Instances of registered animal shelters getting disciplined by the state more than tripled in 2025, according to numbers on the State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website.
According to state data analyzed by WRAL Investigates, in 2024, there were seven disciplinary actions against shelters, whereas in 2025, there were 22. Some shelters were disciplined more than once during the same year.
Other WRAL Top Stories
WRAL Investigates asked Dr. Patricia Norris, the state's animal welfare director, why the numbers are up.
"Lack of resources, lack of knowledge," she said. "It is not lack of motivation, it is not lack of compassion. I want to be very clear about that."
Norris said that many of the staff members working in shelters are new, and could benefit from additional training.
"So we are continuing and expanding our program on offering training," she said. "Free training to any shelter, any county that asks for it, so that we can train the new people."
Counties with shelters fined this year include Wake, Halifax, Washington, Wilson, Forsyth, Duplin, Hertford and Nash counties.
WRAL Investigates has reported on the issues over the summer at the Nash shelter, which was fined more than $9,000 by the state, and temporarily closed. More recent inspections there show improvement. WRAL Investigates also reported Monday on The Goathouse Refuge, a registered animal shelter in Pittsboro, that was recently fined $9,300.
Norris said the most common reason shelters are fined is because of a lack of veterinary care, and a lack of continuous access to water.
"Our inspectors are going out and it’s a spot check," she explained. "That moment that time. Inspections are not investigations. We may see a developing trend."
Some disciplinary actions can result in fines, though not all do. She said if an animal suffered, there will be a civil penalty.
Norris said a very small part of the fine, approximately $100, stays with her office, and the rest goes to the local school system.
For a full list of the shelters that were disciplined, visit the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' website.