Open Tuesday ~ Friday, 12:30 to 6 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, 12:30 to 5 p.m.
Closed Monday
Phone: 828.264.7865
Fax: 828.264.7996

Surrendering A Pet

Limited Admission | Watauga County Animal Control | Animal Abandonment

Limited Admission

Watauga Humane Society is a limited-admission animal shelter. We never euthanize animals to make additional space. We can only take in as many animals as we adopt out. When an animal is adopted, we take in an animal from Animal Control.

We take the majority of our animals from Watauga Animal Control. When we have an empty kennel or cage, we fill the space with an animal from Animal Control. Please call us if you can no longer keep your pet. If we have space at that time, we will take your animal. If not, you will need to take it to Watauga Animal Control and we will try to transfer the animal over here as soon as possible.

If you have puppies and kittens that you plan to turn into a shelter, PLEASE be sure to socialize them ~ hold them every day and make sure they are not wild or scared of people when they come into the shelter. Finding homes for unsocialized animals is nearly impossible, and there are so many friendly animals waiting for good homes that our shelter is unable to accomodate unsocialized animals.

Watauga County Animal Control (828.262.1672)

You can take animals to Watauga County Animal Control during their operating hours (Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.). If you can't get to Animal Control during their operating hours and you have no other option than to leave the animal in their holding cage:

Do not put animals in holding cages after 3 p.m., especially in severe weather. The cages are checked at 3 p.m., and most days will not be checked again until 8 a.m. the next morning.
Leave a note with the animal, with information about the animal (is it a stray?), and your contact information for the Animal Control officers. Knowing the animal's background helps tremendously.

Watauga County is extremely fortunate to have Animal Control Officers who really care about the animals. They have a very difficult job, but they do their best to help every animal admitted to their shelter. Watauga County Animal Control officers work very closely with the Watauga Humane Society.

Animal Abandonment

Do NOT release the animal to "run free", or dump animals on the side of the road. A roaming animal risks getting killed or injured by a car, attacked by another animal, or shot by a farmer who doesn't want animals around their livestock or on their property. Animals who roam have no regular source of food, and can become emaciated or starve to death. An animal is MUCH better off in a shelter than roaming.

Animal abandonment is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.00 and imprisonment for up to 6 months.

Leaving a pet at our gate or in our parking lot DOES constitute abandonment. Leaving an animal in an outside holding cage at Watauga County Animal Control is legal; the cages are intended for this purpose.

Link To Our Website With A Random Animal Photo!