By By BETTY MITCHELL GRAY
Staff Writer
In 1991, Hurricane Floyd inundated eastern North Carolina with flood waters, destroying many homes and businesses.
But it was volunteer efforts to rescue stranded pets from the flood waters that exposed Sandy B. Woolard, now Beaufort County’s animal-control director, to her true calling.
Woolard, 37, has served as a professional animal-control officer for more than seven years. Recently, she was named North Carolina’s Animal Control Officer of the Year by the N.C. Rabies Control Association at its recent meeting.
“It was a total surprise,” Woolard said. “I had no idea at the time of the award presentation that my name was in the mix.”
“It’s a wonderful honor, but it really has a lot to say about the staff here in Beaufort County,” she said. “It’s a great organization we have here.”
The association solicits nominations each year for “an officer that has exhibited outstanding field performance and has gone beyond the call of duty.”
She was nominated by animal-control directors from two other North Carolina counties.
Michele Whaley, Pitt County’s animal-control director, said in her nomination that Woolard “began to network with the citizens of Beaufort County, members of various rescue groups and has made the animal shelter a top organization.”
Ernie Wilkinson. Johnston County’s animal-control director, said that “Woolard brought management and people skills to her agency and a sense of understanding that has bridged many gaps that otherwise existed.”
A native of Scotland Neck, Woolard was one of four children in a home with a pet dog adopted from the local shelter and several cats. She graduated from Tarboro High School and worked in quality control, research and development and computer design for several years at local industries.
When Hurricane Floyd hit, the Glenoit manufacturing plant where Woolard worked in research and development closed for two months. As she traveled around Tarboro looking at the damage caused by Hurricane Floyd, Woolard came upon a woman who was crying. The woman told Woolard that her dog was stranded in her home because of the high water. Woolard and a friend who owned a boat rescued the animal.
That led Woolard and her friends to continue to volunteer to rescue stranded animals in Tarboro and Princeville.
“I was out of work and wanted to help where I could,” she said.
As a result of this volunteer work, Woolard realized it was time for a career change. After seeing an advertisement in 2002 for an animal-control officer in Pitt County, she made the move.
In February 2006, she was hired by County Manager Paul Spruill to serve as Beaufort County’s animal-control director.
“I am very excited for Ms. Woolard due to the efforts she has put forth in Beaufort County on her way to earning this designation,” Spruill said. “I am particularly pleased, however, that animal-control professionals from other parts of the state have taken notice of the work of Beaufort County’s animal-control unit.”
As animal-control director, Woolard oversees a staff of three other animal control officers and an active corps of 30 volunteers recruited by the Beaufort County Humane Society. As part of her duties, Woolard manages operations at the county’s animal shelter on U.S. Highway 264 east of Washington — including the 3,000 to 4,000 animals that find themselves at the shelter each year. Woolard and her staff also respond to calls of animal abuse and neglect as well as calls from the public about dangerous animals.
Woolard also oversees various educational and animal-vaccination efforts — including rabies clinics, spay-and-neuter education and outreach to area schools. And at Christmas, Woolard’s office schedules a day for pet photos with Santa Claus.
She said that some aspects of her job — placing animals left at the shelter in adopted homes — are very rewarding.
“There is great satisfaction in helping animals and helping the public with their problems,” she said.
But there are other aspects of her job — investigating cases of animal abuse and euthanizing animals who don’t find loving homes — that tug at her heart.
“The absolute worst part of our job is having to euthanize healthy animals who cannot find a loving home,” she said. “Sometimes it hurts a lot, but I know that somebody needs to help these animals and if I don’t, who will?”