CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C.,None — A local animal shelter temporarily shut off some of its services to help pets, which prompted a popular NASCAR driver and his wife to open their own clinic.
Driver Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie, have been involved in helping animals for years.
They donated $400,000 to the Catawba County Humane Society four years ago and asked race fans to donate, too. That money kept the shelter open and even led to a new building.
In recent months, though, the Newmans and the shelter have parted ways.
The Humane Society has lost two executive directors, their chief veterinarian and several office workers in the time since the initial donation. It's not clear if those people were fired or left on their own.
The Humane Society also decided to temporary close its spay and neuter clinic, which angered the Newmans.
"It was like slamming the door in our face and that not only hurt our feelings, but it also motivated Krissie to get something else opened back up," Ryan Newman said.
When the clinic closed, Krissie Newman said she felt compelled to open one in Mooresville, along with some of the people from the Catawba County Humane Society.
The clinic took 22 days to complete and opened last week. Workers at the new facility are already busy spaying and neutering cats and dogs.
"Just seeing what spay and neuter can do to reduce the numbers that are coming into our shelters and our animal control agencies and how we can do that as responsible pet owners," Krissie Newman said.
The clinic helps people who can't afford the procedure at a normal vet office, where it typically costs hundreds of dollars. At the clinic, it's about $70 or $80.
"It really is a specialized practice and that is the key to being able to lower the prices -- the volume that we do each day," veterinarian Beth Broome said.
Newman said he is well aware that his name and success in racing made the clinic possible, just as his name and success helped building the Humane Society in Catawba County.
Jane Bowers, the executive director, wouldn't discuss the Ryan Newman Foundation pulling out of its relationship with the shelter.
She would only say: "This issue is ongoing and in the hands of our attorneys. In the meantime, we now have a new veterinarian and have a spay and neuter clinic here to serve the public."
For more information about the Ryan Newman Foundation, click here.
For more information on the Humane Society of Catawba County, click here.