we have added several Tennessee laws regarding companion animals ... Did you know it's the law that you have to confine a bitch in heat for a 24 day period, yet any person crippling or killing a proud (in heat) bitch running at large shall not be held liable??

Emergency Food Bank: Our Sumner County Humane Society maintains an "Emergency Pet Food Bank" for owners who need assistance feeding their pets. DONATIONS NEEDED TO RESTOCK!! (contact the Humane Society at 16 Volunteer Drive in Hendersonville (dog/cat food, cat litter)

FINALLY !!!!  Sumner County is getting a new animal control facility to meet the needs of the county. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on May 27th and construction is already underway with a target opening date of December 1st, 2010. The new faility is being built on existing county owned property on Union School Rd accross from the Benny Hills Elementary School. The 10,000 sq ft building will include a separate holding/quarantine kennel area, an adoption kennel and cat room area and a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, in addition to animal control administrative offices. An existing barn on the property will be rehabbed to house equine animals.

All incoming animals will undergo a quarantine period before being moved to the adoption center which will ensure healthier animals for adoptions. The low-cost spay/neuter clinic, which will be run by the Sumner Spay Neuter Alliance (SSNA) non-profit group, will provide much needed services for the community at an affordable cost.

Sumner County currently has an overabundance of companion (dogs and cats) animals, which means we have more animals than there are homes for them. Our coalition shelters normally are full and accepts animals on a 'waiting list basis', taking in animals as space permits.

In 2009, 4411 companion animals were taken in by our County Animal Control facility. Of these, 1204 (27.3%) were voluntarily surrendered by their owners who either no longer wanted the animals or were not able to provide proper care for them ... an unfortunate sign of our economic times. The remaining 3207 were picked up as "strays", animals who were either lost or abandoned as "unwanted" and left to fend on their own. While our Animal Control staff strives to save as many animals as possible, either through adoptions or rescue organizations, many of the animals are in too poor of health to survive. Starved and malnourished, diseased, injured .... euthanization is the only recourse in too many cases.

What happened to all these animals? 6.6% were reclaimed and happily reunited by their owners; 23% were rescued by our coalition members and other rescue/shelter organizations; 12.4% were  adopted directly from Animal Control and are now in loving new homes. Combine these figures for a total 'live release rate' (LLR) of 42%. The other 58%? Euthanized. While euthanasia is a 'last resort' it is necessary due to limited kennel space and having to make room for more incoming animals. Unlike our coalition shelters, Animal Control does not have the option of a 'waiting list' and euthanasia is a necessary means to reduce population on a selected basis.

In 2010 a new much needed County Animal Control facility will be built. The new facility will have a quarantine kennel area, an adoption center and will also house a spay neuter clinic which will provide low cost spay neuter services. The additional kennel space will allow more animals to be housed. The new adoption center will  result in more adoptions. The spay neuter clinic will proactively help to reduce future animal populations. All will help reduce the euthanasia rate of healthy adoptable animals, hopefully matching the number of animals with the number of available homes sometime in the future.

Cali's Story:

 One of our celebrity dogs in Sumner County is Cali. You will find her picture on numerous websites and brochures with the caption of, "They trust us to care for them". Cali's proud and loving owners, Lt. Col. Scott Gerblick and his wife Terry, reside in Hendersonville during their 'downtime' from Ft. Campbell. In November, 2007, they rescued Cali from the Chatham County Pound in Savannah, GA., while Scott was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield. Terry had lost her previous companion, Beulah (another rescue dog), the month before.

At the time of her rescue, Cali was less than a year old, was malnourished weighing 14.1 lbs with some health problems. Terry said she looked so pitiful that she couldn't help falling in love with her at first sight. Today, Cali is a very healthy 45.8 lbs and serves as a model of "rescue dog success" .... well trained & behaved, does numerous tricks and enjoys a two-way loving relationship with her owners.

Whether a rescued animal or a puppy or adopted shelter animal, owning an animal requires committment on the owner's part. They do trust us to take care of them ... to provide them with food and water, with shelter from the elements, with proper medical care ... to be responsible owners. If you are considering a pet, please consider the "committment" (and expense) required in pet ownership.