---
title: "Pender County Animal Shelter Numbers and Spay/Neuter Help"
description: "Pender County shelters took in 3,721 dogs and cats in 2025 and euthanized 27.5%. Find low-cost spay/neuter, your legislators and the petition."
url: https://ncpetproject.org/counties/pender/
---
# Pender County animal shelters and spay/neuter
Where Pender 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 Pender County](#sign)
## Sign for Pender County
Your signature counts for Pender 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 Pender climb.
Share this page with two friends in the county, then [email your state legislators](https://ncpetproject.org/email-your-legislators/?county=Pender). It takes about three minutes.
## Share Pender's page
Every signer you bring in moves Pender up the board.
Share Pender's page
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## Pender County's shelter picture
What Pender County's reporting shelters told the state about dogs and cats in 2025. [Compare Pender with the other reporting counties](https://ncpetproject.org/nc-county-shelter-report/#the-full-county-table-all-65-reporting-counties).
3,721
Dogs and cats taken in
2,273
Adopted out
246
Returned to owners
1,022
Euthanized
27.5%
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 Pender County
[Pender County on the coverage map](https://ncpetproject.org/nc-spay-neuter-coverage/#county-pender) · [Search by ZIP code](https://ncpetproject.org/get-help/)
- [Pender County Humane Society](https://penderhumane.org/spay-and-neuter-program/) Assistance Income-based [(910) 259-7022](tel:+19102597022) Not a clinic: grant-funded vouchers for low-income households, good only at Cape Fear Spay Neuter Clinic in Castle Hayne. After you apply, your cost is usually $10 to $50 depending on income and household size (Pender County Humane Society, October 2026)
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 Pender County](#sign)
## Who represents Pender County
All of Pender County is in one NC House district and one state Senate district, so these two legislators represent everyone in the county. The button below loads them both with a ready-to-edit letter.
### NC House
- [Rep. Carson Smith](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/755) Republican · District 16
### NC Senate
- [Sen. Brent Jackson](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/281) Republican · District 9
[Email your legislators](https://ncpetproject.org/email-your-legislators/?county=Pender)
## Pender County in the news
- WECT · June 12, 2026
[Adoption-ready pets available as Pender Co. Animal Shelter reopens after renovations](https://www.wect.com/2026/06/12/adoption-ready-pets-available-pender-co-animal-shelter-reopens-after-renovations/)
About 100 animals arrived within days of reopening, with daily intake back to 10 to 30, and the manager credited the shelter's Facebook following as its lifeline.
- WECT · May 7, 2026
[Repairs force two-week closure at Pender County Animal Shelter](https://wect.com/2026/05/07/pender-county-animal-shelter-announces-two-week-closure-repairs/)
State-required repairs closed the shelter May 20 to June 3, so intake stopped early and staff spent weeks placing every animal with area rescues.
- WECT · July 4, 2025
[Pender County Animal Shelter offering no-cost adoptions for the holiday weekend](https://www.wect.com/2025/07/04/pender-county-animal-shelter-offering-no-cost-adoptions-holiday-weekend)
At capacity over the Fourth of July, the Burgaw shelter waived all fees on 18 dogs and 13 cats, each already fixed, vaccinated and microchipped.
## Pender County champions
**Help Pender climb the board: become its county champion.** Champions share the page, bring in signers and keep their county's numbers moving.
[Become Pender's champion](https://ncpetproject.org/volunteer/?county=Pender&role=champion)
## Where to share it in Pender
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.
- [Pender County Animal Shelter - Pender Pets](https://www.facebook.com/PCAS28425/) Pets and animals 35.5K followers (Oct 2026) Official page of the county shelter in Burgaw; staff call its following their lifeline for adoptions.
## Pender County share kit
For shelters, rescues, clinics and anyone posting about Pender County. The images show Pender's place on the board right now, so download fresh ones before each post. The website version updates by itself.
**Facebook and Instagram post**Square image, 1080 by 1080. [Download image](https://ncpetproject.org/share/card.php/pender-square.png?download=1)
**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/pender-wide.png?download=1)
**Put it on your website**Paste this into any page. It shows Pender'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.
Copy code
**Post text**Ready to paste with either image. Edit it to sound like you. Pender County shelters took in 3,721 dogs and cats in 2025 and euthanized 27.5% of them. Sign the NC spay/neuter petition for Pender and help it climb the county leaderboard. It takes 30 seconds: https://ncpetproject.org/counties/pender/ Copy text
## Neighboring counties
- [Bladen County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/bladen/)
- [Brunswick County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/brunswick/)
- [Columbus County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/columbus/)
- [Duplin County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/duplin/)
- [New Hanover County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/new-hanover/)
- [Onslow County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/onslow/)
- [Sampson County](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/sampson/)
[All 100 counties on the leaderboard](https://ncpetproject.org/counties/)
## Questions
### How is Pender 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 Pender County line. Which county should I pick?
Pick the county you live in. The form starts on Pender 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 Pender County legislators listed here all represent me?
Yes, if you live in Pender County. The whole county is in one NC House district and one state Senate district, so the two legislators listed here represent everyone in it, from the NC General Assembly's county representation list. [Email them both](https://ncpetproject.org/email-your-legislators/?county=Pender) with a ready-to-edit letter.
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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
