In a post on Facebook on Aug. 20, Dent County Animal Welfare Society (DCAWS) announced that it would be closing on Sept. 20 after 34 years of helping the community and its animals. Within the Facebook post, it cited Covid-19 as its reason for its closure; it was never quite able to recover from the effects Covid-19 had on its finances and resources. Although the property itself will be closing, DCAWS will be keeping its status as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization to continue its community outreach.
The closure of the facility was due to the loss of resources spurred on by Covid-19; the loss of funding, volunteers, staff, and necessities boiled over in 2024. It wasn’t just one thing that led to the closure—it was everything, including the loss of its main veterinarian.
With its closure, DCAWS announced that it needed the community’s help one more time, seeking the immediate placement of all the animals it still had in its care. As of Sunday, Sept. 15, the number of animals that DCAWS still needs to place, either through adoption or transfer to another rescue, is eight cats and nine dogs. The date of Sept. 20 is when all animals need to be out of the shelter’s facility, due to the expiration of its shelter license.
Sandy Purcell, a staff member at DCAWS, shared that the fact that DCAWS is closing hasn’t quite set in yet. As the number of animals within the shelter dwindles down, Purcell relayed that it’s a mixture of heartbreaking and overwhelming. The shelter has always been at max capacity. Since its Facebook post, many of the animals have been successfully adopted.
The community has been incredibly helpful and receptive to the announcement, shared Purcell, with 2.1K shares and over 200 comments on its Facebook post to help further spread the news. Within the comments, many families and individuals shared photos of animals they had adopted from the facility, relaying how the facility had helped impact their lives and thanking DCAWS for its many years of service.
“You see those really sad cases, like the really skinny or abused dogs come in,” said Purcell, of the power of animal shelters. “And you watch them do a 180 and become healthy and happy and then find a home. It’s just heartwarming to see that transformation.”
Purcell has worked at the facility for 10 years, since the new facility was built in 2013. Purcell recalled that at one point in her career, two pregnant dogs were brought in, and they both had puppies at the same time. The total number of puppies, born within hours of each other, was 21. All the puppies were successfully adopted—another way that the community has shown up to help the shelter. Over 34 years, the facility has received vast amounts of donations and seen the help of many volunteers.
“The community has been just a real blessing, and they’ve helped us in a lot of ways over the years,” said Purcell.
As for what will happen to the facility and its resources, Purcell stated that it was undecided. The DCAWS board has not yet discussed the future of its physical location. Purcell relayed that the decision of what to do with the facility will take place after the official closure on Sept. 20, when all animals are out of the building.
As for its future as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, DCAWS will no longer have a physical location or be able to take in animals, but it will continue with limited outreach to help the community’s animals in other ways. Purcell relayed that one avenue it might pursue would be a program for spaying and neutering, while another would be to continue using its Facebook page to help find lost or missing pets.
DCAWS will still be accepting monetary donations to help fund the transport of animals and its remaining bills.
