Dogs' best friend: Man uses his kennels to save those doomed
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on September 27, 2004 1:58 PM
KENANSVILLE -- A kennel near Kenansville is giving a second chance to dogs that otherwise would be destined for death at the pound.
The kennel is now available to have people adopt the dogs.
This is the doing of Michael Quinn, who bought a farm three years ago to house his six dogs. In May, he saw newspaper articles about the Duplin Animal Rescue Team that was trying to save dogs from the county animal shelter.
News-Argus/Bonnie Edwards
Michael Quinn is shown with a couple of the dogs he keeps for the Duplin Animal Rescue Team.
One night he met the rescue team's president, Kim Loyd, at an event at River Landing where she worked. "I've got a perfect place for your dogs," he told her.
At one time, the kennel had 25 dogs, including puppies from three litters, that were awaiting adoption.
On a sunny day last week, six pups played in a large fenced area on a rolling hill next to the old white farm house.
A brother and sister schnauzer will jump the fence, but they don't roam, said Quinn, who hopes to see them adopted.
"They stay right here," he said. "They look to be about one year old. They're not going to get any bigger. Somebody was interested in them, but they had a baby. I said they're friendly, but too friendly for a baby."
Normally, Quinn keeps the pups separated from the adult dogs. But Junior, a huge mastiff mix, is allowed in with them, because he's very gentle. He's about a year old.
The fence at the top of the hill is connected to eight enclosed kennel runs that lead up steps into one of two A-frame barns. Two more pups, which arrived that day, were inside the kennel. They looked as if they have some Jack Russell in them. They barked loudly at the humans who come in to interrupt their sleep time.
Two large family dogs run free in the open-ended courtyard formed between the barns and the house. Nutmeg, a liver-spotted Dalmatian, has been with him 10 years.
The other family dog is 8-month-old Toby. He came from the Duplin County Animal Shelter with a dislocated leg. He still limps.
"He was in the fence, but then they'd go to fighting, they ganged up on him," said Quinn of Toby's early days inside the rescue kennel.
Quinn said he easily goes through 100 pounds of dog food a week. Two stores in Wallace put their food from damaged bags into trash cans and call Quinn when they're full.
The rescue team volunteers feed, de-worm and medicate the dogs whenever they get sick. But Quinn said it costs too much to spay and neuter. A veterinarian in Wallace has agreed to do the procedure for $50.
People don't come to the kennel often enough, said Quinn. He doesn't know if it's because they just don't know about the kennel, "or they may not want dogs."
Quinn has a portable kennel in the back of a pickup truck, and he once went to the pound for the rescue team. He said he couldn't imagine keeping pets like that.
"But they're not pets," he said. "It's basically just storing animals. It's not the county's fault. There really shouldn't be that many dogs in a dog pound ... We'll go with the intention to get five and come back with 10. It's hard to pick out five."
For an appointment to see the dogs or for information about the kennel, call Quinn at 910-296-1296. The $35 adoption fee covers the rescue team's cost to get a dog out of the pound, de-worm it and administer antibiotics to help it overcome the stress its immune system has undergone while in the pound.