{"id":1629,"date":"2026-05-27T22:35:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T22:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1629"},"modified":"2026-05-27T22:35:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T22:35:31","slug":"cbs-17-investigates-how-north-carolina-inspects-animal-shelters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1629","title":{"rendered":"CBS 17 Investigates: How North Carolina inspects animal shelters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) \u2014 When it comes to keeping\u00a0animals safe in North Carolina, state inspectors are the front line.<\/p>\n

Read more Baseball players ask for expanded free agency, salary arbitration rights, almost doubling minimum<\/a><\/p>\n

CBS 17 Investigates went inside the inspection process used at\u00a0animal\u00a0shelters, pet stores and breeding facilities across the state. It wasn\u2019t the real deal, but we walked through a mock inspection completed by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, coordinated with the Wake County Animal Shelter.<\/p>\n

The goal? To show us what the real deal is actually like.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese inspections at facilities are done twice a year,\u201d said Christopher Bradley, program coordinator and inspection supervisor for the N.C. Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n

Bradley has been surveying facilities for five years. It\u2019s a role that he says can shape conditions for\u00a0animals long after he leaves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite things is, of course, the happy endings when the dogs get to go home,\u201d Bradley said. \u201cI like to see when\u00a0animals are reunited with their owners in the lobby, and I like to see the happy endings for the facilities themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not all wagging tails, friendly meows and excited barks \u2013 Bradley means business. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn a facility like this, we\u2019re doing an inspection of the physical facility, as well as their records,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd in a facility of this size, it can sometimes take up to three hours just for that whole process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bradley tells CBS 17 Investigates that he checks for sealed surfaces, safe enclosures and records that show\u00a0animals are being properly cared for.<\/p>\n

If an issue is\u00a0found, he\u2019ll conduct a follow-up inspection.<\/p>\n

The Department of Agriculture said its\u00a0animal\u00a0welfare\u00a0section\u00a0conducted 2,089 inspections last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This resulted in about 50 disciplinary actions, including notices of violations, penalties, or even license revocations.<\/p>\n

An inspection conducted on Oct. 15, 2025, at the Wake County Animal Shelter resulted in a $1,400 fine and a warning from the department over violations an inspector said were found at the facility.<\/p>\n

It noted dirty HVAC vents, damaged or missing waterproof sealant in some dog enclosures and sharp edges partially exposed on some cable dog doors. The notice said the\u00a0shelter\u00a0requested a fix for this, but general services wasn\u2019t able to repair it entirely.<\/p>\n

Read more Former UNC chancellor named new president of Clemson University<\/a><\/p>\n

The letter also said the inspector found several damaged water receptacles, exposing sharp metal edges.<\/p>\n

CBS 17 asked Bradley whether all of those issues have been corrected. <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, they\u2019ve all been corrected,\u201d he told us.<\/p>\n

In January 2026, the\u00a0shelter\u00a0closed for over a month to make repairs. This included getting the water bowls fixed, painting and sealing cracks, as well as cleaning vents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have pets, you know that there\u2019s dust,\u201d said Dr. Jennifer Federico, the director of Wake County Animal Services. \u201cI don\u2019t care how much you vacuum. Imagine the amount of\u00a0animals we have. So, it is something that we have to stay on top of partnering with our [General Services Administration] folks to have them do the things that they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federico said the General Services Administration comes to the\u00a0shelter\u00a0about three times a week, fixing something. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t do that kind of maintenance,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we\u2019re responsible for the reporting of it because at the end of the day, we\u2019re here every day we\u2019re seeing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Wake\u00a0County Animal\u00a0Shelter closed temporarily for repairs, Federico said they don\u2019t plan to be in their current facility much longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new facility is in the process of being designed, and I would hope that within the next three years, it will be ready to be opened and occupied,\u201d Federico told CBS 17.<\/p>\n

Until then, inspections will continue in the current building on Beacon Lake Drive to make sure all the furry faces continue to get what they need.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing is that at the end of the day, everyone just wants what\u2019s best for the\u00a0animals and to care for them,\u201d Federico said. \u201cAnd, you know, that\u2019s everyone\u2019s goal. And counties work really hard to make that happen, and the state is there to support us in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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CBS 17\u2019s\u00a0Mary Smith<\/strong>\u00a0is an Investigative Reporter focused on Digging Deeper and Getting Answers. If you have a story that needs investigating, send an email to Investigates@cbs17.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Read more Packers\u2019 Jacobs released from jail as prosecutors weigh filing charges<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to keeping animals safe in North Carolina, state inspectors are the front line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCBS 17 Investigates: How North Carolina inspects animal shelters - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1629\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CBS 17 Investigates: How North Carolina inspects animal shelters - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it comes to keeping animals safe in North Carolina, state inspectors are the front line.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=1629\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T22:35:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=1629#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=1629\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda87157c0d9ccdbb002a999547a6a60\"},\"headline\":\"CBS 17 Investigates: How North Carolina inspects animal shelters\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T22:35:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=1629\"},\"wordCount\":758,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=1629#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/105461995f510001719bff5f35fc32b0.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=1629#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=1629\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/raleighmovingnews.com\\\/?p=1629\",\"name\":\"CBS 17 Investigates: How North Carolina inspects animal shelters - 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