Davidson County Animal Shelter

Roger Cole

2024-03

My wife and I recently lost our beloved cat, so we wanted to get one from the animal shelter, the staff was very friendly and helpful, didn't get one yet but will be going back again, I recommend that if you are looking for a pet please give them a look

John Johnson

2023-08

This place is insane. We call them the adoption nazis.In our extended family, we have over a dozen loved pets. Every single one of them was “found”. Alongside the freeway, in culverts, half dead on our porch - you name it. One is blind, one suffers anxiety, but ALL of them are loved. Every single one was spayed or neutered, and had their shots.But when my feline best friend died unexpectedly, I went to the animal shelter to find a new companion.No dice. Because we took our pets to two different vets, and I accidentally checked the wrong box on the form, I was told I could NEVER adopt a cat there.SERIOUSLY?I told my daughter about the cat, and SHE tried to adopt him.Again, no. Why? Because she USED to live at my address 5 years ago!These people are petty tyrants that use their low or no pay jobs to take their frustration out on people. They were UTTERLY unfriendly, and showed ZERO compassion for the animals. They are clearly very stupid and follow their “policies” without a brain in their heads.Most of the cats had been there for months. Now I know why.

Sabrina Russell

2024-02

All they do is try to turn you away from leaving your animal with them when people are sick or can’t take care of them anymore.That’s why y’all are there is to relieve people of the animal so nobody drop them on the street. Always saying they gonna kill them

Anthony Robinson

2023-07

This shelter is completely unethical and houses outrageous policies. I was merely trying to give away my kitten to the shelter, due to me not being able to care for him longer, and they informed me that due to lack of space, they would put him to sleep. A kitten. It would be his death sentence. I was so appalled by this that I felt compelled to say something -- it is incredibly unethical to place a death sentence on a young, not even fully matured, animal and the woman I spoke with had no regard for his life or my feelings. She was rude, her tone was rude, and it was very matter-of-fact. This is absolutely unacceptable and I had to speak up for the safety of the animals currently there in the facility, as well as for potential ones that may arrive. That was not okay and it leads me to suspect if there is more going on behind closed doors. Someone needs to investigate.

Vanessa Eanes

2023-05

The staff at the Davidson Animal Shelter are very compassionate and work hard to find good loving homes or a rescue facility for their animals. They definitely live up to their vision statement of giving animals a second chance at life. They truly care about the animal’s well-being. Please consider an adoption or fostering a pet. We did both!

Arthur Barnette

2023-05

Out of all the shelters me and my wife visited. And we've visited a lot. This one was the cleanest and the most welcoming, the employees were very informative. And the animals just seemed happier in general. Even though we didn't find what we were looking for we still recommend you to visit this Shelter. Your Pet may be here waiting for you.

j m

2023-05

Terrible place to get an animal. They actively euthanize incoming dogs due to their process of adoption. They won't allow you to adopt an animal if you rehome a dog you adopted 7 years ago to your mother, because your dog starts to grieve when you remove them from your other childhood dogs.Needs loads of work if they are to rehome with a great success rate like Guilford county animal services do.They also suck at checking for chips and put dogs down because they fail to check all throughout the spine of the dog.

Michael Williams

2023-05

We adopted Gus Gus (now Radley) earlier this week. He’s been a welcomed addition to our family. He’s made himself at home and really adapted well to the kids, walking on the leash and being around people who love him. Kudos to the staff here who work tirelessly to care for and take care of the amount of animals that come here daily.

Daniel Ennett

2023-06

Astounds me they call the place an animal shelter, but don't want to actually shelter animals, Lord forbid if you actually try to rescue a stray, and turn it into them, they'll tell you that they will put the animal asleep within 72 hours and you have to sign a form that will basically register you as neglectful, or abusive, and now if you look on their Facebook, they are finding animals that are just being abandoned. I wonder why, seems like they have a better chance on the streets then this shelter, especially considering they are basically going to frame you for the exact thing they are doing, or do they not consider denying shelter as neglect, and euthanasia abuse?

Jane Doe

2023-05

Girls at front were very rude, and had a “don’t bother me attitude”.Adopted a dog and found it from outside testing the breed is totally different from what’s listed.Girls said dog was treated for fleas and now the adopted dog and my current dog has fleas from this shelter- one star is generous

AiyaMarie 0729

2020-05

The staff members are rude and don't know how to talk to people. I dropped off a stray lab puppy there because I was told it was a no kill shelter and they give animals a chance. I tried to take care of him but, he was too high energy and destructive for me. He would have been great for a family with a big yard and plenty of time to love him and spoil him properly as he is a sweet and lovable dog. Taking him to any shelter was my LAST option, so it's not like I didn't try to get him a good home.They were very rude!. Talked to me in a dismissively and as if I was a hindrance to their day. As soon as I got out the car with my dog they scattered like roaches hit by raid. I had to knock and check the time to make sure they were open.The one chick with the brunette hair, if you see her RUN honey cause that one all most made me catch a case. Just disrespectful and rude. I will NEVER go back there again.

Robin Strange

2023-05

My son and I went by there, and the lady with blonde and purple hair was very rude and too straight forward. When you surrender an animal they should just say, okay we will see what we can do for them. Don't make people feel worse than they all ready do. Bringing an animal there, sometimes is very rough, without someone there making things worse.

Jessica Bruff

2018-05

The staff is absolutely wonderful. We have adopted 2 dogs from this shelter. One of our dogs was in foster care and the care taker was there the day we adopted him. They were able to tell me about him and loves to hear the updates. This shelter is Very Clean and welcoming. They have a huge donation bin. You do not go home empty handed when you adopt from this shelter. Leashes, Collars, blankets, food, treats. This shelter has made a huge turn around in a short amount of time. Adoptions are up more rescues stepping up taking in dogs and cats. All animals adopted out from this shelter is fully vetted and spayed/neutered. Helping so much with the pet over population in this community.

Jeannette Watt

2023-06

These people are very passionate about their work. I've been taking my little buddy here for three years now for his rabies vaccine and he's very comfortable with them. ❤️

Alice Hill

2018-05

This is the best shelter in NC by far and I have been to and volunteered at many. The staff is so compassionate and so friendly. They really make you feel right at home and you can tell they really care about the animals. I have seen staff cry over animals that have to be euthanized, I have seen them hold back their tongue time and time again when people come to surrender animals for the stupidest reasons. I have seen them handle stressful situations in such a professional and tactful manner. They really are the best thing that has happened to this shelter.People complaining about sick animals need to realize that is a possibility with any shelter you adopt from, especially one as small as this one which does not have a vet on staff (take that up with the county who won't hire one).And to the people mentioning the whole cat and raccoon incident, you are just going by hearsay. There were very strict protocols that needed to be followed when the gas chamber was around, I highly doubt this ever happened. Also, the gas chamber has been removed since the beginning of 2015 and also is now illegal in NC so animals are only euthanized humanely by injection.It is really a county issue that the shelter has to euthanize so many animals. If irresponsible owners didn't breed their animals all the time without a care of where they end up and if people were more responsible and spayed and neutered their animals then there wouldn't be so many homeless animals in Davidson County. Also, if you're missing your animal, please check the shelter every day or every other day!! It's not their responsibility to figure out if you're animal is there, it's yours! Go look If you actually care about them!Yes, this shelter has to euthanize for space but only because they can only hold 150 animals! And guess what? They usually get over 400 a month! Without enough people adopting or looking for their pets, and without rescues coming in to pull, they have to euthanize some to make space for all the new ones who never stop coming in. Please educate yourselves, donate, volunteer, adopt, spread the word!

Animal Advocate

2016-05

New Management has been over the animal shelter since January and they rid the shelter of the gas chamber. This was great news and I applaud them for this. Unfortunately, the animal shelter is still a kill-shelter. It is important that the residents of Davidson County understand this. They may not put them in the gas chamber but they will euthanize by lethal injection. Euthanasia is the humane option for those animals who are suffering or sick.This shelter will euthanize if they do not have room to house the animals even if they have someone to sponsor/pay and this is unacceptable. If you surrender an animal to the shelter, do not assume they are safe. They hold them for 72 hours and then deem if they are adoptable (which includes health & temperament) and IF they have room on the floor THEN the animal is safe from euthanasia. The animals that are on the adoption floor are safe and are able to wait for their forever home.I recently visited the animal shelter because some animals were picked up by animal control and taken away from their stray mother. I was told if an animal is healthy and adoptable but there is no room in the shelter, they will not be able to keep it. This means that they kill the animal. I offered to adopt/foster/sponsor or pay to make sure the animals were safe but they could not do that. She told me that someone would call me back about the animals and naturally nobody did. I called back and was told that there is no way that I can find any information about the animals or sponsor until they are placed up for adoption (if they make it to adoption). She told me to call back in a month even though the holding period is 72 hours? She confirmed that in a month, if the animals were not up for adoption, then they were euthanized.I also asked about volunteering. The response I received was that they were really full with volunteers and they weren’t sure when the next orientation class would be. They wanted me to call back in a month. I find it odd that you can have too many volunteers. I saw two people working the floor at the shelter when I was there.If you are surrendering an animal or find a stray, I implore you to find a no-kill rescue agency outside of Davidson County to insure the animal has hope. If the animal is feral or has had little human contact, they will likely be killed.

Google User

2020-05

I picked up a dog there last week. I took him to the vet within the 5 days they suggested. Ever since I brought him home he has been coughing, throwing up, and itching a lot. They treated him for kennel cough and fleas at the shelter. Well the cough never went away and he also has skin mites that they did not test for. They said they do not test for mites unless the animal shows signs of having them... he has been itching nonstop and they didn’t think that it could be more than fleas that they claimed to have treated. When I called and told them about what was going on because all of this has been happening since I brought him home they basically said it wasn’t their problem that they couldn’t do anything. They said that I could bring him back but that’s my only option. I’m not returning a dog to a place that failed to take care of him the first time. They asked if I signed up for the pet insurance... I never received anything from them about it. When I told them that they asked why I hadn’t called about the insurance. I’ve had a sick dog. The last thing I was worried about was an email. I don’t understand why they would release a pet to someone without the pet being completely vetted and checked for everything! Oh! They said they resent the insurance.... still haven’t received it 🙄 so I am now out about $400+ in unnecessary vet bills and medicine for my dog that never should have happened if they actually checked the animals they were releasing to people.

Josh Allen (ForsakenProto)

2018-05

Adopted a puppy from here last Wednesday. Staff was very friendly, and the gentleman taking care of the animals was super helpful when we were in the puppy kennel. Shelter was very clean and the adoption process was very quick. Our pup had to go back today to be fixed and once again the process was as smooth as it could be. Would definitely recommend looking here if you are wanting to adopt!

Ben Szum

2023-05

I haven't forgotten about the family pet you "accidentally" euthanized over a mix up of paperwork (blaze the 16 month old heeler, 2019), despite everything that's happened since then.I haven't forgotten, and neither should YOU. Nor should you forget the cruel "gas chamber incident" years before that. Never forget those memories, and never forget that you're expected to do better than that by animal lovers all across the US.

Katherine Carter

2018-05

The employees at this shelter do everything they can for the animals in their care. Yes, this is a kill shelter. If they run out of space they have no choice but to euthanize. To address some concerns raised in previous reviews:To the reviewer stating that you didn't know the animal you surrendered might be euthanized, that is completely false. I've been to this shelter many times and bright yellow signs are clearly posted on the front doors stating that if they are full, surrendered pets may have to be killed. Also, you signed a paper stating that you understood the pet might be killed. You can't fuss after the fact just because you changed your mind.To the reviewer stating they kill all pits and pit mixes, that is no longer true. That changed several years ago. They now save what they can, regardless of breed.To the sick pet reviewers, yes, sick pets may be adopted from any shelter. You signed a paper stating that you understood that and that you'd have the pet visit a vet soon after adoption and that medical bills were your responsibilty. The shelter has no vet on staff and no time nor funds to treat every animal. They will tell you if they think an animal is sick but they aren't psychic nor are they vets.And finally the raccoon incident was many, many years ago and under different management. They no longer use a gas chamber although they do still euthanize.Anyhow, I know this was a long review but I gotta give this shelter credit for hard work and doing the best they can in a county with way too many animals.

Elisabeth Strillacci

2018-05

The management and staff that took this place over I believe last year are amazing. But the hard truth is they do not have the space to be a no-kill shelter. They do not hide the fact that owner-surrendered animals are not subject to a stray hold, and if they are bursting at the seams, (and they usually are) then owner-surrendered pets are at risk of euthanasia at any time.This is not pleasant for any of the staff there. It is not what they would ever choose to do. It is the abysmal truth of animal shelter work.But they love animals enough that they carry the heartbreak of loss with them as they go above and beyond every single day, for every animal possible.Commenters who complain about the shelter need to understand that euthanizing any animal is a last resort unless the animal is dying. There are signs posted EVERYWHERE about owner surrenders, it is on the surrender form and staff tell the owners, more than once, what can happen.If you love animals as I do and as these folks do, stop bashing them and start supporting them. Become a foster. Help with fundraisers. Ask them how you can help. But for crying out loud, stop sitting smugly in your armchair complaining but doing nothing.ADOPT DON’T SHOP!And DALE? Such out and out lies are beyond mean - the statements you made border on libel. You made it clear you intended to harm the shelter. That’s known as malice. The puppy you surrendered is very much alive, though suffering from skin issues caused by the lack of care and lack of flea prevention by YOU. Thank heavens that baby is now well cared for.

jennifer frick

2017-05

The women who work at this shelter are amazing. They are dedicated, hardworking, and do right by every creature they are brought, and even the ones they adopt out. They want happy endings, and happy pets. They are an asset to the community and do so much with so little. We are so happy to have adopted from the county shelter, and hope to support them further through volunteer work.

Megan Pavey

2019-05

The Receptionist was extremely rude, had a snooty attitude as though I was inconveinicing her and bother her talking to a person about going to a club to dance, well seems the dog I was looking for had a chip in her, she was so sweet pretty wish I would have kept her now because they killed rite after she arrived at the animal control shelter, never bothered to see if she had a chip, and she was pregnant I think, I couldn't keep her where I lived so they do not give owners any kind of chance to see if there dog is there or not, I would never ever turn another dog over to them, the living conditions for the animals are deplorable, so please find any other means to help a lost dog, because if left there it will be dead before you get out of the parking lot.In response to the dog in question it was not there for 2 weeks, this pound tells fibs, I know the date it was taken to the pound so don't trust this place they aren't in the business of helping to reunite any missing animal with its family. It's still a nasty facility!!

Kaila Smith MAIN account

2021-05

My dog went missing about 2 weeks ago that I have had for 3 years and when I got to the Davidson county animal shelter in Lexington NC to see if she was there they told me that she had been sent to a rescue but they refuse to give me the information or website to contact the rescue... I don’t care if I have to re-adopt her , I don’t care what I have to pay . I’m willing to give all the money in my account I just want my dog back but NOBODY from that shelter seems to care enough .. I can’t stop crying! My dogs name is sugar so if anyone from the shelter sees this can you at least tell them her name so she will feel more comfortable there PLEASE!! HER NAME IS SUGAR!!!! If you guys have any heart at all please let the rescue know that because you guys were terribly rude to me. I just left from there 30 mins ago on Monday January 4th, 2021 and I am very disappointed. And is she really in a shelter or did you euthanize her??? I NEED TO KNOW

Cheryl Blackburn

2022-05

I got my dog here 14 years ago and he has been the best pet . He's 16 now and going strong. He is a Pomeranian mix with chow. He's name was Wilson and I changed it to Buddy.

Audrey Mills-Koontz

2018-05

I love this shelter. I have adopted 5 animals from this shelter. I HAVE NEVER SURRENDERED AN AN8MAL TO ANY SHELTER. I would never surrender an animal period. There has been a sign on the front door of the shelter for months. I am sorry that Dale Henninger cannot read. It is said that someone who is going to be the father of two,young children can’t read.

K

2018-05

We had a wonderful experience adopting a dog from here. The employees try to find a loving home for every animal. I wish they had more room on their adoption floor, unfortunately this is a pretty small shelter. If you are considering surrendering an animal, PLEASE exhaust every other option first as they are FULL TO CAPACITY.

Dale Heninger

2018-05

DAVIDSON COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER DOES NOT RESPECT THE LIVES OF ANIMALSMe and my wife Amber have a 17 month old as well as having a newborn any day now as she is going into her 9th month of pregnancy. We had a beautiful 8 month old labrador/jack russell puppy that we got for our 17 month old Isabella from a pet adoption fair. Wyatt our pet was 8 weeks old when we got him, during that time we taught him to potty outside, play, he was an all around great puppy!!! He was even microchipped. Me and Amber had to make a hard decision to adopt him out a couple months ago due to the fact that I am working 2 jobs, and Amber just didn't have the time to deal with 2 babies and give the puppy the time he deserved. We tried all methods to get him adopted but no one would take him!!!!! Yesterday, Saturday January 20th we messaged them via social media and we decided to take Wyatt to the Davidson County Animal Shelter to be adopted by another loving family, they took him in and never did they mention anything about Euthanization. Even after reviewing the animal shelters website and seeing that they adopt out dogs, we thought this is the best option for us with time running out till the new baby is due!!!! Amber messaged the animal shelter this morning 9/21 to see how he was doing and how well he adjusted , and they replied unfortunately we euthanized him yesterday after we intakes him!!!!!!! Me and Amber are in tears this morning even as I write this to you..... WYATT didn't even have a chance once we took him to this death house they call a shelter!!! He didn't even have 24 hours..... he didn't even get a chance to be adopted.. he was great with our daughter, he was only 8 months old and in perfect health!!! He was ADOPTABLE but instead....they killed our dog

Mackenzie Myers

2018-05

While we are very in love with the PUPPY we adopted from the location.. we were told he was born IN the shelter (so exact birthdate would be known) and that he was a year old and full grown... little did we know he had actually injested a full toy. While we were warned he was not in full health, the cause was unknown. After adoption, he luckily passed the toy and was able to gain weight HOWEVER the dog doubled in size and likely was around 4 months old, judging by the fact he was still learning how to even run, foot size, and obscure records that continue to confuse vets today. So our “full grown 1 year old of 33 pounds” is now an actual 1 year old at 80 pounds! While we love him and do not regret the purchase, this could have cause major issues for an owner unable to accommodate his size.

Ann Byerly

2022-05

Took my dog there for his rabies shot during pandemic last year... They were so friendly and caring....My dog felt ok going inside with the lady without me...That was very unusual!!! While I was waiting for him to come back, a lady came up to donate a box of leashes and collars...she gave me one for him!!!