To meet John Graves and Lisa Sharp is to meet two dedicated animal lovers. John and Lisa have spent over twenty years combined helping shelter animals and are now bringing in a new era for the Outer Banks SPCA.

An animal lover at heart, Graves was born and raised on the Outer Banks. Beginning as a road officer with animal control eight years ago, Graves next spent six months in the kennels working with special case dogs before going on to cross-train throughout the operation. Graves left the Outer Banks to spend a few years working at other North Carolina SPCAs in Boone and Elizabeth City before assuming his role as the new Director of the Outer Banks SPCA in early 2013. “John’s a great inspiration for anyone wanting to get into the SPCA,” says Sharp. “I started out as a volunteer way back when, 15 years ago; he started out as a volunteer too.”

John Graves and Lisa Sharp

A former board member, Sharp’s experience stretches beyond her shelter involvement to encompass publishing and event planning on the Outer Banks. Aggressive new strides were needed in order to bring the SPCA into the modern media age. A position was created with Sharp’s community outreach skills in mind. She was named Events, Volunteers and Media Manager during the summer of 2013.

Since Graves and Sharp both took the helm in 2013, the Manteo shelter has seen a string of physical improvements beneficial to all the animals they house. The outdoor dog runs and holding areas, long in need of updating, are now paved with concrete and covered by an awning for shaded, outdoor play. The dog kennels in the back of the shelter received much needed upgrades to bring the facility up to building codes and a fresh paint job was added in soothing beach tones of blues and greens. Inside the shelter, a once overcrowded, “prison-y, cage-like” cat room received a makeover with a donation of materials and volunteer labor from Lowe’s Home Improvement in Kill Devil Hills. Among the upgrades, walls and doors were added to create two cat rooms allowing them access to play areas, room to move, and bright, wide windows for lounging in sunshine. A recent donation will fund climbing structures for the cats.

During the kennel renovation, 30 dogs were in need of temporary foster families. “The community just proved themselves as a great, animal community when we renovated. The call for fosters was answered astoundingly well; the phone was ringing off the hook,” said Graves. “We had to turn people down!” Speaking of the Outer Banks, Graves added, “there’s a huge dog-loving community out there.”

But physical changes are not the only improvements being made, the number of animals’ lives saved is changing as well. In the 2012 fiscal year, euthanasia numbers were down 43 percent and adoptions were up 18 percent which translated into 461 adopted animals. Rescue groups in particular are stepping in to find homes for pets. Transfers to rescue groups were up 79 percent, predominantly to Feline Hope locally and the North Shore Animal League in New York.

The live release rate is a statistic shelters pay attention to and it refers to the number of animals that leave the shelter adopted or are returned to their owner. Overall that rate is up 12 percent. In 2007, a dog admitted to the Outer Banks SPCA had only a 58 percent chance of finding a home and a cat had only a 10 percent chance of leaving alive. Now that rate is 92 percent and 59 percent respectively. Graves states, “That shows you how far we’ve come in six years!”

One way Graves and Sharp are getting those better numbers is by putting the SPCA out into the community on a regular basis. “We are more proactive; we’re a different organization from six years ago,” says Graves. Forty animals have been placed through partnerships with PetSmart, adopt-a-thons with Feline Hope, fundraising with local businesses, and working with out of town shelters, such as the North Shore Animal League in New York. But “what comes with all [this effort] is the need for more fosters, volunteers, and money,” adds Graves.

Before the SPCA can move much further forward on major events, they need volunteers. “We have a really strong core group now,” boasts Sharp, “there are folks that own property or come down every year and they’ll come in and donate their time while they’re here; we’re very lucky to have that.”

Sharp points out, “The more volunteers we pick up, the more donations we pick up, the more we can do. We have lists and lists of projects, but the number one thing we need is volunteers to do these projects.”

The Outer Banks SPCA is an open admission shelter meaning no animal is turned away. Typically there are 120 cats and 30 dogs looking for homes but the SPCA has the capacity for up to 40 dogs. New owners are charged the costs to spay/neuter, vaccinate, microchip, and insure the pet for 30 days. Sometimes that fee ($85 for dogs and $50 for cats) is too hefty for those wanting a new pet and a potential loving home is lost because of finances. Those who are not in a position to adopt a pet into their home can sponsor a special animal which means they donate half the cost of getting that pet adopted into a home. Then, when an owner is found for that pet, their fees are halved. By making pet adoption more affordable, the SPCA increases the number of pets released to caring homes. There is one very generous, anonymous restaurant owner on the Outer Banks who is currently sponsoring all cats at the SPCA thereby reducing their adoption fees by half.

While Graves would like volunteers to give 8-10 hours per month, as little as 15 minutes once a week walking a dog can be a huge help. When volunteers come in, “you’re not just enriching that animal’s life, you’re making them more adoptable.”

The Outer Banks SPCA is located at 1031 Driftwood Drive, Manteo, phone: 252.475.5998 For event information check their website, OBXSPCA.org or join on Facebook at facebook.com/obxspca. To volunteer, contact Lisa Sharp at 252.475.5620. To donate, foster, or sponsor, call the shelter or check their website. ♦

Author: Meaghan Beasley

Meaghan Beasley has lived on the Outer Banks over 14 years; although not a local herself, she married one and finds herself completely at home here among the water and dunes. A sort of modern Renaissance woman, Meaghan works as an Indie Bookseller, a bookkeeper, a freelance writer, a small sewing business owner, and the wife of a crabber (truly a job in and of itself). When not working, she's reading: on the beach, on the deck, on the couch – anywhere's perfect for reading!