When a pet owner in Louisville fails to contain their dog, either by losing or abandoning them, the consequences can be grim — not only for the stray dog but also for dogs occupying kennels at the Louisville Metro Animal Services . Once a dog is taken to the animal shelter, that dog could very likely put other dogs at immediate risk of euthanasia.
That’s because of overcapacity issues at the city-run animal shelter. If LMAS doesn’t have room for that stray dog, it will make room. It has to. It’s the law.
If the current situation doesn’t change, the city will euthanize close to 600 dogs this year, according to figures provided by Interim Director Adam Hamilton. That’s higher than in any of the previous five years for which data was provided.
There are several reasons LMAS may euthanize a dog (or any other animal): Medical reasons, if the dog is aggressive or has a bite history or at the request of the owner. But overcapacity, caused in part by careless breeders and irresponsible pet owners, can lead to healthy animals being euthanized.
Numbers convey the urgency of the situation.
LMAS has 154 dog kennels and 88 cat kennels at its intake center and an additional 30 dog kennels at its adoption center in the Watterson Park neighborhood. As of Tuesday, the shelter had nearly 950 animals in its care, including those in foster homes, and since the COVID-19 pandemic has been struggling to maintain 10 open kennels a day, shelter spokesperson Stephanie Jackson said.
On a slow day, LMAS will take at least 15 animals.
Hamilton said the issue got worse around July of last year. That year, LMAS euthanized 457 dogs, twice more than it did in 2022.
He said the early stages of COVID offered LMAS a break as intake went down, causing adoptions to spike due to pandemic-related shutdowns that pushed people back into their homes.
But now, Hamilton says, nobody wants another animal because they already have one.
“Now they’re wanting to get rid of them for the fact that they’re having to go back to work, they don’t have time for them or the cost has gone up so much just in feeding them,” Hamilton told The Courier Journal.
Figures provided by Hamilton support this claim: Intake of stray dogs in 2022 increased by more than 28% from 2021.
Stray animals, employee turnover linked to issues at LMAS
Stray dogs are a large part of the problem. They bite, reproduce and many end up deceased on the side of the road. Louisville doesn’t mandate microchip identification in pets so a stray dog without a microchip or a tag is harder to reunite with the owner.
The city also doesn’t require owners to spay or neuter their pets so animals continue to reproduce. More animals on the street means more space LMAS has to accommodate for when an animal is caught.
And the cycle continues.
Tara Bassett, an animal welfare advocate in Louisville, has been sounding the alarm for years. She says until the city takes measures to stop breeding, requires owners to spay and neuter their pets, mandates microchips for dogs, and penalizes those who do not follow the law, these issues will persist.
“We are not going to adopt and foster our way out of this situation,” Bassett said in a recent interview.
Bassett blames "backyard breeders" for contributing to the overcapacity issue. Generally, before relinquishing an animal, breeders will take into account bloodline and genetics, conduct vetting, and ensure the animal is going to a proper home. But backyard breeders often don't follow these steps.
Another problem plaguing LMAS is a high employee turnover rate. Stress and low wages lead employees — particularly adoption coordinators, who account for more than one-third of all department workers — to quit, sometimes before training is complete.
“What we’re running into is we get people in here and then within a couple months they find a job where they can make $20 an hour and they’re out the door,” said Hamilton, who assumed the interim director position in January following the resignation of former Director Ashley Book. “So by the time we get them trained, they have found a different job making more and they move on somewhere else.”
Adoption coordinators at LMAS earn a starting rate of $16.79 an hour. They feed the animals, clean their kennels, help coordinate the shelter’s adoption and foster programs, and perform euthanasia. For some employees, putting animals down creates a lot of consternation.
“(LMAS employees) see these animals every day,” Hamilton said. “To have to euthanize one of them is extremely hard.”
Asked if he thinks higher pay would help alleviate the problem, Hamilton expressed doubt, saying higher wages would provide a temporary solution but would not address the core issue. He also shot down the idea of appointing a single person to perform euthanasia.
“Knock on wood, we haven’t had anybody leave this month," Hamilton said. "But who knows what will happen in the future."
Little action from government officials
Everyone agrees the problems plaguing LMAS are multi-layered and complex and no single act will solve them. Still, action from government officials has been scarce, leaving the department and advocates like Bassett fending for themselves.
“I’ve got many things pulling me this direction, that direction and I’m sure my colleagues do as well,” Councilwoman Betsy Ruhe said. “And it’s not that we don’t think it’s important, (but) ‘If you want to see this happen, how can you help us get there?’”
Ruhe said she and other council members get a lot of pressure from advocates like Bassett, adding she would welcome any proposals for possible solutions.
“I’ve expressed interest and will be more than happy to work with these groups," Ruhe said. "'If you guys want to bring some people together, let's work together and let's come up with some draft legislation.'"
Last week, Ruhe, along with three other council members — Cindi Fowler, Ben Reno-Weber and Andrew Owen — expressed some level of support for a mandatory microchip ordinance if one were to come up.
Fowler said her support would depend on the details of the legislation, particularly on what the cost would be.
“I’m for it,” Fowler told The Courier Journal. “But I’m not for dumping something on the taxpayer that is too burdensome.”
Owen said he’s in support of “any tools” that would help LMAS. He said he discussed these issues with other council members and expects that his office will take the lead on any ordinance that may come up.
“It’s overwhelming,” Owen said. “But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t address it.”
Last month, Louisville Metro Council’s Budget Committee approved a request by Hamilton to fund four new positions, including an adoption coordinator and a foster coordinator. The committee also approved $200,000 to contract with the Kentucky Humane Society for spay and neutering services. Both requests were later included in the final budget, passed on June 20 by the full council.
In a statement to The Courier Journal, Kevin Trager, Mayor Craig Greenberg’s spokesperson, said: “LMAS staff do an incredible job keeping up with the demands of operating one of Kentucky’s largest animal shelters and we appreciate their hard work caring for the thousands of cats and dogs they bring in each year.”
Trager said they will post the permanent director position at the beginning of next month.
“(LMAS) cannot solve the issue completely,” Hamilton said. “The community has to get involved. We have to have responsible pet owners or this isn’t gonna work.”
For information on how to adopt from LMAS, visit louisvilleky.gov/government/animal-services or their adoption center at 3516 Newburg Road.
Reach Dmitry Martirosov at dmartirosov@courier-journal.com or @dmrtrsv on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Metro Animal Services facing overcapacity, could euthanize 600 dogs in 2024
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