Chatham County Animal Services is a home for rescue animals that come from all over the County. They shelter dogs and cats, and occasionally other types of animals who are waiting for a new home. As of January 2019, there were more cats up for adoption than dogs.
“We have the shelter, we have animal control officers– we do a little bit of everything that deals with animals,” Shelter Manager Ginny Jenrette said.
It’s hard to pinpoint the number of dogs up for adoption, because they are always getting adopted, but as of January 2019, there were five. “We can have a week go by and we take in none,” Jenrette said. “(We have also) had days where we get 10 dogs in one day; there is no rhyme or reason to it.”
Due to limited space, if the dogs haven’t been adopted in a given amount of time or given to a rescue organization, they are transported to another facility, for example the Wake County ASPCA, where they have more room. Wake County ASPCA, Jenrette said, “will take animals from us, when they have space, but (they) do euthanize a lot of the dogs because we only have the 20 kennels.” Adopting can quite literally save a shelter dog’s life.
As for cats, their numbers are considerably larger in shelters. As of January 2019, there are 10 available for adoption. They have both kittens and adult cats in the shelter. The cats and kittens that are new or being treated for an illness stay in the kennels, but the others “stay loose so people can come in and sit down and hang out with the cats and make their decision by getting a sense of their personalities,” Jenrette said.
Unlike the dogs, the cats can stay in the shelter for longer periods of time.
“Once they are in (the main cat room), for the most part they stay there until the are adopted,” Jenrette said. “We have had cats that have stayed here, for the longest, 9 or 10 months.” Jenrette said it’s not at all common for dogs to stay for very long. Many wonder if the cats are ever going to be put to sleep while in the shelter.
“They are not going to be put to sleep if they are living in the main cat room, unless there is some major illness we can’t treat or they have a turn around in their attitude and they start to bite,” Jenrette said.
Chatham County Animal Services is actively trying to save the lives of rescue animals. “For the year (2018), we have taken in over 1,400 animals combined (dog and cats included), which is actually lower than in previous years,” Jenrette said.
The adoption process is very easy. “You just have to be 18 or older. It is $100 for dogs and $90 for cats and that includes all of their vaccinations. They get a microchip before they leave and that includes their spay and neuter,” said Jenrette. “But it is very quick; the whole process only takes about 10-15 minutes.”
For anyone interested in adopting a pet, make sure to visit the Chatham County Animal Shelter Adoptions website or their Facebook page to view available dogs, see information on hours and get updates on missing dogs and adoptions.
