Over the weekend, the Wake County Animal Center exceeded its adoption floor capacity and is urging the community to consider adoption to help care for nearly 200 animals. There are only 75 kennels for dogs and 42 spaces for cats, but right now, 110 dogs and 76 cats are being housed at the shelter in Raleigh, which means that we are overcapacity, have had to minimize housing options and are running out of space daily.
“Like animal shelters across the country, the Wake County Animal Center is experiencing an extremely high volume of pets in need of care,” said Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson. “We saw great turnout at recent adoption events, so the community is continually answering the call, but we simply continue to find strays and see families surrendering their pets every day. We really want Wake County residents to know their support can save a life and enrich their own!”
Just since Friday, 108 new animals have come to WCAC, including 54 dogs, 14 puppies, 16 cats, 20 kittens, 1 rabbit and 3 rats. This is in addition to the animals that were already here. We cannot keep up this incoming pace if animals aren’t adopted. In addition, surrender appointments, which are required for families who want to give up their animals, are booked full for the next month.
“The Wake County Animal Center has avoided having to euthanize any animals because of lack of space,” said Dr. Jennifer Federico, Wake County Animal Doctor. “We don't want to euthanize for space. This plea is to make our community aware of the urgent need. There are only so many kennels and we need the community’s help!”
The Wake County Animal Center is the only open admission shelter in Wake County that never turns away animals, including stray, abandoned and surrendered pets. The shelter treated and re-homed more than 8,000 homeless animals in 2021 and may likely exceed that number in 2022.
Currently, the regular adoption fees are $95 for dogs, $45 for cats under 5 years old, and $15 for cats that are greater than 5 years old. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 1, cats and dogs 8 years and older are available at reduced rate. It will cost just $25 to take home a senior dog, and you can name your price for cats.
“Senior pets are typically already house-trained and, because they have been uprooted from their homes, are grateful for the opportunity to be a family member again”, said Wake County Commissioner Maria Cervania. “All adopted animals from the center are spayed or neutered and microchipped prior to going home with their new family.”
One of Dr. Federico’s biggest pleas is to ask families who can’t or don’t want to care for their pets any longer to PLEASE try to use their networks to find a new home. They know their pets the best and sharing information about them on their social media accounts or in their neighborhoods might result in finding a great match, which avoids the pet having to enter the shelter system. If you find a stray, please try to find the owner yourself before bringing to the shelter – ask a local vet to check for a microchip, and post the animal on NextDoor and TriangleLostPets.org or any local Facebook group. If you need to rehome your pet, please do so yourself by posting online, asking friends/family or returning the pet to where/whom you got it from.
Ready to adopt? Check out our adoption gallery or come by and see the sweet faces for yourself! The shelter is open for adoptions daily from noon to 6 p.m. seven days a week. The Wake County Animal Center is located at 820 Beacon Lake Drive, near the intersection of I-440 and New Bern Ave. in Raleigh.
