CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Katie Ferraioli is an animal lover, through and through. For her and folks like her in Charlotte, right now is a tough time. As CMPD Animal Care and Control faces an ongoing capacity crisis, both in space for homeless pets and staff and resources to care for them, the shelter volunteer and animal foster joined other advocates Monday night to share her concerns with Charlotte city councilmembers during their meeting.
"As a volunteer, I have watched workers push wheelbarrows full of dead dogs and cats, animals that they have loved and cared for, to the incinerator because there was no room for them," Ferraioli said, addressing council during Monday's public comment session.
It's a heartbreaking scene, she said, she has watched play out too many times over the last several months, and she said city leaders have the power to fix the problem.
"Ensure that the facility is growing along with the population here in Charlotte," Ferraioli said. "To not have additional kennel areas added to our shelter over the past few years, despite a massive population boom here, is unacceptable and affects public health and public safety."
CMPD's shelter facility was built roughly 30 years ago, when city data shows Charlotte's population was about half its current size. The shelter has not added any capacity since then.
Urgent pleas from the shelter, asking the community to help temporarily house dogs, have become more commonplace as kennels fill to the max. In October 2022, Josh Fisher, CMPD Animal Care and Control's director told WCNC Charlotte the shelter has 170 kennels but would need closer to 300 to have adequate housing for the homeless dogs entering the shelter system.
Amid the capacity crunch, the shelter is also undergoing accessibility compliance upgrades, with the current phase of construction temporarily removing 36 kennels.
The animals housed in those 36 kennels were adopted, fostered, or picked up by local rescues this week, according to the shelter. It's a temporary solution, as no concrete expansion plans are in place.
Ferraioli, who is a behavioral health professional, said the shelter needs adequate staffing and resources, in addition to the space. She said that's important for the city to provide the public with the support and services it needs for responsible pet ownership.
"I have watched survivors of domestic violence refuse potentially life-saving emergency housing options because they were too afraid to leave their pets with their abusers and were concerned the animals wouldn't survive their stay at the animal shelter due to overcrowding," Ferraioli said.
She said the impacts hit personally, too.
"I have been attacked by four off-leash dogs in 2023, in two separate instances," Ferraioli said. "One, which landed my dog and me in emergency care. I have felt failed by the response of the city each time and am looking to move my family."
Charlotte At-Large City Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera said the city is working toward a solution.
"City council invested $10 million to enhance and improve our existing facility and we added two positions to our operating budget, but I recognize that all these improvements and enhancements do not address the capacity issues," Ajmera said. "So, to address the capacity issues, we have advanced design underway that will give us an estimate as to how much it’s going to cost to expand our facility and we do hope to get that accurate estimate in the next few months."
City leaders will consider the estimated cost of an expansion in an upcoming budget discussion next year.
“It really breaks my heart to see these animals being euthanized and I wish that there was a crystal ball where we could go ahead and finish construction and everything in a month or two, but that’s just not a reality," Ajmera said. "I really hope that our community will start adopting or even continue to adopt more of these animals.”
Melissa Knicely, who helps lead the shelter, said an expansion could be the difference between life and death for some animals.
“We know there’s a lot of steps to get there, so we’re trying not to get our hopes up, but it could just mean so much for this community," Knicely said. "Every day we have to keep our doors open for the cats and the dogs that are coming in. We’ve limited owner surrenders for the last year because we literally just don’t have any place to put the animals.”
Knicely added the shelter is preparing to open a new location at the former Humane Society of Charlotte building, which she says was also the former CMPD Animal Care and Control location,years ago.
The city has been working the past few months to get the building up to code to allow for some temporary relief while construction is underway, according to Knicely. She estimates they'll be able to house 29 dogs and about 15 cats or kittens at the site, along with staff members.
To serve the immediate need for pet housing, CMPD Animal Care and Control has asked the public for help by adopting, fostering, and donating.
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.