A WRAL investigation into increasing euthanasia rates at shelters statewide prompted many emails and comments from viewers, including from animal rights groups and rescues wanting to push for solutions.
One solution they are hoping for is a state spay-and-neuter law, along with increased access to low-cost spay and neuter clinics.
Other WRAL Top Stories
"There isn’t any other viable solution right now, other than spay and neuter," said C.D. Mock, President of Animal Aid Alliance of North Carolina, who reached out to WRAL Investigates after seeing the initial report.
"The rescues are full. The shelters are full," he said. "There isn’t another alternative right now. The problem is overpopulation. The solution is spay and neuter. The problem is, it’s not an easy solution."
State lawmakers set aside funds annually for a spay and neuter program. Counties or municipalities can apply for reimbursement of funds used for spaying and neutering animals of low-income households.
The State's Animal Welfare Division spokesperson told WRAL News that in 2025, the state set aside $250,000. The numbers they provided show the demand for the money far surpasses that amount.
Molly Goldston, founder and president of Saving Grace Rescue in Wake Forest, says it is critical that, if spay and neuter is required by law, it is accessible to all North Carolinians regardless of income level.
"A law would be great, but we also have to give our citizens access to be able to do it," she said. "If you’re going to require them to do something they can't afford, there will be just more pets surrendered."
WRAL Investigates wrote to state house and senate leaders in late November to ask if they would consider allotting more funding to the spay and neuter program, and if they would support a state spay and neuter law. They have not responded.
Goldston says, in the meantime, her rescue is trying to do its part to save animals at risk of euthanasia. She says, since its founding in 2001, the group has saved more than 50,000 dogs.
Her group rescues dogs primarily from rural shelters and transports them to the grounds of her rescue in Wake Forest, where the dogs roam free amid colorful and vibrant decor. The ambiance was inspired by a desire to create a welcoming environment, after Goldston says she started her career working in a shelter.
"I really wanted people to have a fun place to come adopt," she explained. "I wanted to create a space and a program where we could know a little bit more about the dogs."
Now, Saving Grace has more than 400 volunteers, and employs a full-time veterinarian and two full-time technicians on staff. All of the dogs the rescue adopts out are spayed or neutered.
