About NC Pet Project

The problem

North Carolina has a severe animal overpopulation crisis. The numbers tell the story:

The state's own 2025 file, which the state replaced on October 12, 2026, shows reporting public shelters took in 150,784 dogs and cats in 2025 and euthanized 39,202 of them, about one every 13 minutes (NC DACS; counties that file late may still be added). Nationally the rate was 8% in 2025 (ASPCA), so North Carolina's 26.0% is more than three times the national rate. Best Friends Animal Society ranks North Carolina third in the nation for the number of shelter dogs and cats that still need to be saved each year, about 36,900 (2025 data, released April 2, 2026).

Despite these alarming numbers, North Carolina's existing state spay/neuter program is critically underfunded. In 2025, the program paid for just 5,938 procedures and reimbursed $250,954 against $659,626 in eligible county requests, about 38 cents on the dollar (NC DACS). That is a fraction of what is needed.

SNAP-NC, a North Carolina low-cost spay/neuter program, is not currently taking appointments for pets belonging to the general public; it now focuses on helping shelters and rescue groups. Rural eastern North Carolina is especially underserved, with vast stretches where affordable veterinary care simply does not exist.

Meanwhile, North Carolina's breeder law reaches very few breeders. The only North Carolina license that reaches breeders is the dealer license, for people who sell dogs or cats to pet shops, other dealers or research facilities, and it exempts anyone breeding the offspring of five or fewer females a year (G.S. 19A-23). Breeders who sell directly to the public need no state license at all, so the vast majority of breeders operate with no state oversight.

For a detailed look at the county-by-county data behind this crisis, including how euthanasia rates vary from county to county, read NC's Pet Overpopulation Crisis: What the Numbers Really Show. Common questions about spay/neuter, costs and North Carolina law are answered in our Resources & FAQ.

Our solution

NC Pet Project works on several fronts to solve the animal overpopulation crisis in North Carolina. Spay/neuter funding and the laws behind it come first, because prevention is how the numbers come down for good. The pets already waiting in shelters need help today, so we also work to get them seen.

Direct services

We help pet owners find affordable spay/neuter through our county-by-county provider directory and zip code finder. We don't run our own voucher program: where good programs already exist, we send people to them, and we track the counties that have no low-cost option so that gap gets filled. Our events calendar lists confirmed low-cost clinic days and adoption events across the state.

Local animal laws, county by county

Whether a dog must be leashed, whether it can be kept on a chain and whether community cat programs are allowed all depend on the county and town you live in. We read the official codes for all 100 counties and their towns and put each county's rules on its own page, so neighbors, advocates and local officials can see where they stand.

The 100-County Pet List

A dog waiting in a rural county shelter can be a short drive from a family in Raleigh or Charlotte who would take her home, if they ever saw her. Most shelters and rescues post their pets only on their own sites, so we read those lists every morning and put them in the 100-County Pet List, one statewide list of adoptable pets, searchable by county, ZIP code, breed and age. You can browse puppies, kittens, senior dogs and pets by breed, and see who has found a home. Every pet links to its own shelter or rescue, which handles the adoption. More eyes on every pet means more of them go home, and fewer run out of time. The name comes from the same goal behind our spay/neuter work: help for pets in all 100 North Carolina counties. We add shelters and rescues as we find a way to read their lists.

Legislative advocacy

We are pushing for specific policy changes, modeled after what worked in other states:

• A statewide advocacy coalition to coordinate lobbying efforts across existing organizations, modeled after the Texas Humane Legislation Network
• A pet food industry fee to create a self-sustaining spay/neuter fund with zero taxpayer dollars, following Maryland's model that has generated $9.8 million
• A dedicated per-animal fee for spay/neuter, following New Hampshire's $1.75 fee on every dog license
• A larger state appropriation for spay/neuter programs, following Texas's $13 million investment
• Complete, on-time shelter data. NC already requires every public shelter to report its intake and outcomes by March 1 each year (G.S. 19A-65). We want every shelter to file on time and the results published promptly.
• Stronger breeder licensing requirements to prevent puppy mills and reduce intake at shelters

Community organizing

We build a statewide network of county-level volunteers, our County Champions, who organize local events, connect pet owners with resources, and create political pressure for reform.

Proof this works

Other states have shown that animal overpopulation is a solvable problem when the right policies are in place:

New Hampshire: dog license surcharge

Attorney Peter Marsh, a founder of Solutions to Overpopulation of Pets (STOP), led the legislative effort that began in 1991 and passed in 1994. Today every New Hampshire dog license carries a $1.75 companion animal population control fee (RSA 466:4), paid into the Companion Animal Neutering Fund. He framed it as a public health measure (rabies prevention), not just animal welfare, making it politically palatable.

Results: Between 1993 and 2000, shelter killings dropped from 11,494 to 2,575, a reduction of nearly 78% (Best Friends). In 2007, about three quarters of NH veterinarians took part; by 2024 the state reported that veterinary participation had dropped dramatically. In June 2021, Best Friends Animal Society announced New Hampshire as the second no-kill state in the country.

Maryland: pet food industry fee

In 2013, Maryland passed Senate Bill 820, establishing a spay/neuter grant program funded entirely by the pet food industry. Every pet food product registered for sale in the state pays a $100 annual fee per product label. No taxpayer dollars are involved.

Results: More than $9.8 million awarded to 355 grant projects, funding over 143,000 spay/neuter surgeries statewide, as of December 2025. The program is entirely self-sustaining.

Delaware: legislative infrastructure

In 2010 Delaware passed its Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA) and a shelter standards law requiring shelters to provide proper veterinary care, take reasonable steps to increase adoptions and make it easier for owners to find lost pets. In 2013 the state created an Office of Animal Welfare to consolidate and coordinate its companion animal programs, and in 2014 it gave that office the power to enforce the shelter standards.

Results: In 2019, Delaware became the first state in the country to achieve no-kill status for dogs and cats.

Texas: direct state appropriation

The Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN), a 501(c)(4) founded in 1975, spent decades building relationships in the legislature. They framed spay/neuter as a public health and fiscal issue. The program lawmakers funded in 2025 runs as a two-year pilot through the state health department.

Results: A $13 million state appropriation for the 2026 to 2027 biennium (Rider 32 of the 2025 state budget, Senate Bill 1), with grants of $50,000 to $500,000 per year for shelters, nonprofits, and vet clinics. Demand was so high that the state closed applications after 32 days (January 23 to February 24, 2026).

Colorado: layered funding model

Colorado built two complementary funding mechanisms: a state income tax checkoff (since 2001) and an Adopt-a-Shelter-Pet license plate (since 2011).

Results: Over $9.6 million allocated through the Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund. The tax checkoff alone has funded 88,800 surgeries.

No-kill success stories

Six states have achieved full no-kill status (saving 90%+ of shelter animals): Delaware, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Massachusetts is on the brink, needing about 300 more adoptions to join them (WBUR, March 2026).

NC already has a secret weapon

The ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance (ASNA) in Asheville, NC is one of the largest high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinics in the country. Since 1994, it has spayed and neutered over 500,000 cats and dogs, and its staff perform roughly 350 surgeries each week (ASPCA, October 2022).

ASNA also trains an average of 250 veterinarians and externs each year in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter techniques, and partners with more than 45 animal welfare groups that transport animals from more than 44 counties.

The problem is that ASNA primarily serves western North Carolina. The eastern half of the state, especially rural communities, remains a "spay/neuter access desert." NC Pet Project aims to fill that gap. Veterinarians who want to help can start on our page for veterinarians.

Our mission

To make affordable spay/neuter services accessible in all 100 North Carolina counties while driving the legislative reforms needed to solve this crisis for good: sustainable funding through a pet food industry fee and increased state investment, complete and on-time shelter data, a statewide advocacy coalition, and stronger breeder regulations.

And, until that work is done, to help the dogs and cats already in North Carolina's shelters find homes, by giving every shelter and rescue pet a place on the 100-County Pet List, where more people can see them.