ASPCA, shelters agree: Adoption event was a success

The ASPCA was celebrating success on Monday. The animal rescue group said it spent millions of dollars caring for hundreds of animals rescued from a hoarding situation in Hoke County. Over two days, more than 500 of those animals found new homes.

Posted 10:21 p.m. Mar 21, 2016 — Updated 1:40 p.m. Mar 22, 2016

"We did this for the animals, and without all of those people coming, it’s all for nothing," said Tim Rickey of the ASPCA.

The national animal rescue group came to North Carolina seven weeks ago to rescue animals from an unlicensed shelter, The Haven, in Hoke County.

Some local rescue groups expressed concern about ASPCA processes, worried some of those new pet owners would not be able to care for their charges and would return them to already crowded local shelters.

Rickey said that worry is overstated.

"The reality we know is that some adoptions don’t work out," he said. "People tend to look at the worst in a situation, and that’s just not the reality. We’ve done these adoption events all over the country, and they are successful.

"Some of these animals may have to be rehomed, and we realize that, but the alternative is to not rehome any of them," Rickey said.

The weekend event required new pet parents to pass a screening, and, as a backstop, they went home with a list of places they could take the animals if things didn't work out.

Three shelters on that list – Wake County Animal Control, Cumberland County Animal Control and Safe Haven for Cats – all agreed Monday that the adoption event was a success.

"Returns are a natural part of an animal shelter’s life. If you’re not adopting out many animals, you’re not going to have very many returned," said Pam Miller of Safe Haven for Cats.

Rickey said he stands by the organization's work and its screening process.

Wake County Animal Control said it had one dog adopted from the ASPCA event returned.

In Cumberland County, three were returned to the shelter while the adoption event was going on, so they were able to be re-adopted Saturday.

One hundred animals rescued in the raid remain in the care of the ASPCA. Ricky said they need more medical care and behavior training before they are ready for adoption.

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