Did you know that over 40% of the animals entering our local shelters will NEVER find a forever home? Do you know why? There simply aren't enough homes.

Everywhere, shelters and rescues are at or beyond maximum capacity. Our own shelter has not had a renovation or expansion since it was built in 1991. It was originally designed with 30 kennels for a population of 35,000 residents. Each kennel has an inside and outside area that can be closed off as needed.

Recently, the shelter staff have been forced to leave these doors shut and house one animal on the inside and one on the outside in order to hold twice as many animals. Unfortunately, there is still NOT enough space.

Our county has grown by about 60% since 1991, but our shelter has not. At almost 80,000 residents, our shelter should reflect that growth. The sad, hard truth is that when our shelter needs to make room for new animals, the animals that haven’t been adopted or pulled by rescue are euthanized.

To help our shelter, we aim to have every shelter pet vaccinated, microchipped, and most importantly spayed or neutered. Around 90% of the animals that arrive in our shelter are NOT spayed or neutered. Every accidental litter adds to an already overwhelming shelter population.

Spaying and neutering IS one of the most compassionate choices you can make as a pet owner, and we want to help make that possible.

Together, we ARE Catoosa County!