Those in search of man’s best friend need look no further than the Betsy Bailey Nelson Animal Control Facility.

October is “Dog Adoption Month” at the shelter, in which canine adoption rates are dropped from $65 to $40, courtesy of the Humane Society of Beaufort County. The fee includes spaying/neutering, the first round of shots, a microchip and worming for each dog adopted.

“We do this during the months when the intakes are the heaviest,” said Barb Grau, a part-time shelter employee. “We had two intakes yesterday — two mama dogs with nine puppies between them.”

The animal shelter has an adoption/rescue rate of 85 percent of animals that come in, according to Grau, but there’s still more work to be done.

“It’s just a time to promote the adoption of dogs,” said Marty Poffenberger, HSBC president and owner of Pamlico Animal Hospital. “Actually, our shelter has been doing better in recent years with adoptions, but there’s still a lot of really nice animals that come into the shelter and we’d like to find them all good homes.”

Dog Adoption Month is another way HSBC can promote adoption, rather than purchase, of animals. Between puppies and adult dogs that have been brought in as strays or dropped off by owners can no longer keep them, the adoption choices are many and varied.

“It’s a good time to remind people to think rescue,” Poffenberger said. “At the shelter, there are purebred dogs, there may be the perfect dog that matches your personality. Some of them are puppies, but if you’re thinking about adopting a dog, you can get a sense of their personalities. And adult dogs — then you don’t have to do the housebreaking and having them chew things up. You can avoid all that by adopting an adult dog.”

In Beaufort County, animal control employees and HSBC volunteers work hand in hand to keep adoption rates up, with HSBC subsidizing adoption fees for dogs and cats. Volunteers help with the day-to-day operations of the shelter: cleaning, customer relations and answering questions about certain animals from potential adopters, Grau said.

HSBC volunteers also hold fundraisers to offset the adoption rates, including the organization’s upcoming auction. In its 21st year, the joint silent and live auction has been extremely successful in raising money for the spay/neuter program. Poffenberger said HSBC is always willing to take on new sponsors for the popular event.

“It’s always a really good time a lot of really good fun and interesting bidding,” Poffenberger said.

The auction will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Washington Civic Center. Tickets can be reserved by calling 252-945-1223 by Oct. 16.