By MELISSA N. WARREN / Review Appeal Staff Reporter

Cathy Smotherman and other volunteers help exercise some of Hollybelle’s Maltese dogs Friday at Williamson County Animal Control, where staff conducted a volunteer training session. (Jim Rodriguez / Staff)

Despite the strong scent of the “odor-out” candle, the barking and yelping reminded volunteers where they were Friday night.

Around 40 volunteers gathered for a training session at the Williamson County Animal Control facility in Franklin, where they will help take care of the 227 neglected animals the center confiscated Jan. 22 from Franklin dog breeder Jennifer Siliski.

As shelter director Debby Leddy explained the volunteer duties to the group, a new donation was wheeled in from Roy and Carol Croop — fresh, clean towels.

“I would guess we’ve probably done about 500 pounds of laundry,” said Croop, general manager of the Franklin Marriott at Cool Springs.

In addition to employing the hotel’s services, the Croops have spent hours playing with the dogs.

It is the efforts of people like this that have kept the center running, Leddy said. Regular staff hours have been extended since the Jan. 22 influx.

“We have been working around the clock,” Leddy said.

There was even a non-staff member who joked, “Home? What home? This has been my home!”

That joker was Diane Giddens, chief of staff for County Mayor Rogers Anderson. She arrived last week to help with the phones, cook for the staff and “just do anything I could to help out.”

Giddens also was responsible for finding Phoenix Rising Therapeutic Massage, a company that sent two volunteer therapists to work the stress out of the workers on Friday.

While the final worker got a free massage, the new volunteers seemed anxious to begin, asking questions and hoping to pet the animals. But before the tour began, Leddy explained that “the animals are not all in good health, so don’t be surprised if they look weak.”

Regarding the health safety of the volunteers themselves, she stressed that gloves are available and that every animal has documentation of a rabies vaccination.

“Just because there is a record doesn’t mean for sure it happened, but these animals have never been out of the house,” Leddy said.

“Volunteer duties will include cutting blankets, separating newspaper, feeding and cleaning the animals, and cage maintenance.”

After the initial instructions, staff led the group around the facility, and volunteers were able to see the animals firsthand.

In the first two rooms, reserved for sick and pregnant animals, the dogs were relatively quiet. However, as volunteers walked to the large back room, the barking was so loud that explanations from the staff could not be heard.

Two children’s plastic swimming pools, encircled in wire mesh, held around 10 small dogs each as the others jumped for attention in their cages.

“The pools are for their exercise,” said Cathy Smotherman of College Grove, a four-year veteran volunteer. “We put them in there and they love to run around and around.”

As she spoke, Smotherman stroked a dog she held in her arms. Staff had previously explained that every dog is held and cuddled every day, no matter how long it takes.

That job will be a favorite of the new volunteers. While at first it was emotionally difficult to see the animals, it seemed most difficult for some of the volunteers to leave the room and staff had to coax them out.

Mayor Anderson was just one more person who roamed the halls and played with the animals.

“Everyone, young and old, is doing a wonderful job,” he said.

There also were several other well-known residents of Williamson County — Nancy Sargent, wife of state Rep. Charles Sargent, petted the newborns and a country music booking agent filled out the confidentiality form.

“They’re not doing it for the notoriety,” Anderson said. “They’re just here to help like everybody else.”


Staff Reporter Melissa N. Warren can be contacted at melissa@reviewappeal.com.