Forsyth County takes new steps to combat animal hoarding, neglect

Forsyth County is taking significant steps to combat animal hoarding and neglect by amending its animal cruelty ordinance.

The move grants officers more authority to rescue animals in need.

Furkids CEO Samantha Shelton said that an animal cruelty ordinance, which county commissioners passed unanimously, is essential to save animals’ lives.

The ordinance provides clear definitions of animal hoarding, specifying that it involves collecting multiple animals and failing to provide them with proper nutrition, sanitation, shelter, or medical care.

Shelton emphasized the harmful impact of animal hoarding on communities.

“Animal hoarding can be bad for communities. It’s not healthy. You’ve got unsanitary conditions, you’ve got disease,” Shelton said.

With the amended ordinance, Animal Services officers can now step in more swiftly.

“They were powerless to be able to remove the animals. There were a lot of steps they had to go through to get the animals off the property,” Shelton said.

Forsyth County spokesman Russell Brown highlighted the importance of both enforcement and education under the new ordinance.

“It’s not even really so much a matter of being able to remove animals as much as it is bringing them into compliance -- working with them to find solutions,” Brown said.

Brown noted that the ordinance aims to address unintentional cases of hoarding as well.

“What the ordinance update is supposed to do is to take a look at those unintentional incidents of hoarding where somebody might have too many animals unintentionally. Perhaps they’ve bit off more than they can chew,” Brown said.

Animals rescued from hoarding environments can find sanctuary in shelters like Furkids, where they receive care and are prepared for adoption.