Clark County Dog Shelter sees uptick in dogs served, adoptions

The Clark County Dog Shelter has walked 442 dogs through its doors in a little over six months — but what Chief Dog Warden Sandi Click takes pride in, is how many of those dogs have found a home.

The Dog Shelter released numbers that show a large majority of the dogs that were handled, found homes through various avenues including adoption to new homes, reunification with owners (redemptions) or transfer to a no-kill rescue.

From January to the end of June, there were 112 adoptions.

“What I’m especially proud of is our numbers for redemptions,” Click said.”We had 164 redemptions — that’s dogs who went back home where they belong.”

EARLIER: Clark County opens new shelter to house lost, stray dogs

The new stats show a dramatic increase in the number of dogs the shelter saw compared to previous stats from Sept. to Dec. 31 of last year. Click said she attributes the bigger intake to the warmer weather.

“It’s horrible outside. Everyone is wilting, and the dogs are too, and people are concerned,” she said. “It’s wonderful that the community is concerned and watches out for their neighbors’ dogs.”

The numbers also reveal 27 dogs were euthanized at the shelter since Jan. 1, 2018, which is similar to the statistics from late 2017. Click said the dogs euthanized represent a small fraction of the total intake, and the method is only used in extreme circumstances.

“A lot of people ask, why? The only time we typically euthanize is when the dog’s extremely aggressive or it’s very ill,” Click said. “We’re not routinely euthanizing dogs to make space.”

The Clark County Dog Wardens took over the Dog Shelter from the Clark County Humane Society and moved to a new location on Urbana Road, after the county and the humane society cut ties in 2017. The humane society ended its contract to house stray and lost dogs for the dog wardens on Aug. 31.

RELATED: Clark County officially splits with Humane Society

Click said the change eliminated the middle man in the operation, and she expects adoption numbers to grow as more people realize the dog wardens are running the shelter. The shelter operates with four dog wardens who patrol 412-square miles.

Click asks that people make sure their dog has a current license tag because it greatly helps to find the dog’s owner and provides funds to the shelter.

“We do everything we can to find the owner of every dog we pick up,” Click said.

She added she’s grateful for the community’s support through the shelter’s transition. The shelter has never had to buy dog food — thanks to the generosity of many people.

Right now, there are 37 dogs at the shelter with two in medical foster care. The shelter is open Monday through Saturday.


By the numbers

112: Number of dogs adopted from the shelter

164: Number of dogs the shelter reunited with their owners

27: Number of dogs euthanized at the shelter

About the Author