Biffle leads group hoping to bring relief to animals

JOE MARUSAK / The Charlotte Observer

Sunday, Dec. 02, 2007

An animal welfare group led by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his wife is ready to raise millions of dollars in private contributions for a south Iredell animal adoption and education center.

The Mooresville-area center would help reduce the number of dogs and cats euthanized at the county animal shelter on Twin Oaks Road in Statesville, Friends of the Animals members told me last week.

Iredell County Animal Control continues to euthanize animals at a higher rate at the shelter it runs than surrounding counties, including Mecklenburg.

Friends of the Animals members are scheduled to speak at Tuesday's Iredell County commissioners meeting about their willingness to launch a capital campaign of $2 million or $3 million for the south Iredell center.

Also, Dr. Kathy Kramer will tell commissioners that volunteers want to work with the county to improve conditions at the Twin Oaks Road shelter. That includes eliminating its carbon-monoxide gas chamber and instead using more humane lethal injection on unadoptable pets.

Kramer is a Charlotte veterinarian formerly of the Animal Hospital of Statesville.

Speaking on behalf of Friends of the Animals, Kramer also will ask commissioners to approve longer hours for adopting and reclaiming animals at the shelter, keeping kennels filled with animals and having Animal Control workers scan for microchips at least three times before an animal is euthanized.

The group also will ask that the shelter strictly adhere to state cleaning regulations.

Nicole Biffle told me last week that plans for the capital campaign don't depend on commissioners approving the group's recommendations for improving the shelter. "Absolutely it would help," she said.

Biffle, president of Friends of the Animals, said she hopes for a strong turnout Tuesday. "Everybody's welcome who's interested in animal welfare," she said. Her husband intends to give the group's closing statement.

The county has already met three of the recommendations by keeping adoption kennels full, scanning every animal for microchips and adhering to state cleaning regulations, Assistant County Manager Tracy Jackson told the group at one of its meeting in August.

Getting county leaders to agree to the lethal-injection change and expanding shelter hours may be more challenging, he told the group. Shelter workers say they have nightmares from euthanizing animals in the chamber, and now they'd be looking each in the eye, he said.

Adding hours could raise taxpayer costs in a conservative county, he said. "I feel we're doing everything within our resources," Jackson told the group.

Friends of the Animals is committed to doing everything it can to help the animals, Nicole Biffle said.

"They cannot speak for themselves, so it is up to us to get these changes made," she said in a Friends of the Animals news release later last week.

Petitioning the commissioners

Friends of the Animals will gather at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the front lawn of the Iredell County Government Center (old Iredell County Courthouse) before the 7 p.m. commissioners' meeting.

The group's petition to commissioners can be reviewed and signed electronically at www.friendsoftheanimals.org.

Friends of the Animals hopes commissioners will agree that the Iredell County Animal Shelter should:

• Immediately increase its hours open to the public. The shelter currently is open 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays.

• Increase adoptions by always keeping adoption kennels filled and continue to work with private rescue groups.

• Immediately scan all animals for microchips and document at least three times.

• Strictly adhere to state cleaning regulations immediately.

• Work with Friends of the Animals to hire or train euthanasia technicians to eliminate the carbon monoxide gas chamber.

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