Post Reports How to save an animal shelter: “If you care about something just do it”
Oct 11, 2025
Sydney Page, a reporter for The Optimist, shares her journey covering the inspiring transformation of the Huntington animal shelter led by director Courtney Proctor Cross. The shelter was once overwhelmed, euthanizing 50-75% of animals due to lack of resources. Sydney highlights Courtney's resilience shaped by personal loss and her passionate drive to save lives. Through innovative fundraising and community engagement, Courtney turned the shelter into a beacon of hope, demonstrating that taking action on what you care about can spark real change.
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Roots Of A Lifelong Animal Advocate
- Courtney Proctor Cross grew up with many pets and even a buffalo, which shaped her lifelong love of animals.
- That early experience influenced her later commitment to rescuing and shelter work.
First Night Horror And Immediate Action
- On her first night as director, Courtney found cats jammed in a sweltering garage without food or water and many animals already dead.
- She and rescue partners worked overnight to save the surviving animals, and some later found homes.
Euthanasia As The Default Cost Solution
- Chronic underfunding and overcrowding made euthanasia the cheapest, default response at the shelter.
- Many animals were healthy and adoptable but were still killed because systems favored cost-cutting over care.