By PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) — Animal shelters across eastern North Carolina are facing tough decisions as facilities reach maximum capacity and struggle with severe overcrowding.
Officials in Beaufort and Pitt counties say their kennels are filled to the brim, leaving staff searching for ways to clear space for incoming strays and emergency rescues.
Beaufort County Animal Services warned in a recent Facebook post that it is facing a “worst-case scenario,” noting all animals in the facility are at risk of euthanasia due to the lack of room.
“We have no more space,” said Melanie Sawyer, chief officer of Beaufort County Animal Services. “There are animals that need to be picked up, there are strays, there are cases that we need to work and go out and pick up. Puppies that need to be surrendered, and there’s nowhere to put them.”
Sawyer noted that overcrowding has become a critical issue statewide and across the nation. She attributed the crisis to pet owners neglecting to spay and neuter their animals, as well as people moving away and abandoning pets at local facilities.
“People don’t realize that we’re not responsible for their animal,” Sawyer said. “We’re responsible for the ones that are stray, injured, you know, ones that are being cruelly treated, stuff like that. Not owned animals, and that becomes an issue.”
The strain is being felt just down the road in Pitt County.
“It’s definitely going around; it’s everywhere, absolutely,” Pitt County Animal Services Director Kimberly Mitchell said. “It’s the same case here.”
To combat overcrowding, Pitt County shelter staff have relied on special promotions to boost adoption rates. Discounted adoption fees have run throughout September, yielding promising results.
“We’ve actually had a really big success,” said Ashley Case, volunteer coordinator at Pitt County Animal Services. “We’ve had 50 animals adopted this month already, and it’s only the 18th, and 29 of those were because of the sponsorship.”
Pitt County Animal Services will offer discounted adoption fees on all animals this Saturday, with staff aiming to place as many pets as possible into permanent homes — including older dogs that have remained at the shelter since February.
For information on how to adopt from these shelters, follow these links:
Pitt County: www.pittcountync.gov/597/Adoption-Fostering-Pets
Beaufort County: www.co.beaufort.nc.us/244/Animal-Services
Full Article: https://www.witn.com/2026/09/18/eastern-north-carolina-animal-shelters-reach-capacity-seek-urgent-adoptions/?outputType=amp