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BY NIC MILLER
STAR STAFF
nic.miller@elizabethton.com

After experiencing an “eventful year” in 2021, leaders at the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter are looking forward to 2022.

“2021 was an eventful year for the shelter,” said Shannon Posada, Director of the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter. “We began struggling with budget issues that were eventually resolved. Other than that, we have had some great adoption events throughout the year. We have taken in a large amount of animals in 2021 as well as had some great adoptions.”

The friends of the shelter group has been a tremendous support, she said. “They are continuing to do fundraisers for us, and we cannot thank them enough for all that they do. There has also been a tremendous amount of local businesses and people who have donated food and toys as well as just come to our aid in terms of blankets and bedding.”

Posada said there is always work that can be done. “We are always looking to make the animals’ quality of life better than it was before, and I cannot thank our staff members for their continued compassion and hard work.”

The first annual Happy Trails 5K run and 1K walk will take place on Sunday, Feb. 13. “This is a professional 5K run set up by the friends of the shelter group, and they have put a tremendous amount of effort into this event. There’s also the option for a 1K walk with your dog if the 5K is not for you. We are totally excited for this event and can’t wait for the outcome of it,” said Posada.

And, Posada said the shelter has been very busy in recent weeks.

“This year was a very busy holiday season for us. We had two very successful adoption events in both our Thanksgiving and Christmas adoption events. However, throughout the Christmas holiday there were many stray animals and animals that people brought in because they are no longer able to care for them,” she said. “Every kennel we have is full at this time, but we will never turn down a true emergency animal such as a sick animal or an animal hit by a car. We ask for the community’s help if there is anyone who would like to foster or adopt a dog from the shelter.”