CHARLOTTE, N.C. — At its start, it seemed a daunting task: Move dozens of dogs from kennels to safe havens elsewhere in 48 hours. But hours ahead of its self-imposed deadline of Tuesday 7 p.m., shelter officials with CMPD Animal Care and Control announced the community helped them meet their goal. In the same breath, they acknowledged, it was uncertain how long the empty space would last.
"We also want to [be] sure we communicate our sincere appreciation to the Charlotte community and local animal welfare groups for stepping [up]," Melissa Knicely, the shelter's communications manager, said. "To remain successful during the dog kennel renovations, we are going to have to continue to have this kind of support from the community."
The update followed an urgent call to the public for help Monday morning as the shelter stared down its next phase of construction set to begin Wednesday, which is set to remove no fewer than 36 much-needed kennels from the facility's rotation. A frantic scramble by staff, local rescues, volunteers and advocates followed in an effort to avoid having to put dogs down due to lacking space.
By Tuesday evening, the shelter shared the update on what happened the past two days:
- 16 dogs adopted
- Eight dogs reunited with owners
- 15 dogs transferred to rescues
- 19 dogs placed in foster homes
While the community helped usher 58 dogs to safety, the shelter also shared 27 dogs entered its care over the same timeframe, eating into some of its wins and putting it six dogs above its goal.
The large influx of dogs over the relatively short period of time is not lost on shelter staff.
"What I want to ensure we communicate -- every day, more dogs enter the shelter," Knicely said.
Friends of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Services, a nonprofit focused on supporting Charlotte's shelter animal population, released similar sentiments Tuesday night.
"Made it through but it’s not over yet," the organization's Facebook post read. "27 dogs came in over the last 24 hours. This is not sustainable. We cannot keep up... Keep showing up. Keep sharing. The animals' lives depend on it."
Over the last several months, crews have been renovating the decades-old location on Byrum Drive, bringing the shelter up to code. The work does not entail adding kennel space, although shelter advocates have been calling on city officials to address those needs as soon as possible.
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.
The next phase of construction is set to start Wednesday and will result in a loss of no fewer than 36 kennels during a time when space has been at a premium. Monday, shelter officials estimated at least 25 dogs must leave the shelter via foster homes or adoptions by the end of the business day on Tuesday, in order to ensure no dogs are put down for space. As of Tuesday morning, shelter officials said the number of dogs needing to move had dropped to 15.
The goal figure accounts for estimated kennel space at Byrum Drive and Toomey Avenue, which is a temporary satellite location that opened in October.
Those wanting to help can look at adoptable and fosterable dogs here. Those wanting to foster can start the shelter's application process here.
CMPD's main location, at 8315 Byrum Drive, is open during the week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its temporary satellite spot at 2700 Toomey Avenue is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Potential adopters and fosters are encouraged to note the kennel location of dogs they are looking at online to ensure they are visiting the correct site. People wanting to meet a dog at the Toomey location can make an appointment.
In September, Charlotte At-Large City Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera told WCNC Charlotte the city is working toward a longer-term kennel 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.”
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.