Guilford County Government: Guilford County Animal Services Prepares To Open New Facility

Press release from the Guilford County Government:

10/04/2021

Guilford County’s unwanted, abused, and neglected animals are preparing to move into their new care facility. In preparation for the move to the new Guilford County Animal Resource Center (GCARC), located at 980 Guilford College Road, the agency will close its 4525 W. Wendover Ave location to the public permanently on October 25, 2021 and reopen to the public – at the new facility – on November 1, 2021.

In order to prepare for the transition, the current animal shelter located at 4525 W. Wendover Avenue will also be closed to the public October 10th thru the 12th and again October 17th thru the 19th. Adoption appointments are now being accepted for the month of November at the new GCARC. Please visit: guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/animal-services

Guilford County Animal Control will continue to respond to priority calls and can be reached at (336) 641-5990, or 9-1-1 after 5:00 p.m.

Guilford County Animal Services will host its annual “Empty the Shelters” event, a week-long adoption event at its 4525 W. Wendover location, October 4th thru October 8th from Noon to 4:00 p.m. This is a name-your-price adoption event for dogs and cats.

Guilford County began construction of the new shelter facility in June of 2020, noting at the time that it has been 70 years since our community invested significantly in the welfare of the unwanted, neglected, and abused animals. The County’s Animal Services team will be relocating from its 1930’s facility which saw additions made in the 1950’s and later into the 1980’s into a new 33,000 square foot facility. The new Guilford County Animal Resource Center highlights state of the art medical facilities, including a spay and neuter suite, surgery prep areas, and an animal ICU. The new shelter is designed to adjust to fluctuations in animal populations and can house up to 550 animals, if needed, and will dramatically improve efficiencies in the care of the animals.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at the new Guilford County Animal Resource Center, at 980 Guilford College Road, on Friday, October 29, 2021. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. and will offer limited tours of the facility until 4:00 p.m. (Tour availability and group sizes will be limited due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and all visitors will be expected to adhere to COVID-19 protocols and Guilford County’s Indoor Masking Mandate.)

“It’s a big job to move our existing animals, staff, and equipment into the new facility. Our county teams and volunteers are excited and ready,” shared Guilford County Animal Services Director Jorge Ortega. “We know that moving a 24/7 operation will have some challenges, but the short-term inconveniences we will face during the move will be well worth it once we are fully operational in our new home.”

The Guilford County Animal Shelter is currently open by appointment only for adoptions and owner surrenders. Appointments are not needed during hours of operation to reclaim a lost pet, surrender a stray pet, or to drop off donations.

Hours of Operation:

Sunday – Noon – 5p.m.

Monday – Noon – 5p.m.

Tuesday – CLOSED

Wednesday – Noon – 5p.m.

Thursday – Noon – 5p.m.

Friday – Noon – 5p.m.

Saturday – Noon – 5p.m.

This press release was produced by the Guilford County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.