By Dale Smith

dsmith@hometownnewsol.com

NEW SMYRNA BEACH - You have to be a real dog lover to play God.

And although they don't like playing that role, Kelly Spiros and Sarah Harper do just that when they travel from Volusia County to Putnam County to pick which dogs or cats they'll save from being killed.

The Putnam County Animal Control pound in Palatka is a high kill facility. Stray animals are rounded up every week and taken to the pound. If no one claims them after five to seven days they are euthanized.

"No, I don't like playing God," Ms. Spiros said. "Many of those animals are adoptable. It's very difficult to go there. I want to save as many as I can and find good homes for them."

Ms. Harper agreed with her friend.

"Choosing which animal to save is one of the hardest decisions to make," Ms. Harper said. "We only pick the ones that are out of time before they are killed."

Putnam County is a very rural county and has a large population of dogs.

"There is no chance for these dogs to get adopted there (Putnam County)," Ms. Harper said. "Kelly and I got 13 dogs and three cats (from Putnam County) just a couple of weeks ago."

Nikki Cavanaugh, supervisor of the Putnam County pound, said there are between 30 to 35 organizations that regularly stop by for animals to rescue or adopt.

"We have anywhere from 50 to 150 rescues a month and 10 to 15 adoptions a month," Ms. Cavanaugh said.

When Ms. Harper takes animals home they're placed in quarantine for a week.

"They get to play and get used to everything. My children help me with all of that," Ms. Harper said.

Like Ms. Spiros, Ms. Harper does all of this out of fondness for animals. Both women get their rescues spayed or neutered at their own expense before they're ready for adoption.

"I love a challenge," Ms. Spiros said. "There are so many families looking for pets to adopt. The ones we choose to save we nurse and take care of them until homes are found."

Ms. Spiros owns and operates Dog Dayz Inn in New Smyrna Beach, and Ms. Harper is a vet tech at Oceans Edge in Ponce Inlet and works with veterinarian Sandra L'amie. She lives in Samsula.

Dog Dayz Inn is a no cage facility where dogs are free to roam around fenced-in yards.

Ms. Spiros turned her own home into a house for the dogs.

"We have group rooms, rooms for small dogs, rooms for larger ones and rooms for cats," Ms. Spiros said. "We modified all the doors for easy access with lots of gates. It's like Fort Knox. No one can escape."

Ms. Spiros lives in the mother-in-law suite attached to the main house.

"I get 500 square feet (to live in), and the dogs get the other 3,000 square feet," she said.

The dog rooms also come equipped with televisions.

Ms. Spiros said the dogs' favorite TV programs include "Law and Order, SVU," "Judge Judy," and of course, "Oprah."

Canines world-wide would whine with envy if they saw the three acres of play area the dogs enjoy on the property.

Ms. Spiros owns nine dogs of her own. She boards others for regular clients and takes in others to foster before placing them for adoption.

Boarding animals is Ms. Spiros' full time job and sole source of income.

Debbie Jackson of New Smyrna Beach has boarded her two dachshunds at Ms. Spiros' doggie inn for several years now. She feels her "boys" get a safe environment in which to live and play.

"There are no crates there," Ms. Jackson said. "Socialization with other dogs is very important and Kelly sees that all the dogs socialize."

The discipline of Ms. Spiros' charges is evident as they play with their toys, sleep on their beds or go in and out their individual pet doors.

"Socialization is the best thing for dogs," Ms. Spiros said. "If dogs come to me with issues such as separation anxiety or aggression, I welcome the challenge. My customers appreciate when I'm able to help them."

Ms. Spiros said there were three things she believes in the most when caring and handling dogs.

"Exercise, discipline and love," she said. "When you provide those three things, then they're mentally stable for adoption."

To learn more about adopting a dog or cat, call (386) 566-2753.

For more information about Dog Dayz Inn, call (386) 426-1567.