If you’ve been thinking about adding a cat or dog to the family, the Guilford County Animal Shelter is making it hard to use price as an excuse.
Guilford County Animal Services has dropped the adoption fee for all cats and dogs to just $10 through Monday, Aug. 31, as part of the nationwide Clear the Shelter campaign.
And right now, Guilford County would very much like to clear some room.
Earlier this month, the county announced that Animal Services was caring for more than 700 animals – one of the highest point-in-time populations in the history of the facility.
That’s an especially daunting number since the Guilford County Animal Resource Center, which opened in 2021, was designed to house up to 550 animals.
The overcrowding has been putting pressure on shelter space, staff and other resources and prompted Animal Services earlier this month to issue an urgent appeal for residents to adopt animals, serve as foster families or make donations.
Now the county is adding what amounts to a fire sale on cats and dogs to those efforts.
Through the end of August, every cat and dog adopted from the shelter will cost $10. The animals will come vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered.
Guilford County Animal Services Director Jorge Ortega said this week that the shelter has continued to see a very high number of animals coming through its doors.
“We are excited to participate in the annual Clear the Shelter adoption campaign and give our community the opportunity to adopt a pet at a reduced fee,” Ortega said. “Animal Services has taken in more than 400 animals this month, and our goal is to help as many cats and dogs as possible find loving, permanent homes while reducing the number of pets in the shelter.”
The high population has already caused some operational problems.
Earlier this month, people bringing owner-surrendered animals to the shelter were facing waits of two to three hours. Animal Services said the delays were necessary because of the unusually high volume of animals and the need to provide each one with an intake evaluation, medical attention and safe housing.
The county has also been pushing its foster program particularly hard.
Fostering allows residents to temporarily take shelter animals into their homes, freeing space at the shelter while giving the animals a break from shelter life. The county provides veterinary care and food for foster animals, and the average foster commitment is about two weeks, although puppies, kittens and animals with medical or behavioral needs may require longer stays.
Animals particularly in need of foster homes include puppies and kittens under 8 weeks old, animals recovering from medical treatment and animals that need socialization, behavioral work or simply some time away from the stress of the shelter.
Of course, anyone who would rather make the arrangement permanent now has an unusually inexpensive opportunity to do so.
The Guilford County Animal Resource Center is at 980 Guilford College Road in Greensboro. It’s open for adoptions from noon to 4 p.m. every day except Tuesday, and no appointment is required.
Available animals can be viewed at GuilfordCountyNC.gov/AdoptAPet.
More information about Animal Services is available at GuilfordCountyNC.gov/AnimalServices or by calling 336-641-3400.
