Chatham County Animal Services presented a detailed operations update to the Board of Commissioners, reporting 443 dog intakes and 162 cat intakes from April through August 2025 and outlining how the shelter moves animals through adoptions, returns-to-owner and rescue transfers.

The presenter said, “We took in 443 dogs total” and described live outcomes during that period: 100 adoptions, 135 returns to owner, and 164 rescue transfers. The agency said many animals — especially cats and kittens — leave the shelter through local and regional rescue partners, naming Renegade Paws, Coastal Pet Rescue and Red Clay among frequent partners. The presenter said rescue pull agreements are mostly verbal: “It's mostly verbal,” and that rescue groups typically assume financial responsibility after a medical pull, though the county sometimes provides emergency care before a transfer.

Why it matters: the shelter said it handled 3,429 calls year‑to‑date, with welfare checks and dogs-at-large among the most frequent responses. Staff emphasized the limits of enforcement when animals are not continuously observed: an officer’s arrival often finds the animal gone, and citations require witnesses or on‑scene evidence to proceed. The presenter explained citation practices for rabies tags, neglect/abuse and how the county coordinates with police for more serious state charges.

The update also covered staffing and emergency planning. The shelter is authorized for eight animal-care assistant positions and currently has five filled; staff said they are recruiting to fill the remaining posts. On hurricane preparedness, Animal Services described agreements with Henry County and other partners to set up temporary shelters and move animals 72 hours before a storm if necessary: “We have 3 trailers. We can move animals in our trailers,” the presenter said. The county also keeps certain animals in quarantine during evacuations when they cannot be moved.

Commissioners asked questions about leash-law enforcement and euthanasia. In response to a question about leash law, the presenter said officers can cite owners when they locate a dog and witnesses can testify in court, but that many dog-at-large calls are unfounded because animals are gone before officers arrive. On euthanasia, staff said it remains a last resort for animals that are too severely injured or cannot be relocated safely; they said that during the last three evacuations this had not been necessary.

The board thanked staff for the report and for their hurricane‑response planning. The presentation included multiple requests for public help (e.g., identifying owners for dogs at large) and a call for support in recruiting additional animal-care staff.