Shelter Dogs
According to ASPCA 6.3 million is the current number of companion animals that enter U.S. animal shelters each year, 3.1 million being dogs. The Athens County Dog Shelter (ACDS) is located in Millfield, Ohio, and is run through the sheriff’s department. Heather Norman is the office manager of ACDS, she has been there since 2019 and transferred over from the Athens County Sheriff’s Office. Norman says she has a big heart when it comes to animals and wanted to make a difference by helping the dogs in the county.
The number of dogs present in the shelter is continuously fluctuating and varies according to season. Norman states that, “During COVID there was a day when the shelter had zero dogs. With people working from home, schools were closed, people were home with their dogs and people were adopting because they had time to give a new dog.” Now that COVID times are slowly behind us the shelter has continued to receive more and more dogs and not nearly as much adoption.
Athens County is regarded as one of the poorest counties in all of Ohio which can lead to many Athens residents struggling to care for and afford their pets. “I think some of this (low adoption rates) has to do with the prices of things going up and people can’t afford to have dogs at this time,” says Norman.The flat rate to adopt a dog from the ACDS is $125 and this includes spay/neuter, rabies shot, heart-worm test, 5:1 booster, deworming, and a county dog license. Norman states that, “Adoption is needed to save dogs in shelters. Every day we have dogs coming into the shelter. Strays and surrenders. Without adoption many wonderful dogs would be euthanized and not have a chance to know love and have a family.”
Lieutenant Ryan Gillette has been with the ACDS since 2019 when the sheriff’s department became directly involved with running the shelter. Gillette states that the shelter is currently on the pace to have a higher rate of dogs entering the shelter than compared to years in the past. In 2020 the intake was 483 and the current intake for 2022 is 606. Gillette states that the biggest issue the shelter is currently facing is keeping the balance between taking care of shelter residents and the enforcement of dog tags. “Both take an extreme amount of time and effort. Without the tags there is no revenue for the shelter,” says Gillette.
The ACDS is currently a no kill shelter, meaning that no dog is ever put down no matter how long they go without an adoption. Maddy Mitchell is the current president of Bobcats of The Shelter Dogs (BOSD) and states that, “We (Athens County Dog Shelter) are a no kill shelter. When we do get packs, it is super hard to make sure that we stay a no kill shelter because they don’t have a lot of space. I would love the shelter to be able to get fundraising or something to help them expand.” Gillette states that at this time the shelter does not plan on euthanizing any dogs at the shelter. They do not allow for any surrenders when the shelter reaches max capacity, they will take contact information and place them on a list for a later date.
The shelter has a total of 45 kennels, including puppy kennels and the quarantine kennels. With 45 kennels the shelter reaches max capacity quite often and struggles to have enough supplies for all the dogs. “The biggest issue would be the amount of people needing to surrender their dogs right now. We have a list of dogs that need new homes and no space for them,” says Norman. A large issue the shelter faces along with limited supplies is people being weary of adopting dogs from a county shelter.
If dogs are not adopted from a shelter, they could be bought from puppy mills. According to The Puppy Mill Project, Ohio along with Indiana and Pennsylvania, house the greatest amount of puppy mills. Puppy mills, also known as puppy farms, are commercial dog breeding facilities that are known for quick breeding and poor conditions. Fundraising events held through organizations like Bobcats of the Shelter Dogs and Friends of the Shelter Dogs help raise awareness and funds for the shelter to encourage people to adopt dogs though the shelter and not buy them though puppy mills.
Bobcats of the Shelter Dogs is an organization run through Ohio University that provides both volunteers and fundraising for the ACDS. Members of BOSD that volunteer at the shelter help walk, bathe, and play with the shelter dogs weekly. Maddy Mitchell has been a member of BOSD for four years and has been the president for the last two. Mitchell says that volunteering for the shelter has changed her stigma on certain dogs and taught her how to learn the different characteristics of each dog based off the situation they are from. Volunteers that are interested in volunteering through FOSD can complete a volunteer application on their website, they will then be emailed a link to sign up for a two-hour new volunteer orientation. After orientation, new volunteers are emailed the link to sign up for dog walking shifts and can start volunteering right away.
Mindy Oehlers is the volunteer coordinator for Friends of the Shelter Dogs, FOSD is an organization that works to prevent the euthanasia of adoptable dogs at the ACDS. Friends of the Shelter Dogs will often host pop up adoption events outside of Pet Smart on East State Street in Athens, Ohio. The event includes a variety of dogs from the shelter that are currently available for adoption. Items are also sold at the event to raise money for the shelter. Oehlers says that the majority of the time dogs are entering the shelter at no fault of their own, there is a human that has failed them. “There are so many dogs in shelters, rescues, and even wandering around on the street who have immense amounts of love to give. There is simply no need to buy a dog from a breeder or pet store- who only exist to make a profit- when any breed, age, temperament of dog can be found in a shelter or rescue,” says Oehlers.
