KINSTON, N.C. — For thousands of animals across the South, going up North is the only chance they have to avoid an early death.
Animal shelters in Southern states are seeing resources dwindle even as the number of cats and dogs they take in continues to grow. The result has been euthanasia rates that approach 70 percent.
Across the region, though, volunteers are finding animals homes in the North, where pets are more commonly spayed and neutered. Thousands of animals have been spared in this way over the last 15 or 20 years.
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But animal control officials are cautious about endorsing these transports. They say some groups are ignoring animal safety in order to profit from a trade that can bring up to a few hundred dollars per pet.