DOBSON — The Surry County Animal Shelter has passed its most recent inspection, receiving “acceptable” ratings across the board.

This latest inspection took place on Sept. 12, and was conducted by Agent Christie Shore of the state Animal Welfare Division.

According to the inspection report, the shelter was listed as an “approved” public shelter by the Animal Welfare Section of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Shore reported no problems with the shelter, and noted that “all inadequacies from (the) previous inspection have been addressed.”

“Floors were repainted three weeks ago, and all kennel walls have been repainted within the last week. There is one inside kennel where paint has chipped, but it is scheduled to be repaired next week.

“(The) facility was clean and odor-free at time of inspection. All food was stored in sealed containers. Records are intact and rabies vaccinations are current on animals that have been here for more than 15 days. Cats and dogs all had access to clean water, and kennel areas were clean and dry,” Shore wrote. “Continue the good work.”

This latest inspection marks a turnaround from the previous inspection, conducted on April 26.

During that inspection, inspector Lindsey Lloyd found several issues with the local shelter that were reported as “not acceptable.”

These included a kennel door in need of repair, rust on doors in the cat room and cracks in the facility’s floor.

The local shelter also was given a “not acceptable” rating for damaged gates on two kennel doors and one kennel not being escape-proof.

Floors and walls peeling at the Dobson shelter also resulted in a “not acceptable” rating.

Other issues dealt with sanitation and animal care, according to the inspection report.

Three cat enclosures were found without litter boxes, and five animals were discovered that lacked current rabies vaccinations.

In addition, one dog was found to be “emaciated and thin,” with a bleeding tail.

Shortly after that inspection, Thomas Williams, who serves as a spokesman for the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center — which oversees shelter operations — said most of the problems found during the earlier inspection were corrected immediately.

This latest inspection found no problems at all at the shelter, including its facilities, paperwork for the shelter, kennels and inspection documentation.

At the time of this latest inspection, the shelter was housing two cats and 13 dogs.

Contacted via telephone Tuesday, Samantha Ange, the director of the county’s Health and Nutrition Center, said the report “speaks for itself.”

“We’re really pleased,” she said. “The shelter has been painted, we have new cages installed and are just tickled with how the shelter looks today.”

Ange said she was proud of the work of the county employees to improve the animal shelter.

“We received rave reviews from the inspector, and of course it makes us very proud of the shelter and the hard work being put in by county staff,” she said.

Reach Keith Strange at kstrange@heartlandpublications.com or 719-1929.