Eliza Hage || Sway Intern
If you like yours yappy, you should know about Sam’s Place, a niche shelter in Southern Pines specifically for small dogs. Founders Tannetta Van Vlissingen and Tina McNeill said they wanted to create a shelter that felt like a home so rescues could really thrive. Sam’s Place has nine rooms, each furnished with a dog bed. Pups can also enjoy an outdoor space and a newly installed pool to lounge in throughout the day.
Tannetta’s late son, Cameron, who died in 2013, loved animals and had adopted their small dog, Sam, from a shelter. Tannetta named the rescue after Sam to carry on Cameron’s compassion for animals. When Sam’s Place has an opening, Tannetta and Tina reach out to shelters around the state to help with growing capacity problems and save dogs. We’re not crying, you’re crying.
Sam’s Place focuses on small dogs because of its limited space but also to avoid issues that can arise when housing large and small dogs together. IYKYK. Naming the rescue after Sam made the focus feel especially meaningful. The shelter is almost a year old and has found homes for 80 dogs.
Each dog stays at the shelter for at least a month. They are quarantined for the first two weeks, when they receive necessary medical care and vaccinations. Afterward, they spend at least another two weeks being trained, loved and observed so they can be paired with the perfect owner who matches the dog’s needs. While these pocket-sized pooches are awaiting their furever home, they get to live the good life. To see adoptable dogs or learn more about the shelter, sit, stay and roll over to the website.
