SALISBURY — The Rowan County Animal Shelter will host a special, reduced-rate adoption event at their facility, located at 1465 Julian Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Prospective pet owners will have the opportunity to adopt dogs, cats and more.

Animal Services Director Bob Pendergrass said that the shelter will have approximately 19 dogs and puppies as well as 46 cats and kittens for 80% off of the normal, $80 adoption rate at Saturday’s event.

“The adoption fees for these events are reduced by 80% to try to cope with the constant severe overcrowding at the shelter, especially with cats and kittens,” Pendergrass said.

The county began to allow us to have these events two years ago, Pendergrass said. And the shelter has up to 20 special-priced adoption events per year.

In addition to dogs and cats this weekend, the shelter will have three pot-bellied pigs available for adoption at no cost.

He said, thankfully, that the shelter hasn’t been forced to euthanize any adoptable animals this year. Animals are considered to be unadoptable due to circumstances such as being extremely ill or extremely injured, Pendergrass said. In those cases, animals may be euthanize.

“We do not forecast having to euthanize any adoptable animals this spring,” he said, referencing a season that’s typically busy.

 

 

Pendergrass said that each adoptable pet is either spayed or neutered before being adopted and new owners are provided a voucher to help assist with costs for rabies shots and “the first round of shots.”

“Our goal is to provide homes for unwanted animals and animals that people cannot take care of, our goal is to find homes for all of these animals,” he said.

Pendergrass said that the shelter provides vaccinations and makes sure to properly treat animals for any potential diseases before placing them for adoption.

“When animals are adopted they will receive a microchip to help owners relocate them if they are lost and a rabies shot which is good for one year,” he said.

 

Pendergrass said that the shelter has brought in 5,598 cats and dogs so far in 2019, “from a variety of situations.” He said 3,274 of those were cats, and 2,324 were dogs.

Pendergrass said that 2,060 of cats brought into the shelter were strays and that 1,159 dogs brought in were strays.

“Fifty cats were returned to their owner and 438 dogs were returned,” he said.

This year, the shelter has adopted out 2,279 cats and 1,657 dogs.

Pendergrass said that pet owners who are interested in adopting a new pet should understand that they are “bringing an animal to a new environment that they are not familiar with.”

“Your new pet will need food and the proper housing,” he said.

 

Entry into the Rowan County Animal Shelter’s event this Saturday is free of charge. For more information contact the shelter at 704- 216-7768.