Washington County officials say they are working with state regulators to address deficiencies identified at the county animal shelter after the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services assessed the Sheriff’s Office $5,600 in civil penalties.
The county acknowledged the state action Tuesday, Sept. 22, saying the county and Sheriff’s Office “take the findings seriously” and are reviewing each item “with the goal of promptly correcting the identified deficiencies and ensuring continued compliance.”
The Washington County Animal Shelter, located on Landfill Road, and operated by the Sheriff’s Office, recently resumed operations following what the county described as “extensive improvements completed earlier this spring with new staff.”
The county said shelter officials had also reached out to state inspectors earlier this year seeking additional guidance on shelter operations.
More recently, officials said, the shelter was confronted with an influx of animals connected to a hoarding case.
“More recently, the shelter experienced an unexpected increase in its caseload while assisting with efforts to address an animal-hoarding situation,” the county said in its statement posted on social media.
“While that transition and situation do not excuse any deficiencies, it provides important context for the County’s ongoing corrective efforts and dedication to provide compliant animal control services.”
The state’s Sept. 17 enforcement notice followed an Aug. 17 inspection and follow-up visits Aug. 26 and Sept. 2.
During the initial inspection, state officials said required records were missing for 12 cats and three dogs that had recently been brought to the shelter following the alleged hoarding situation. Inspectors also raised concerns about veterinary care for two dogs with extensive hair loss and several cats showing signs of upper respiratory infections.
By the Aug. 26 follow-up, inspectors reported that intake records were present for all animals then housed at the shelter. The shelter director also told inspectors that all of the animals seized in the hoarding case had been examined by a veterinarian, although the corresponding medical records were not available at the shelter.
The follow-up inspection also found six cats without access to water. Inspectors reported that some kennels remained visibly soiled after they reportedly had been cleaned that morning and that 11 visibly ill cats had not shown improvement or been scheduled for another veterinary examination.
During the Sept. 2 visit, inspectors cited additional sanitation concerns, a lack of documentation showing required enrichment for a dog in long-term care and failure to provide required rabies vaccinations to animals from the August intake.
The resulting $5,600 civil penalty includes $1,500 for missing records involving 15 animals, $1,200 for six cats found without continuous access to water and $100 for failing to document required interaction and enrichment for a long-term-care dog.
The largest portion — $2,800 — involves failure to provide required rabies vaccinations to 14 animals. The state identified it as the shelter’s second violation of that requirement.
The state notice says the shelter previously was cited for the rabies requirement during inspections in July and August 2025 and received a civil penalty in August 2025.
Other cleaning and sanitation findings resulted in warnings rather than monetary penalties. State officials warned that continued or future violations could lead to additional enforcement action.
The county has not yet decided whether it will formally challenge the penalties.
“The County is carefully reviewing the civil penalties assessed for each individually cited deficiency and its available administrative options,” officials said.
Under the state notice, the Sheriff’s Office has 60 days from Sept. 17 to pay the penalty, file a petition for a contested-case hearing or initiate informal settlement negotiations.
County officials said they have already requested an informal meeting with state officials “to review the specific findings and discuss the overall ongoing improvements to, and continuing operation of the County’s shelter.”
“At this time, no final decision has been made regarding an official appeal or other formal response,” the county said. “Any final decisions are expected to be made before the expiration of the initial 60-day response period.”
The county and Sheriff’s Office said they expect to release additional information once their internal review is complete.
“In the meantime, the County remains committed to the humane care of animals, public safety, and working cooperatively with state officials to address the concerns identified,” the statement said.