LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Overcrowded kennels have forced the city to go back to euthanizing dogs, and Louisville Metro Animal Shelter said it can’t adopt its way out of the problem.
So LMAS leaders are now looking at new ideas, including requiring all dogs in Jefferson County to be microchipped.
When Sarah Haydon came across a three-legged pal at LMAS, all bets were off.
Louisville’s animal shelter is continuing asking for people to adopt or pick up their dogs because they remain at overflow. (WDRB photo)
“I told my fiancée I don’t want to meet another dog,” Haydon said.
Haydon will be taking her tri-paw pet back home with her Friday after a short meet-and-greet between her current and soon-to-be dogs.
LMAS hopes to find more people like Haydon, willing to adopt out of the shelter. The shelter has more dogs coming in than leaving, which means its now making tough decisions.
“Now, we don’t have animals with behavior issues so we’re having to euthanize for time and space,” LMAS Interim Director Adam Hamilton said.
Since it lost its “no-kill shelter” status in January 2023, more than three dozen dogs have been put down. There were 14 in the first five months of this year. What constitutes a “no-kill shelter” is that its live release rate remains at 90%. Hamilton said currently, it is around 90% but predicts this summer it could fall below 90%.
“When you just have to just pick a dog that’s done nothing wrong and has just been here for so long and not being adopted, to put it down can break your heart,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said many factors are considered before choosing which dog must be put down, and is a decision made by the entire LMAS team.
Hamilton said during the COVID-19 pandemic, many dogs were not spayed or neutered, and more people are surrendering dogs because having a pet has become too expensive or owners are spending less time at home.
“Right now ,you can’t adopt your way out,” Hamilton said. “We have more animals coming in than we do leaving.”
The shelter has waived adoption fees for dogs more than 40 pounds, which LMAS said are typically harder to adopt.
It has also waived redemption fees for people to pick up their lost pet.
To hold owners responsible, LMAS is pushing for an ordinance to require all dogs be microchipped in Louisville so it’s easier to get dogs back to their owners.
“A lot of animals we see coming in don’t have tags on, so the microchip is the next best thing to make sure it gets back home,” Hamilton said.
While the council considers that, leaders hope all the dogs at the shelter now can find a fur-ever home.
“She said come rescue my friends from the Louisville Metro Animal Shelter,” Haydon said while holding her new dog up.
LMAS is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and is closed on Sunday. For more information, to look at adoptable pets, or donate to LMAS, click here.
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