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GREENSBORO - Madison Heintz got her a dog Wednesday.

She stood by the door of the Guilford County Animal Shelter, beside the 5-foot artificial Christmas tree, and talked to everyone who came in.

You had to decipher her lingo. She was an excited 2-year-old still struggling with her ABCs. But kneel there long enough, and you got it pretty quick.

"That's my dog! That's my dog! That's my dog!''

It was Christmas in July. For Madison. And for shelter officials, too.

One week every summer, for at least the past five years, shelter officials have cut their adoption fees in half for dogs and cats to ease the overcrowding at their spot near the busyness of West Wendover and I-40.

It works. During every Christmas in July promotion, interested animal lovers pour through the door - even line up outside before the shelter opens - to find a potential pet.

They come for the adoption discount: $50 for dogs, $47.50 for cats . But they also come because they want to save cats named Tonka and dogs named Jackson before they become another euthanized animal in Guilford County.

Now, the shelter is a big-hearted place. Employees and volunteers there find homes for at least six out of every 10 dogs they bring in, said Candice Hemric , the shelter's executive manager.

Meanwhile, if an animal doesn't have health problems or isn't considered a dangerous breed, the shelter will keep a dog or cat for a year - or more - until they can find what Hemric likes to call its "forever home.''

Yet, will that "forever home'' become harder to find?

Hemric has worked at the shelter for six years . In past summers, the shelter's busiest time, she's seen about 40 abandoned or unwanted animals coming in every day . Now, she's seeing at least 100.

The reason? Our struggling economy.

Walk down the aisle, past barking dog after barking dog, and you'll find sheets attached to the cages in the shelter's two big rooms. More and more this summer, you'll see two words that say much.

"Cannot afford.''

"To me, it's sad,'' Hemric said. "But you have to understand. That's what we're here for. We're not here to judge. We're here to be a safe haven so (these animals) won't get dropped in the middle of Wendover.''

On the shelter's bulletin board is a heartfelt letter from a local third-grader. In pencil, she wrote:

"We have earned money from a lemonade stand. We hope you all have saved a lot of cats and dogs.''

The shelter tries. Still, according to the Humane Society of the Piedmont, the shelter has to inject an easy-death liquid into 8,000 animals every year.

There's hope. In May 2007 , the human society opened its own spay and neuter clinic in Greensboro. Since then, the clinic has spayed or neutered 7,500 animals.

The non-profit's executive director, Karla Ewald, said she believes that in the next year, that number could increase to at least 12,000 animals . A goal: to make the Guilford County shelter a no-kill operation in 10 years.

But do the math. It's daunting. According to Ewald, in seven years, one cat couple can be responsible for 420,000 kittens; one dog couple can be responsible for 67,000 puppies.

And, Ewald worries, people don't get it.

"Quite frankly,'' she said, "there are so many other issues that have a higher priority in our lives that (people) turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to this.''

Rachel Shular didn't. On Tuesday, the 20-year-old UNCG student adopted Tonka the cat, renamed her Kiwi and gave her a new home, a new pink litter box and a new pink name tag in the shape of a heart.

And of course, there's Madison Heintz . On Wednesday, she picked up her new dog, Sandy Beaches. She'll be excited for years.

But Jackson was still there Wednesday, first row, third cage, DA 43. He's the year-old Labrador mix with the "Cannot afford'' tag.

He'll have to wait for another day for his own Madison. Hopefully before another Christmas arrives in July.

Contact Jeri Rowe at 373-7374 or jeri.rowe@news-record.com.