Ribbon cutting also marks last day for 20-year animal control officer Skip Dunlow

By Miles Layton

WINDSOR — Bertie County cut the ribbon Friday on a new animal shelter that cost just under $300,000 to build, after architectural plans for an earlier design carried an estimated construction cost of more than $1 million.

County officials said the 1,600-square-foot facility came in well under the more than $500,000 set aside for the project. It has 16 dog kennels with indoor and outdoor access, a cat barn and a bathroom for staff. The dog area is climate-controlled.

Very nice! Very nice!

Friday was also the last day on the job for William L. “Skip” Dunlow, the county’s senior animal control officer, who is retiring after 20 years.

Gallery of photos appears at the end of the story.

Why does this story matter about a Northeast NC animal shelter?

Answer: When counties don’t address animal control issues and fail to provide humane living quarters for our furry friends, an unchecked animal population can become a problem.

To be blunt, I’ve lived in places in Appalachia where packs of wild dogs roamed after the county closed the animal shelter. Even the coyotes avoided these dog packs.

In Eastern NC, I remember a story about a woman who was mauled and killed in a dog attack.

Other places – because of poorly constructed shelters combined with lackluster animal intake and care protocols – parvovirus and other diseases quickly spread throughout the dog population. I’ve seen shelters where food might have been spread on an unwashed floor instead of served in a dish, or where the smell of animal waste was so strong it permeated your clothes, so that after visiting the smelly shelter you needed to change clothes and shower immediately.

Bertie’s shelter serves as a shining example of the county’s commitment to dogs and cats.

Lastly, how we care for our animals speaks volumes about who we are as a community.

Money, Money, Money

Money was the first obstacle to building a new shelter, County Manager Juan Vaughan II said. The county knew it needed a shelter but struggled to find a way to pay for one. Then, after plans for a new building were drawn up and the estimate topped $1 million, county leaders stepped back.

When Vaughan said an earlier bid for the shelter’s construction was a million dollars, I thought, “Oh my god, what planet do these bureaucrats live on to pay that kind of money!?” particularly as Bertie is not rolling in cash because of rising costs; more like the county is fiscally stressed, to say the least.

But then Vaughan explained that the county, too, wanted a better price point for building the shelter, so my stress levels and blood pressure regarding government spending returned to normal.

“We knew that while the need was important, we also had a responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Vaughan said. He said the county asked whether there was “a more practical and fiscally responsible way to accomplish the same goal.”

But it gets better — where the money came from!

Economic Development Director Allison Browning said the money came from three sources. The Bertie County Board of Commissioners committed $300,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds in 2021 — not local tax dollars. In March 2023, the county received $200,000 in state funding through the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management’s direct grant program — again, not local tax dollars. The North Carolina Animal Shelter Fund added $9,000 — not local tax dollars either.

Browning gave the cost breakdown. The shelter building itself cost about $221,000, she said, with another $28,000 spent on the cat barn and bathroom. Site preparation, concrete work and utility infrastructure brought the total to just under $300,000.

“We’re especially proud to deliver this facility at a fraction of that cost,” Browning said.

Vaughan said the county had about $50,000 of the money set aside for the shelter moved to another project, a basketball court at the county recreational complex. Even so, he said, the shelter finished under budget with money left over.

Vaughan said talk of a county animal shelter began well before he arrived in Bertie County in 2019. He said getting it built has been a priority since.

“I think that speaks to our commitment as a county to do what it takes to take care of our animals,” Vaughan said.

Horizon Structures built the facility. Browning said the company was “incredibly responsive” and willing to work through changes as the project moved along.

Vaughan said a project consultant, Robin Payne, helped guide the county toward the type of facility that was eventually built. Former Assistant County Manager David Scarborough, who could not attend, was credited with moving the project forward.

Vaughan said the shelter serves purposes beyond housing animals. It is meant to give animals in the county’s custody a safe place to wait for adoption, protect public health and safety, and give animal control staff a proper workplace.

“Our goal is to provide a safe and comfortable place for animals while they wait their next opportunity for a loving home,” he said.

He added that the facility “represents our responsibility to provide appropriate care for animals, protect public health and safety, and ensure our animal control staff have a facility that supports the important work they do every day.”

Vaughan also drew a laugh from the crowd with a hope about the shelter’s future occupants.

“I think we can all agree that this is one project where we’re hoping our new residents don’t stay too long,” he said.

Commissioners Chairman Corey Ballance Sr., who gave the welcome and invocation, called the shelter “an important investment in our community and our continued commitment to responsible animal care, public health, and the well-being of the citizens of Bertie County.”

In his prayer, Ballance asked for blessings on the new shelter, “the employees and the staff who will serve here, and the animals entrusted to their care.”

Vaughan closed his own remarks on a broader note.

“This facility is not just an investment in animal care,” he said. “It is an investment in our community, our quality of life, and the values that make Bertie County special.”

Dunlow’s last day

Dunlow’s retirement was announced twice before he spoke. Commissioners Vice Chairman Lewis Hoggard III asked Dunlow to stand so the crowd could applaud him.

Later, Vaughan formally recognized Dunlow and the shelter’s other animal control staff, calling them the people who “do the work every day.” He said the day was “particularly special because it also marks Skip’s last day with Bertie County as he prepares to retire as our senior animal control officer.”

Vaughan presented Dunlow with a plaque on behalf of the commissioners and county leadership. It read: “Presented to William L. Skip Dunlow in grateful appreciation for 20 years of dedicated service as Animal Control Officer, 2006 through 2026.”

Dunlow said it has been an honor to serve Bertie County.

“I have appreciated and loved serving the citizens of Bertie County for 20 years,” he said. “It’s not an easy task, as all y’all know, when you’re dealing with the public. But for the most part, I have enjoyed it. It has been an honor to serve Bertie County.”

He thanked the sheriff’s office and county dispatchers, whom he called vital to animal control work. He also thanked “the good Lord” for keeping him from getting hurt in 20 years on the job, “because I’ve been in some tricky place.”

And I’ll say it, 20 years of service as an animal control officer is rare, very rare. I’ve written many stories from various places about animal control officers coming and going over the years, a lot of turnover. Not an easy job. Sometimes there are pissed-off dog owners who don’t like how a situation was handled. Another time, an animal control officer thought he was on safari when he went to collect stray dogs — that story didn’t end well for him.

Thanks and ribbon cutting

Vaughan thanked the many people and agencies he said made the shelter possible. He named the Board of Commissioners, county employees, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, the U.S. Department of Treasury through ARPA, and the North Carolina Animal Shelter Fund.

He also thanked the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, specifically Dr. Patricia Norris, director of the Animal Welfare Section of the department’s Veterinary Division. He credited the county’s finance and communications departments and the sheriff’s office with supporting animal control.

Elected officials and county staff filled the crowd. Hoggard recognized the sheriff, other law enforcement officers, Clerk to the Board Tanya Davis and the mayor. Vaughan thanked representatives of the veterans service, finance, tax, recreation, maintenance, human resources, economic development and emergency management offices.

“This accomplishment belongs to all of you,” Vaughan said, “and Bertie County is better because of your contributions.”

Gallery — click to enlarge