It just got a lot cheaper to bring home a new best friend from the Guilford County animal shelter: Throughout August, Guilford County Animal Services is slashing pet adoption fees from $75 to $25 as part of the national Clear the Shelter campaign, an annual push to find homes for dogs and cats currently living at the shelter.
In the 2024-2025 budget adopted last year, at the encouragement of former Guilford County Manager Mike Halford, the county raised the adoption fees significantly at the shelter in a move that seemed to be patently unwise. While the county would make $50 or so more on adoptions with the new fees, it would also no doubt mean that the animals would be in the shelter longer requiring overburdened county animal staff to continue feeding and caring for them – and it meant the taxpayers would continue paying for those services as well as expensive medical care provided at the shelter.
It seemed to be clearly a penny wise and pound-foolish decision.
The board almost even raised the adoption fees on very hard to adopt out senior cats, though, fortunately, after a highly sensible motion by Commissioner Pat Tillman, the board overruled Halford’s effort to raise that particular adoption fee increase.
It’s clear that lower fees mean more adoptions since the shelter is lowering fees this month to clear out the shelter.
This is the eighth year that Guilford County has participated in the national monthlong effort, which is being promoted by NBC and Telemundo stations across the country.
Local animal lovers say they hope the lower costs will help more families adopt animals and reduce pressure on the shelter, which is seeing a surge in intakes and recently has had trouble with the spread of disease.
“We are excited to participate in the Clear the Shelter campaign for an 8th year and offer our community the opportunity to adopt a pet,” said Animal Services Director Jorge Ortega in a prepared statement. “Our goal is to reduce the number of cats and dogs currently at the animal shelter and help them find the forever homes they deserve.”
No appointments are needed to adopt, though some who have called and dropped by have reported long wait times.
The Guilford County Animal Resource Center, located at 980 Guilford College Road in Greensboro, is open daily from noon to 4 p.m., except on Tuesdays.
Walk-ins are welcome. Available animals can also be previewed online at GuilfordCountyNC.gov/AdoptAPet.
County officials noted that the shelter is currently dealing with a high volume of animal intakes, which is one reason for the longer wait times for people dropping off lost or stray animals.
They’re asking the public to be patient and to consider adopting if they’re able to do so.
More information is available by calling Animal Services at 336‑641‑3400 or by visiting GuilfordCountyNC.gov/AnimalServices.
See or catch a wild animal? Try phoning “Animal Services”, and see what you (don’t) get.
County Animal Services is for PETS – dogs, cats, pet rodents, exotic pets, etc. – not wild animals. The Animal Control website helpfully lists several private companies that can provide wild animal removal/relocation services, if that is what you need.
That WAS one of their functions. Now, we get less for more.
so many cats, so few recipes .