Wake County Animal Center begs for pet adoptions to avoid euthanizing animals
The Wake County Animal Center is “completely full” and sounding the alarm that animals may need to be euthanized to make space for new arrivals.
The shelter was “overwhelmed with more than 208 dogs and cats” arriving in the last seven days, the county said in a news release.
Animals that have been at the shelter longer than three weeks will be the first to be euthanized, the county said.
“We’ve worked so hard to avoid having to euthanize for space,” said Dr. Jennifer Federico, director of the Animal Center, in a news release. “We’ve offered discounts and free adoptions almost monthly, we’ve worked to expand our space within our current building, but now, more than ever, we’re seeing people giving up their dogs at a startling rate, leaving our shelter continually near capacity or overcapacity.”
The shelter is hoping it doesn’t need to resort to putting the animals down. Starting immediately, the nearly 90 dogs and cats that have been at the shelter for more than 15 days will be available to adopt at no-cost.
All adopted pets are vaccinated, spayed or neutered and microchipped before they are sent home with a family. Normally dogs cost $95, cats under 5 years old are $45 and older cats are $15.
Shelter officials also are reaching out to partner rescue groups to find homes for 220 animals that need a home immediately. There already are 72 pets living with foster families, the news release said.
No new appointments for surrender are available. The animal center is asking people who want to surrender their animals to re-home their pet or hold off on surrendering the animal.
An ongoing problem
This is not the first time that the Wake County Animal Center has waived adoption fees to try to prevent adoptable pets from being killed. The center issued four pleas for adoptions in 2022 after nearly running out of space.
So far this year, the center has nearly run out of space four times but this is the first time it’s reached the point of having zero kennels available, according to Wake County.
“We’re disheartened that we’re starting to sound like a broken record, but this repeating situation at the center is a reflection of our community and we know we can all do better,” said Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson in a news release. “It’s unbelievable that there are more than 200 animals at the center right now and that doesn’t even include the 72 pets that are being cared for by generous foster families.”
The shelter is at 820 Beacon Lake Drive. A gallery of adoptable pets can be found at pets.wake.gov/gallery. The shelter is open daily from noon to 6 p.m.
“Adopting a pet is a commitment for the life of that pet,” Federico said. “It’s not just until you decide to move, get a new job or have a baby.”
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