GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – Animal shelters across Eastern North Carolina are reaching capacity or near capacity. Now, these shelters are calling on the public’s help to find homes for these animals.

Pitt County Animal Services officials said summertime means more people are out and about, which means more eyes to see stray dogs and cats.

“People being outside, you know? Family time, kids outside playing, riding bikes, people are seeing more animals run loose,” PCAS Deputy Director Chris Arnold said. “We are very close to the number of animals that we can safely house here at the animal shelter for the amount of staff that we have to care for them as well as the number of enclosures we have to keep the animals.”

Beaufort County Animal Services is in the same situation.

“We are staying full, not only with our dogs, we’re seeing more dogs surrenders than normal, so we’re staying full and having to turn away a lot of people,” BCAS Manager Melanie Sawyer said.

BCAS officials said they cannot keep animals in the shelter forever.

“We’re having to euthanize animals that don’t need to be euthanized because we also have to intake animals,” Sawyer said.

In Onslow County, Animal Services officials said they are seeing more intakes than adoptions. In one week recently, the shelter took in 107 animals but only saw around 34 adoptions.

“It is our high season, we end up taking in a lot more animals than we end up seeing leave,” Onslow County Animal Services Shelter Manager Tyler Moore said. “Like I can take in a litter of nine kittens easy in a day.”

What’s needed? Donations. Whether it’s supplies or time, the shelter officials said anything helps.

“Walk the dogs for our Mutt Strutters program, we have doggie day out, where people can come take an animal out and help it for the day,” Arnold said.

When stray animals are found or pets are surrendered, animal service groups said the numbers they can take in depend on the numbers adopted out.

“You’re the shelter, you’re supposed to take in, but when you don’t have room, there’s no place to put an animal. We have to be able to go out pick up strays, emergencies, injured animals, so we just can’t take in every animal that people want us to,” Sawyer said.