CLEVELAND – After a five-year ban on offering dogs to the public, the Cleveland Kennel is open to adopt animals out again.
The City of Cleveland was banned from adopting pets out because it did not have a full-time veterinarian on staff, said chief animal control officer John Baird. State law requires that adopted animals are spayed or neutered, among other things that only a vet could perform.
Now, the city is partnering with the Animal Protective League to treating the dozens of dogs at the kennel.
”It’s important because it’s going to be a chain reaction,” Baird said. “We do transfer animals to Cuyahoga County and also to the Animal Protective League. So what it’s going to do is going to free up some of their space to make available for other dogs that may be more difficult to adopt or put more time into to adopt.”
Though the kennel typically has 60 to 100 dogs in its facility, Baird said not all pets are adoptable. Some being held for police investigations, while others are there until an owner claims them. He said he’ll have a handful of animals out to adopt every day.
“Our goal is to adopt 50 dogs this year, but we’ve had close to 10 in the past couple weeks,” Baird said. “We don’t like keeping dogs here. We want them to stay healthy and a chance to get a home.”
It costs $61 to adopt a dog, which includes the adoption fee, animal license, vaccination, spay or neuter and a microchip implant.
The Cleveland Kennel is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The kennel is located at 2690 W. 7th St. in Cleveland.