Burlington shelter defends intake changes amid countywide backlash

Jessica Arias told Burlington city leaders that the shelter is slowing some animal admissions to keep space open for emergencies, a change that has stirred anger among residents who depend on the service. The Burlington Animal Services director said the policy responds to crowding and legal limits, not a retreat from the city’s long-running no-kill model.

Burlington Animal Services generally serves Alamance County and the municipalities within it, with field services in Burlington and Gibsonville and mutual aid elsewhere by request. The intake rules affect families and pet owners in Graham, Elon, Mebane, Haw River, Green Level, Swepsonville, Ossipee and the county’s unincorporated communities. The shelter has been the county’s main landing spot for lost and unwanted pets since the late 1970s, and the city now lists the Pet Adoption and Resource Center at 221 Stone Quarry Road.

Burlington has held a 90% or greater save rate since 2018, and Best Friends Animal Society recognized the shelter’s no-kill status in 2024. Burlington Animal Services is the only municipal animal-services agency in North Carolina handling more than 5,000 annual intakes that has met and maintained that 90% benchmark.

Annual intake was 5,326 in 2014, 4,831 in 2015, 5,117 in 2016, 4,595 in 2017, 4,803 in 2018, 5,622 in 2019 and 4,094 in 2020. Intake then climbed again to 5,443 in 2021, 5,817 in 2022, 6,243 in 2023 and 7,004 in 2024 before easing to 6,401 in 2025.

Non-urgent intake may be delayed so staff can improve reunification and preserve space for animals that need immediate care. Emergency cases are still admitted. The approach also helps Burlington comply with North Carolina shelter-capacity laws and avoid unnecessary euthanasia. Alamance County Animal Control works closely with Burlington Animal Services and the Humane Society of Alamance County.