Laurens County shelter dogs featured on national TV
October 19, 2026
Part 1 of a series on the Laurens County Sheriff’s Animal Shelter
Two dogs from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Animal Shelter made a national television appearance Oct. 14, when they were featured during Adopt a Dog Week on “Live with Kelly and Mark.”
The dogs, who were seen sitting on the laps of hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, came to the shelter after being seized in an animal cruelty case. Shelter staff cared for the pair and nursed them back to health and strength before a rescue organization transported them to a northern state to be placed with new families.
The shelter shared the news on its Facebook page that morning, noting that staff work around the clock to find each dog a way out of the shelter and calling it pretty amazing to see two of its own on national TV.
“To go from a cruelty case to sitting in the laps of national TV hosts is quite a turnaround,” said Somer Flowers, a volunteer with the shelter.
Flowers credited Caroline Barnard for the work that helps make outcomes like this possible. Barnard works closely with rescue groups in northern states to get animals from the Laurens County shelter into loving homes.
“Caroline works hard with rescues in northern states to get our animals into loving homes,” Flowers said. “Professional dog rescues work hard to vet the adoptive families and make sure the dogs go to good homes. We see lots of wonderful success stories from dogs that get moved up north.”
Flowers said the partnerships fill a real need. Finding adoptive families within the local area has been a struggle, and in many cases professional rescues are better positioned to advertise the animals and screen potential adopters.
“We struggle to find adoptive families within the counties, and sometimes it is best to let professional rescues do the advertising and screening,” Flowers said.
The need for that help is growing. According to Flowers, the shelter is well over capacity, and adoptions must increase to relieve the pressure.
“We are way over capacity, and we have to have an increase in adoptions,” Flowers said. “We appreciate the dog rescues that pull five, 10 or 15 dogs at a time from us.”
Barnard said the national spotlight shows what is possible when shelters and rescues work together.
“Those two dogs came to us out of a cruelty case, and the shelter staff gave them a second chance,” Barnard said. “Seeing them on national television is a tribute to the people who care for these animals every day and to the rescue partners who help us find them homes. We still have a lot of dogs waiting, and we hope this inspires people right here in Laurens County to come see us and adopt.”
The national spotlight is only part of the story. Future installments in this series will go inside the shelter to explore what it takes to care for so many animals and the creative ways residents can help. Some of those opportunities may not be what readers expect.
Residents interested in adopting, fostering or supporting the shelter can contact the Laurens County Sheriff’s Animal Shelter or follow the shelter on Facebook for available animals and updates.
