---
title: "Orange County Animal Shelter Numbers and Spay/Neuter Help"
description: "Orange County shelters took in 3,108 dogs and cats in 2025 and euthanized 7.1%. Find low-cost spay/neuter, your legislators and the petition."
url: https://ncpetproject.org/counties/orange/
---

![Tall pines and a lakeside neighborhood reflected in still water at dusk](https://ncpetproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/nc-region-triangle.webp)

# Orange County animal shelters and spay/neuter

Where Orange County stands on the petition, what its shelters reported for 2025, who represents it in the NC General Assembly and where to find low-cost spay/neuter.

By signatures

#

Per 10,000 residents

#

Signatures

[See the full leaderboard](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/#county-leaderboard)

[Sign for Orange County](#sign)

## Sign for Orange County

Your signature counts for Orange on the county leaderboard.

Form fields: Full name; Email; ZIP code; County (optional); Leave this empty. Submit it on the web page.

### Thank you. Now help Orange climb.

Share this page with two friends in the county, then [email your state legislators](https://ncpetproject.org/email-your-legislators/?county=Orange). It takes about three minutes.

## Share Orange's page

Every signer you bring in moves Orange up the board.

Share Orange's page

Or share on

-   [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fncpetproject.org%2Fcounties%2Forange%2F%3Fref%3Dfb%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dshare)
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## Orange County's shelter picture

What Orange County's reporting shelters told the state about dogs and cats in 2025. [Compare Orange with the other reporting counties](https://ncpetproject.org/nc-county-shelter-report/#the-full-county-table-all-65-reporting-counties).

3,108

Dogs and cats taken in

2,481

Adopted out

273

Returned to owners

221

Euthanized

7.1%

Euthanized, share of intake (statewide 26.0%)

Source: [NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2025 CY Public Animal Shelter Report](https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/veterinary/aws/Fix/reports) (file replaced October 12, 2026). Dogs and cats, all reporting shelters combined.

## Low-cost spay/neuter in Orange County

[Orange County on the coverage map](https://ncpetproject.org/nc-spay-neuter-coverage/#county-orange) · [Search by ZIP code](https://ncpetproject.org/get-help/)

-   [AnimalKind spay/neuter assistance](https://animalkind.org/spaync-resources-nc/) Referral [1-888-623-4936](tel:+18886234936) No longer offers its $20 Fix program (AnimalKind, October 2026). Its SpayNC Helpline and Spay Neuter Resources in NC page point you to current low-cost options
-   [Orange County Community Animal Clinic](https://www.orangecountync.gov/3802/Animal-Clinic) Clinic [(919) 942-7387](tel:+19199427387) Spay/neuter still being seen; routine wellness temporarily paused
-   [Orange County Spay/Neuter Program](https://www.orangecountync.gov/360/Spay-Neuter) Assistance Free [(919) 942-7387](tel:+19199427387) No-cost vouchers for DSS/income-qualified; free community-cat program with $50 refundable trap deposit; up to 2 months to issue

Checked October 2026. Call before you go.

## What the petition asks for

In 2025, North Carolina's reporting public shelters euthanized 39,202 dogs and cats, 26.0% of the animals they took in ([NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services](https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/veterinary/aws/Fix/reports)). The state spay/neuter program paid $250,954 against $659,626 in eligible county requests. The petition calls on the North Carolina General Assembly to:

1.  Create a dedicated, self-sustaining spay/neuter fund, similar to Maryland's pet food registration fee, which pet food companies pay for each dog and cat food product registered in the state.
2.  Increase the state appropriation to the Spay/Neuter Account so it can meet county demand.
3.  Enforce shelter reporting under G.S. 19A-65 so every county files a complete report on time.
4.  Strengthen breeder oversight. Today North Carolina licenses only dealers who sell to pet shops, other dealers or research facilities. Breeders who sell directly to the public currently need no license at all.

[Sign for Orange County](#sign)

## Who represents Orange County

2 NC House members and 1 state senator have districts that include all or part of Orange County. You have one of each: [enter your address](https://ncpetproject.org/email-your-legislators/?county=Orange) to find yours and send a ready-to-edit letter.

### NC House

-   [Rep. Allen Buansi](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/790) Democrat · District 56
-   [Rep. Renée A. Price](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/810) Democrat · District 50

### NC Senate

-   [Sen. Jonah Garson](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/1001) Democrat · District 23 · Appointed 4/10/26

[Email your legislators](https://ncpetproject.org/email-your-legislators/?county=Orange)

## Orange County champions

**Help Orange climb the board: become its county champion.** Champions share the page, bring in signers and keep their county's numbers moving.

[Become Orange's champion](https://ncpetproject.org/volunteer/?county=Orange&role=champion)

## Where to share it in Orange

Every group has its own rules. Read them before posting, and share the county numbers, not just a link. Some groups do not allow petition or survey posts.

-   [Orange County Animal Services](https://www.facebook.com/OCASpets) Pets and animals The county shelter's page, linked from the county website.
-   [Paws4ever](https://www.facebook.com/Paws4Ever) Pets and animals Rescue and adoption center near Mebane. Linked from paws4ever.org.
-   [r/chapelhill](https://www.reddit.com/r/chapelhill/) Local Chapel Hill, NC.

## Orange County share kit

For shelters, rescues, clinics and anyone posting about Orange County. The images show Orange's place on the board right now, so download fresh ones before each post. The website version updates by itself.

![Orange County's live place on the NC spay/neuter petition leaderboard. Sign for Orange County at ncpetproject.org.](https://ncpetproject.org/share/card.php/orange-square.png)

**Facebook and Instagram post**Square image, 1080 by 1080. [Download image](https://ncpetproject.org/share/card.php/orange-square.png?download=1)

![Orange County's live place on the NC spay/neuter petition leaderboard. Sign for Orange County at ncpetproject.org.](https://ncpetproject.org/share/card.php/orange-wide.png)

**Link preview and website**Wide image, 1200 by 630. It is also what shows when this page's link is shared. [Download image](https://ncpetproject.org/share/card.php/orange-wide.png?download=1)

**Put it on your website**Paste this into any page. It shows Orange's live place on the board with a sign button, updated every time the page loads. Sites that block scripts show the live image instead.

![Orange County's live place on the NC spay/neuter petition leaderboard. Sign for Orange County at ncpetproject.org.](https://ncpetproject.org/share/card.php/orange-wide.png)

<div class="ncpet-county" data-county="orange"><a href="https://ncpetproject.org/counties/orange/?utm\_source=embed&utm\_medium=county-card" target="\_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://ncpetproject.org/share/card.php/orange-wide.png" alt="Orange County's live place on the NC spay/neuter petition leaderboard. Sign for Orange County at ncpetproject.org." width="600" height="315" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border:0"></a></div> <script src="https://ncpetproject.org/embed/county-widget.js" async></script> Copy code

**Post text**Ready to paste with either image. Edit it to sound like you. Orange County shelters took in 3,108 dogs and cats in 2025 and euthanized 7.1% of them. Sign the NC spay/neuter petition for Orange and help it climb the county leaderboard. It takes 30 seconds: https://ncpetproject.org/counties/orange/ Copy text

## Neighboring counties

-   [Alamance County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/alamance/)
-   [Caswell County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/caswell/)
-   [Chatham County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/chatham/)
-   [Durham County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/durham/)
-   [Person County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/person/)

[All 100 counties on the leaderboard](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/)

## Questions

### How is Orange County's rank worked out?

Every signature counts for the county the signer chooses on the form, or the county of their ZIP code if they leave it blank. The board ranks counties two ways: by total signatures, and by signatures per 10,000 residents (US Census estimates, 2024), so a small county can lead too. Ties on one measure are broken by the other. The numbers on this page come from the same live count as the [leaderboard](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/#county-leaderboard).

### I live near the Orange County line. Which county should I pick?

Pick the county you live in. The form starts on Orange County, and if your ZIP code belongs to another county it offers to switch, so your signature counts where you live.

### Where do the shelter numbers come from?

From the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 2025 Public Animal Shelter Report (the version the state posted on October 12, 2026, which its page still labels "As of 7.27.26"), which counties file under G.S. 19A-65. They cover dogs and cats only, with every reporting shelter in the county added together. The [county shelter report](https://ncpetproject.org/nc-county-shelter-report/) explains the data and its gaps.

### Do the Orange County legislators listed here all represent me?

No. The list is every NC House member and state senator whose district includes all or part of Orange County, from the NC General Assembly's county representation list. You have one of each. [Enter your address](https://ncpetproject.org/email-your-legislators/?county=Orange) to find yours and send them a ready-to-edit letter.

---

NC Pet Project works to end pet overpopulation in North Carolina through better laws and low-cost spay/neuter access. Low-cost help by ZIP code: https://ncpetproject.org/get-help/ . Contact: info@ncpetproject.org
