Questions around animal shelters overcrowding in North Carolina are circulating following a Friday, Oct. 30, Facebook post from the Carteret County Humane Society.
In the Oct. 30 post, the Carteret County Humane Society issued a plea to the community after animal control services reportedly called the society asking for assistance with dogs “desperately” in need of care.
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The post noted that the CCHS shelter is full, stating, “We want to help them, and we are calling on you, our community, to help us make room.” CCHS added that it had partnered with BISSELL Pet Foundation for Emergency Empty the Shelter, encouraging members of the community to adopt a dog for a $50 fee.
A report from the NC Pet Project confirms that overcrowding remains a problem in N.C. shelters, with more than a quarter of all dogs and cats taken in by reporting public shelters reportedly euthanized in 2025. Here’s what to know.
NC animal shelter overcrowding
A recent report from the NC Pet Project on animal shelter overcrowding noted that shelter euthanasia rates in the state hit 26% in 2025, up from a historic low of 22% in 2021. The report noted this marks roughly one animal every 13 minutes, and is more than three times the national euthanasia rate of 8%.
How many dogs, cats are euthanized in NC every year?
North Carolina’s reporting public animal shelters euthanized 39,202 dogs and cats in 2025, 26% of the 150,784 they took in. Of the euthanized animals, 17,140 were dogs and 22,062 were cats.
How many dogs, cats are euthanized every year in the U.S.?
The NC Pet Project notes that counts of animal euthanasia differ based on the database collecting them. In 2025, roughly 2.8 million dogs and 3 million cats entered U.S. animal shelters and rescues, with about 4.2 million adopted.
Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit database that joined the ASPCA in 2025, shows about 320,000 dogs and 277,000 cats euthanized in U.S. animal shelters in 2025. Best Friends Animal Society shows about 209,000 dogs and 187,000 cats euthanized.
How many dogs, cats were euthanized in Buncombe County in 2025?
The Asheville Humane Society and Buncombe County Animal Shelter reported 226 dogs and 83 cats euthanized in 2025.
Reporting by Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Citizen Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
