Franklin County Dog Shelter almost full, only accepting strays for emergency reasons

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Almost every cage is filled at the Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center, so the shelter is limiting the dogs it is accepting.

Right now, the shelter is asking people who find stray dogs to keep them or find them a home rather than bring them into the shelter unless it's an aggressive stray or emergency situation.

"We are pleading to the community when they do call in for strays to hold on to them versus having us come and pick them up, and if they do, we will provide a care package with food, leash, blankets, to see if they can at least try to find an owner," said Corporal Shires, a dog warden in Franklin County.

"If there’s a dangerous dog we know out there, if there’s a bite call, we’re really trying to just keep it to emergency status only because of the capacity," said April Ricciardo, Assistant Director of Administration at the Franklin County Dog Shelter.

The shelter sees more dogs when the weather warms up. Shelter leaders said they also feel a lot of people did not get their animals spayed or neutered during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to more dogs in the community.

"If a dog leaves a kennel, we’re cleaning that kennel, and another one comes right in," said Ricciardo.

"It breaks my heart," said Corporal Shires. "It’s not fair to them. They don’t understand. Dogs live for their owners, and for them to be abandoned by their own owner, you can see their temperament change either sad or aggressive because they don’t know what’s going on."

Shelter workers encourage people who are interested in a pet to adopt or foster. You can find a list of the available dogs on the shelter's website. Also, the shelter needs volunteers to walk and play with dogs.

"We have over 250 dogs in the building to choose from," said Ricciardo. "There’s gotta be somebody here that you can mix with, right."

If you own a dog, she encourages you to microchip your pet in case it gets lost.

"A shelter is just a stopping place for a dog’s journey," she said. "The real home is in your home, is on your couch."

If you see a stray dog, Corporal Shires said do not approach it unless it's friendly and do not turn your back on the dog. You can contact Franklin County Animal Control at 614-525-3400.