An eastern Kentucky animal shelter is swelling this summer

The summer of 2024 is becoming an extremely busy time at many county animal shelters. That’s definitely the case in one far-eastern Kentucky facility.

“I mean you cannot drive down the road where we are at without seeing a stray animal like not where you go,” said Craft.

Floyd County Animal Shelter Manager Elexis Craft. She said the cages are full of dogs and cats. Craft said not many adoptions occur, so rescue organizations are critical.

“We work with rescues basically all over the world. They send them all over the U.S. to California, New York, Minnesota,” said Craft.

Craft said one group they work with moves dogs to Canada. Complicating the situation locally are no pet policies at rentals.

Craft said 286 people are on a waiting list, ready to surrender pets. She noted people are moving, others aren’t able to care for animals anymore, and some are saving strays. Craft added there’s a multiplication factor as well.

“Where a lot of people are not spaying and neutering and then, resulting in multiple litters and then those people are going and dumping those litters on strip jobs, heads of the hollers. Places where no one will find them and then those litters they have more puppies and then this has just been continuing on,” said Craft.

Craft said the Floyd County shelter is a no-kill facility. She said they take in a lot of large breed dogs, 60 pounds or more. Craft said it’s not unusual to take 30 calls a day. And the shelter manager relies on rescue groups to help out by sending dogs all over the country and even out of the U.S.

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