GREENSBORO, N.C. — Our verify team is all about finding the truth about questions you have or claims you see on social media.
There's a Facebook post that's gained traction regarding pets at Guilford County Animal Services. The post went up Thursday. It says the Guilford County Animal Shelter may be euthanizing several adoptable dogs on Friday because they supposedly do not have enough indoor space. The post has been shared more than 100 times.
To verify the claim, we spoke with Worley Smith. He's the Communications Manager with Guilford County. He told us right away the euthanization claim is completely false.
Smith referenced an email that he said originated from Christi Isley with Guilford County Animal Services. The email says several dogs are in urgent need, and there was a priority list of seven dogs.
Worley Smith says these animals were listed in urgent need because they're going through high kennel stress, and these dogs would greatly benefit from an adoption or foster home. Guilford County Animal Services reiterated this clarification on its Facebook page.
So we can verify this claim as false. The dogs were not going to be euthanized.
There was also a line in the email specifically talking about a dog named Tom Sharpe. The dog has an upper respiratory infection and had been in isolation. Because he was sick, he was not available for adoption. The email also said the shelter needed commitment for him by Friday and that's exactly what they got. Dune Dogs Rescue Inc. rescued Tom Sharpe. Guilford County Animal Control Supervisor Lisa Lee told us if there wasn't a commitment for him by Friday, the dog would have just stayed in isolation. The shelter would not have put him down.
In the Guilford County Animal Services Facebook post, it referred to social media as its best and worst tool for sharing information. To help prevent sharing wrong or misleading information, it encourages people to use the county's official social media sites, or call or visit the facility for up-to-date information.
