Hope Hancock: Hope for the Animals

by Vanessa Budnick
August 2009

Given her life-long love of animals and a decade working in the nonprofit sector, you would only pause to wonder if Hope Hancock did not end up leading one of the state’s largest and most successful animal welfare organizations — the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County.

For anyone who has met Hope, the mention of her name is quickly followed by observations on her commitment to helping animals.

"Hope is one of the most passionate people I know working with animal welfare issues," said Barbara Thompson, President of the SPCA’s Board of Directors. "She is energetic and extremely knowledgeable. It’s to the benefit of all the animals and people in the Triangle that Hope Hancock is the Executive Director of the SPCA of Wake County."

In a field of work where phrases like "compassion fatigue," are common, Hope brings a positive energy, a proactive approach and possibility for lasting change.

When one looks at Hancock’s life, her current position and accomplishments at the SPCA seem to be kismet. Touchstone moments mark her path. From an early age, in Wayne County, NC, Hope learned the immense responsibility of caring for an animal as she worked with her family’s horses. This love of horses remains and led her to volunteer work with an equine therapy program for mentally, physically and emotionally challenged people.

In 1997, Hancock fell in love with and adopted a twelve-year-old dog named Gracie. In her senior years, Gracie battled breast cancer — a condition that may have been prevented had she been spayed early in life. Gracie’s life and battle with cancer inspired Hope to work with AnimalKind, a non-profit focused on educating the public about spay/neuter surgery and its benefits. And now, it would seem, that the culmination of this life’s work comes with her position as Executive Director at the SPCA of Wake County.

Armed with the knowledge that communities cannot and should not euthanize their way out of the pet overpopulation problem, Hope entered her position at the SPCA of Wake County in 2005 with an inspiring goal — to end the euthanasia of adoptable animals in Wake County through the development of aggressive spay/neuter programs. The Saving Lives Spay/Neuter Animal Clinic, an initiative of the SPCA of Wake County, is the realization of that goal.

Personally cited as one of her greatest career accomplishments, the Saving Lives Spay/Neuter Animal Clinic opened in January 2009 and provides high-quality, high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter surgeries for pet owners, regardless of income. The program is ushering in a new approach to animal sheltering; euthanasia is not the answer to pet overpopulation, prevention is.

In her four years at the SPCA of Wake County, Hancock has overseen an organization that saves over 3,000 animals each year through adoption and rehoming efforts. In 2007, the SPCA of Wake County was honored with a four-star ranking, the highest mark of fiscal responsibility, by Charity Navigator, the leading, independent charity evaluator.

Outside of her long hours helping the animals, Hope resides in Raleigh with her husband Gerry, and their dog Ellie and cats, Tab and Davey. When she’s not working to save lives, or rolling a lint brush over her suit (a work-place hazard), you might catch a glimpse of her taking a second to rub a cat’s bully or gently scratch a dog’s chin.

You can learn more about the SPCA of Wake County and the Saving Lives Spay/Neuter Animal Clinic at spcawake.org.

Vanessa Budnick is the SPCA Humane Educator

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