Where We Work
Rooted in Wake County. Reaching Across North Carolina.
What's in a name? While we're called the SPCA of Wake County, our name reflects where our story first began in 1967. In the decades since, we've expanded our capacity, reach, and impact enormously. Today, our work extends far beyond Wake County.
We're an independent nonprofit based in Raleigh, helping pets and people in our own community and throughout North Carolina through animal rescue, affordable veterinary care, and community support programs. The generosity of our community makes this lifesaving work possible.
Helping Pets Across North Carolina
Many animal shelters across North Carolina serve entire counties with limited funding, staffing, veterinary resources, and space. They often receive large numbers of animals but have far fewer local adopters.
Since we are located in North Carolina's Triangle region – a heavily populated area – we have access to a larger community of adopters, foster volunteers, veterinary resources, and generous supporters. Through partnerships in more than half of North Carolina's 100 counties, we help connect pets with the care, time, and opportunities they need to find loving homes.
50+
NC Counties
with animal shelter partnerships.
2,560
Pets Transferred
into SPCA Wake's care from NC shelters in 2025
North Carolina counties with SPCA Wake shelter partnerships.
Partnership to Save Lives
Each lifesaving transfer saves that pet and creates space for another animal in need.
Many county shelters across North Carolina are responsible for accepting animals even when their kennels are full. With limited funding, staffing, space, and often fewer local adopters, these shelters face difficult decisions. Healthy, adoptable pets may be at risk of euthanasia, especially those requiring medical treatment, behavioral support, or those that are too young to be adopted.
SPCA Wake works alongside these shelters to relieve overcrowding and give more pets a chance. By transferring animals into our care, we can provide veterinary treatment, rehabilitation, foster homes, and access to a larger community of adopters.
Our partnerships help free up capacity at other shelters, allowing them to care for more animals in their own communities.
What a Lifesaving Transfer Can Mean
Every pet who comes into our care has a different story. Some need specialized medical treatment. Others need time to grow, recover, or find a family who understands their needs. For many, transferring to SPCA Wake makes that second chance possible.
Medical Care That Takes Time
Two-year-old Milo (pictured here) was the longest resident at an overcrowded county shelter, where his lengthy stay and untreated heartworm disease put him at high risk of euthanasia. His treatment would be costly and require weeks of care that the shelter couldn't provide.
We transferred Milo to SPCA Wake, provided the heartworm treatment he needed, and connected him with a loving family. Through our Foster-to-Adopt program, he was able to settle into his new home while we continued providing his treatment, removing a major financial barrier to his adoption.
Helping Vulnerable Kittens Survive and Thrive
When a serious illness outbreak struck one of our partner shelters during the height of kitten season, the shelter was already overwhelmed with cats and kittens. Suddenly, every feline in its care faced euthanasia unless rescue partners could step in immediately.
SPCA Wake rescued 17 cats and kittens, including littermates Katniss, Quincy, and Willa Kate (pictured here). Our veterinary team and foster volunteers provided the medical treatment, quarantine, and time these vulnerable felines needed to recover, grow, and prepare for adoption.
A Safe Place for a Growing Family
Spring (pictured here) was terrified when she arrived at one of our partner shelters, trembling constantly during her first week. With six nursing puppies just a few weeks old, none of the seven dogs could be adopted until the puppies were weaned and old enough. More animals were arriving every day but the shelter didn't have a foster program to give the family the time they needed, so all seven were at risk of euthanasia.
SPCA Wake transferred Spring and her puppies into our care, where they spent nearly five weeks in a peaceful foster home, receiving veterinary care and plenty of TLC until they were ready for adoption.
Here for Pets and People Beyond Wake County
You don't have to live in Wake County to get help from SPCA Wake. We have no residency or income requirements – our community programs are open to people from all over. Whatever you may need help with, we're here to help you explore your options. Our programs and resources include:
Affordable Vet Care
Low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and pop-up Wellness Clinics that offer microchips and essential vaccines for cats and dogs.
Pet Helpline
Free, personalized guidance to help pet owners navigate challenges and find solutions that work for their families.
Pet Food Assistance
Food and supplies to support pets and families in need, including distribution through partnerships with other community organizations.
Rehoming Support
Resources to help people find and navitage safe options when it is no longer possible to keep a pet.
Your Support Makes a Difference in North Carolina
When you give directly to SPCA Wake, your donation supports our independent nonprofit, making a lifesaving difference for pets right here in our community and across North Carolina.
Your generosity helps local pets find loving homes, gives families access to affordable veterinary care, and provides lifesaving rescue for animals in overcrowded shelters across our state. Every gift helps care for pets in our own community while extending that same compassion and support to others throughout North Carolina.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The SPCA of Wake County (SPCA Wake) is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. We are not a chapter, branch, or affiliate of the ASPCA or a national SPCA organization. We operate independently and rely entirely on our community's support to do our lifesaving work.
No, we are separate organizations, and donations to the ASPCA do not go to SPCA Wake. If you want your gift to support our animal rescue work, veterinary care, and community programs in North Carolina, please donate directly to the SPCA of Wake County.
SPCA Wake is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded by charitable donations and other program revenue. Contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, and community supporters help fund our animal rescue, veterinary care, and community assistance programs.
No – although SPCA Wake is headquartered in Raleigh, our work extends across North Carolina. We partner with animal shelters in more than 50 of the state's 100 counties, transferring at-risk pets into our care and sharing resources with partner agencies. Our veterinary and community support programs also serve people who live outside Wake County.
No – our programs have no residency or income requirements. People living outside Wake County are welcome to seek assistance through our programs and services.
Living outside Wake County does not automatically prevent you from seeking surrender assistance; however, SPCA Wake is a managed-admission shelter, which means we accept pets based on available space, resources, and each animal's needs. If we're unable to accept your pet, our team can help you explore other options, including safe rehoming resources.
Many county shelters receive more animals than their available space, staffing, veterinary resources, or local adoption demand can support. SPCA Wake transfers pets from these shelters to help relieve overcrowding and give animals additional opportunities for care and adoption. Our veterinary team, foster volunteers, and larger community of adopters can help pets who need specialized treatment, rehabilitation, or more time before finding a home.
SPCA Wake accepts animals transferred from partner shelters across North Carolina as well as pets brought to us directly by individuals and families. Approximately two-thirds of the pets entering our care come from partner shelters, while roughly one-third come directly from community members. Offering intake for pets coming directly from community members also helps prevent those animals from entering already overcrowded municipal shelters.
SPCA Wake is a managed-admission shelter that does not euthanize animals due to overcrowding or a lack of space. While we exceed the commonly accepted benchmark for a “no-kill” shelter (a live outcome rate of 90% or higher), we intentionally avoid that label because it can unfairly stigmatize shelters that must make difficult euthanasia decisions due to limited space, resources, or other operational constraints.
As a managed-admission shelter, SPCA Wake carefully plans intake to ensure animals in our care have the time and resources they need. Euthanasia is considered only as a last resort when an animal's medical or behavioral condition makes it the most humane option.
SPCA Wake and the Wake County Animal Center (WCAC), also called the Wake County Animal Shelter, are two separate organizations with different responsibilities.
The Wake County Animal Center is a government-operated, taxpayer-funded shelter that receives stray animals collected by local animal control agencies and accepts owner surrenders from Wake County residents. It is the county's designated shelter for lost and found pets, providing mandatory stray holding periods to give owners an opportunity to reclaim their animals.
SPCA Wake is an independent, privately funded nonprofit that operates a managed-admission animal shelter, adoption program, affordable veterinary services, and community assistance programs. Unlike the county shelter, SPCA Wake does not provide animal control services or serve as the designated holding facility for stray animals.
We also work closely with the Wake County Animal Center! We transfer animals from the county shelter into our care to relieve capacity issues and create more opportunities for pets to find homes. Our community programs also help families access resources and keep pets out of county shelters whenever possible.