Guilford County, NC

Animal Services Intake Policies

Guilford County Animal Services is an open admission resource center, which means we do not turn away animals in need, however “owner surrendered” animals are by appointment only. 

We intake close to 7,000 animals each year at Guilford County Animal Services. We will receive animals from Guilford County Animal Control, High Point Animal Control, Greensboro Police Department, and residences of Guilford County. We are unable to accept animals from other counties, and it may be necessary for you to provide proof of Guilford County residency when bringing animals to the shelter.

All animals that are received from these entities as strays or found animals will be held for 72 hours. After the 72-hour waiting period they will become the property of Guilford County Animal Services. If an animal is surrendered to the Guilford County Animal Shelter by its owner, that pet may immediately become the property of GCAS. Furthermore, if a citizen cares for an animal for more than 7 days it is considered an “owned” animal and must follow the procedure for an “owner surrender” outlined below.

Once the animal becomes the property of Guilford County Animal Services it is at the discretion of the resource center to do what is in the best interest of the animal and community. Outcomes may include adoption, transfer to one of our partner organizations, or humane euthanasia. We do everything we can to put each animal into adoption, but may not be able to if the animal has temperament issues or illnesses that we cannot treat.

Surrendering Your Pet

In order to better serve the needs of our community and ensure we have room here at the shelter you must make an appointment to surrender your pet to the Shelter.

We know that making the decision to surrender your pet is a difficult one. The staff at Guilford County Animal Services would like to assist you if you are having any issues with your pet. There are resources and options for you other than placing your animal into the resource center and we should be your last resort as we receive a high volume of animals every day.

You must be a Guilford County resident with proof of residency in order to surrender a pet.  You must also have a valid government issued ID such as a drivers license, state ID, or passport.  Please bring proof of pet ownership  and residency to the appointment. Types of proof of ownership include vet records, rabies certificates and microchips.

To sign up for an owner surrender appointment, please fill out the Owner Surrender Application below. Once submitted a Guilford County Animal Services Staff member will be in contact with you as soon as possible to discuss setting up an appointment. If you have any questions, please contact us at 336-641-3400.

Please note due to the high volume of requests we receive for owner surrenders, it can take up to 24-48 hours for our intake department to contact you after the submission of a form. 

 Please click here to submit an Owner Surrender Application for an appointment.