Forsyth County Animal Shelter Faces Fines For Several Violations

The Forsyth County Animal Shelter is facing possible fines for a number of violations. County officials are also addressing a records backlog at the facility.

The shelter in northern Winston-Salem failed a state inspection last month.

On Monday, it was assessed a civil penalty of $5,200 for several violations in the report. Those include not waiting long enough before euthanizing animals, incomplete records and lack or delay of veterinary care in four instances.

Forsyth County manager Dudley Watts says he's surprised by the findings, adding that the county has had several years of good inspections and is working with the state to make sure the shelter is in compliance.

“We've asked the state to do essentially a performance review of the operations, which they do on a voluntary basis,” says Watts. “The North Carolina Department of Agriculture will come in and do these performance reviews, so rather than try to fight the penalty or violation, we are really going to try to work cooperatively with them to improve operations.”

Watts says the county is also taking steps to provide more resources at the facility. Commissioners approved money earlier this year to outsource billing and data entry for the county's pet licensing program.

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