Shelter director provides new lives for animals in York County
She walks through the corridor greeting every face she passes along the way. “Hey Pumpkin,” she smiles as she kneels down to pet the head of the ginger tabby rubbing against her leg. She makes her way to the kennel where many of the dogs pant, jump, and run around when they see her, though a few of them still seem wary of her. She stops at one of these few, she appears to be a Labrador mix, and steps inside her kennel. “Good morning Moriah,” she says as she rubs Moriah’s back. Moriah keeps her eyes on her though she doesn’t seem opposed to the petting. “We just got Moriah last week, but we’ve already had several people inquire about her,” she says, “she’s not going to be here long.” Her name is Rebecca Baronet, and she is the shelter director of the Humane Society of York County (HSYC).
The next stop on her morning rounds is to the cat room, where over 30 felines are playing, purring and lounging around two of HSYC’s volunteers. “Brittany and Evan have been helping us out since the summer,” said Baronet as she looks through a binder kept in one of the few locations the cats cannot get to.
Baronet moved to York from Columbia, SC where she worked at Pawmetto Lifeline, another animal shelter. “I’ve always had a soft spot for animals,” said Baronet, “I’ve been rescuing them for as long as I can remember.” Aside from being shelter director, Baronet is also a licensed veterinarian in Brazil and is currently working on obtaining her credentials to be licensed in the US.
Baronet and the staff at HSYC all have one mission, to take care of and find homes for the many animals that they take care of. “We love every single baby that comes through these doors,” said Baronet, “but the ultimate goal is to get them all in loving homes with forever families.”
According to www.aspca.org, around 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. 2.7 million are adopted, while another 2.7 million are euthanized. Last year HSYC was able to find homes 424 dogs and 505 cats, the highest number of adoptions for the past 7 years. A 2015 study from the Open Journal of Animal Sciences found that around 36% of animals that are re-homed are relinquished to shelters.
Despite the high numbers of shelter pets, Dr. Ryn Marlowe, veterinarian at Ebenezer Animal Hospital in Rock Hill, SC, remains optimistic about the future of shelter pets. “The majority of the pets we see at Ebenezer are adoptions from shelters, and we host adoption events all the time,” said Marlowe, “we keep posters of shelter and foster pets that need loving homes in our lobby.”
Shelter animals are finding homes in other places besides those with families. A 2016 article from The Huffington Post titled “Home is Where the Heart Is” is the story of a German shepherd mix named Olivia that found her home at an assisted living facility named Malta House in Hyatsville, MD. Prior to this Olivia was at the Washington Animal Rescue League.
Baronet is the owner of several pets herself including a dog named Lucy and 2 cats, George and Luna. “I remember my first pet,” said Baronet as she recalls the memory, “she was a kitten I named Cookie. I found her under my grandma’s house and had to take her with me. I suppose you could say that she led me to where I am today.” Baronet and the rest of the HSYC team can be found at their location at 8177 Regent Parkway in Fort Mill, SC.
