In the first two months of 2017, eight of the 20 dogs which entered the Nambucca Valley Council's pound, on NSW's North Coast, never got the chance to walk out again.
A couple were killed at the owner's request, others were 'restricted breeds' or 'dangerous', but some were just deemed 'unable to be rehomed'.
In April the same year, eight dogs and six cats were euthanised.
And in July 2017, 14 animals (10 dogs and four cats) were taken to the pound. Of those, only one cat and one dog were reunited with their owners. Seven dogs and two cats were put to death.
While these statistics might be shocking to animal lovers, they're not necessarily out of kilter with the national average.
A study by researchers from the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Queensland found that in 2012/13, around a quarter of animals taken into municipal councils' care around Australia were euthanised. And half of all unclaimed animals were killed.
But when Libby Owen answered her council's callout for a new pound attendant at the end of 2017, there was no way she could stand by and let things continue the way they had been.
"I've been around animals my whole life, and I wasn't going to let them down when I had the opportunity to help them," she said.
"How could I go home and sleep at night knowing that's what happened?"
Over the past three years, Libby has worked tirelessly to transform Nambucca's pound (which also houses animals from the neighbouring Bellingen Shire Council) into a no-kill facility.
Through the power of social media and the help of the tech-savvy Kelsey Watts, she can find the owner of a dog or cat, sometimes within 10 minutes of a post going live.
She's also steadily grown a valuable network of contacts within local, state and interstate animal rescue services, which have been a great help when an owner just can't be found.
One lucky local kelpie recently found a place to call his own in Tasmania.
Since I've come here there's been no rehomeable dog killed. And there's been no cats killed at all for nearly three years.
- Libby Owen
Libby is at the pound at 7am every morning, letting the dogs out for a run and a play, and making sure the animals are clean, fed and comfortable.
She dresses their beds with blankets, and puts jumpers on the pups if they're cold.
She even brings her own two lovable scamps along - two ex-pound dogs called Grunt and Mika - who help the others feel more at home in a strange environment.
"That actually gives me an edge. By watching how the dogs interact with my guys, I can say with certainty to anyone wanting to adopt them if they are good with other dogs," she said.
It's often thankless work, and it's demanding of her time. She is on-call 24/7 and often receives word about a possible transport mid-dinner or in the middle of the night.
"This job consumes me. I have to thank my family for allowing me and supporting me to do this," she said.
She's also grateful for the initial help from Friends of Kempsey Pound and council's Candace Lopez who enabled and supported her to shake up the status quo.
A Facebook page called "Australian Country Poundies", which allows people to donate money for the transport of rescue animals, has been a great tool to help turn the pound's policies around.
And superstars like Wayne Lavelle and Mel from Angryface Transport work through the night to get impounded cats and dogs into a safe place.
And then there are the local rescue groups, like the team from Arch in Coffs Harbour, Margie from Doggie Moggies, and Donna from Kitty Cat Cove, who go above and beyond to desex, microchip, vaccinate, heal and rehome locally impounded animals.
Libby's also grateful for the support of the local community.
"The public always gets behind me, whenever I ask for things. They might not think a spare blanket helps very much, but it does - every bit counts, and the support means a lot," Libby said.
There are also groups like Rescue Resource Winter Warmers - "a volunteer group of ladies in Sydney who work to help regional pounds to provide warm bedding, coats, treats and toys to the animals in their care".
The group's coordinator, Patricia Bavister, has nothing but praise for Libby's efforts.
"Over the years I have been co-ordinating this group I have spoken to many pound rangers and kennel staff. It soon becomes apparent who of those are the ones who stand out in providing the best possible care for the pets in their charge," she said in a recent letter to council.
I would like to take this opportunity to commend to you Libby Owen who I feel to be one of the best in our state.
"From the beginning of our contact Libby has been so enthusiastic to accept and welcome gratefully any help she can be given to make the lives of pets in the pound more comfortable.
"Reducing the stress felt by abandoned and lost pets is absolutely essential as this makes them much easier to rehome and is truly an important aspect of pound duty of care and Libby does her utmost to carry this out."
She said the work Libby does has helped to shape the image of the Nambucca Valley Council as "a compassionate and proactive" one.
According to Council General Manager Michael Coulter, this is not the first time they've received glowing feedback about Libby's passionate efforts.
But while Libby is proud of her work and the change she's brought about, it's not been for "gold stars". Her drive is always for the animals under her care.
"Dogs and cats that are in the pound - they're not bad, they've just been let down," she said.
"I feel good knowing they'll walk out that gate again either to their own home, or a new one.
"This little old pound is one of the best in the state now."
And there are noticeably less homeless dogs and cats roaming around our townships since Libby has been pound attendant.
"I think it's because people aren't afraid to bring them here now - because they know they won't be killed and they'll be looked after," she said.
"I've wanted to make this place more approachable for people. I'm in the position of being able to help out."
And while she's already achieved so much, Libby is not done shaking things up yet: "My next aim is to be the most desexed, microchipped and immunised shire in the state, then in Australia. I don't aim low."
Libby has told me that since publishing this article other local and state media outlets have picked up the story. The exposure has caused ripples through other councils in NSW and there are those that are currently looking into changing the way things are done because of Libby's example.
Libby said she almost turned me down when I called for an interview. She was content to continue doing her work behind the scenes without any recognition. But I'm so glad she did speak with me. The results from Libby's tireless efforts really speak for themselves, and go a long way towards proving that one person really can create change in this world.
Mel Leigh Dee
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
