For a few hours during the Bladen County Animal Shelter’s “Paws & Pamper Party,” the typical routine of the facility paused.
The usual chorus of barks and nails tapping against concrete mixed with laughter and excited voices as people cooed over the many pups lined up against the walls.
Volunteers began filtering into the shelter after 1 p.m. on Friday, May 15, filling out forms and taking tours of the location. The main room of the shelter features rows of dog kennels and a separate room filled with pens and toys for cats.
The event invited volunteers ages 15 and older to spend the afternoon caring for shelter dogs through grooming, walking and social interaction.
Leashes were quickly grabbed, taking the dogs to the shelter’s outdoor yard to roam and sniff around.
Five-month-old Maple fell in love with every human that walked by, immediately falling on her back and wagging her tail furiously at the sight of them. She eagerly waited for her collar to be put on before toppling right back over for more scratches.
The dog’s energy contrasted sharply with the information sheets clipped onto each kennel, which stated that most were found abandoned throughout the county.
They sat, bodies pressed up to their gates, hoping someone would take notice of them. Little paws lay sticking out from underneath. Some were even dressed up in colored bandanas.
Treats and bowls of peanut butter were passed out frequently. A sign on the wall informed volunteers that the dogs had, in fact, already eaten and not to let them fool you.
Volunteers quickly became enamored with all the dogs in the shelter, taking multiple out to explore the backyard. A big, fluffy one named Moose pulled people from one end of the yard to the other, his fascination with stray bricks and trees too compelling.
For many volunteers, interactions with the dogs quickly became personal.
First-time volunteer Dani Carroll saw the event on Facebook, and it was a no-brainer that she had to attend.
Carroll has fostered animals before and finds purpose in it. She is from Wilmington, but her family recently bought 150 acres of land in Bladen County.
“My mother-in-law was like, ‘We should put up dog kennels (on the land) and start fostering dogs,’” Carroll said. “And I was like, ‘Amazing idea.’”
But beyond the baths and chasing thrown toys, the event also highlighted a larger issue facing shelters across the country: too many animals and not enough adoptions.
Approximately 5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters in 2024, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
While thousands are adopted each year, many pets stay for extended periods of time or even live their entire lives in shelters.
Shelter staff said events like these bring visibility to pets and allow them to experience things outside of everyday shelter life, stressing the importance of volunteering.
Former staff member and current volunteer Nicole Beer said the pets inside the shelter keep her coming back. She highlighted the kindness of the shelter leaders and the quality of the shelter, stating that pets rarely get sick and are well taken care of.
Beer said they’ve hosted one other volunteer event before.
“There’s already more volunteers than last time,” she said while assisting in bathing a pack of about eight puppies, belonging to a caramel-colored mama named Mia.
The shelter is undergoing an improvement project with new kennels currently being installed. Shelter staff have requested this upgrade for a while, and are thrilled it’s finally happening.
Several volunteers lingered beside kennels even after walks ended, kneeling to pet dogs through metal gates or talking softly to nervous animals hesitant to approach strangers.
Some pets get adopted quickly, while others stay for long periods of time. Mary, a playful black and white dog, has been at the shelter the longest, since January.
As the hours went by and the event started to slow down, so did the pets. They were led back into their kennels, stretching out lazily across their beds. Some barked as volunteers put up their leashes and walked away. Others simply stared through the gates as if hoping someone might come back for them.
For many, the wait for a forever home continues. But for a few hours, the dogs were not simply animals waiting behind kennel doors. They were reminded of what it felt like to be somebody’s dog again.
The Bladen County Animal Shelter is located at 506 Smith Circle in Elizabethtown. The phone number is 910-862-6918. Adoption hours are Monday through Friday 1-5 p.m.