The Interwoven History of the Friends of the Grant County Animal Shelter and that Shelter

by Brenda Wilson

MOTIVATION

In 1989, an article in the Grant County News described Grant County’s “Animal Shelter” in the following words:

“… Wet, furry faces peered between the links of the sagging chain link fence. A small grimy pup whimpered as it lay on its side, unable to stand. Two of the dogs jumped and lashed with bared teeth at each other’s throats as the onlookers approached what resembled a chicken coop and lean-to combined.”

In 1997, a regional report cited euthanasia rates for shelter dogs in the Northern Kentucky Counties: Boone – 47%, Campbell – 46%, Kenton – 57%, Grant – 96%

Specifically, in Grant County, Kentucky, that year, 528 dogs entered the shelter. 508 died. Before they died, the animals suffered in appalling conditions. Their “shelter” consisted of only four indoor kennels. Four more were completely outside and open. Often as many as 40 dogs shared the eight runs. Their food was whatever the animal warden, who earned $7.00 an hour, could, literally, scrape up from the damaged bags of dog food, discarded behind local stores. He was trying to care for those 500+ dogs on a budget of $28,000, which included his fulltime salary, his mileage expenses, shelter utilities, and, the largest single item other than salary, euthanasia expenses.

Still, the county officials weren’t intentionally being unkind. The county had real pressures on its budget and had no prospect of those pressures easing. Instead, the demands were increasing.

The people of this rural Kentucky county, once purely agricultural with tobacco as its cash crop, were and are poor, by census standards. The per capita income in 1999 was $16,776, as compared to $21,587 for the U.S. as a whole. Educational level was and is also below the national level, with, in 2000, only 9.4% of the people with Bachelor’s Degrees or higher, while nationally 24.4% hold those credentials.

Moreover, the county experiencing a 10.7% growth rate, far above the state’s 4.1% growth. The people moving in were frequently those displaced, those with few economic means, as land closer to the larger cities became more costly. They arrived needing services.
They arrived with animals.

THE BEGINNING OF CHANGES

In 1997, three Grant Countians heard their county’s horrific statistics on animals sentenced to the shelter. They decided they had to do something. One, the reporter who wrote the quoted article, had become editor of the local newspaper. Another owned a small horse farm, where she was both management and labor, and, thus, familiar with all aspects of animal care. She was also a photographer. The third’s career was as a university professor and administrator. One of her areas had been implementing change in organizations. She’d also been a journalist.

With no funds, but with lots of passion, the women decided to use their old skills for a new purpose. They set out to systematically raise awareness about Grant County’s homeless animals’ hopeless situation, convinced that if people knew, they’d care. First the women reached out to the people of the county through periodic, front page, news articles, weekly newspaper features on specific shelter animals, and carefully prepared presentations to local organizations. Then, they talked with the local county officials. Specifically, they presented ideas, proposals, and pleas to the newly elected Grant County Judge – Executive, the chief executive and operating officer of the county.

Out of those conversations, a unique partnership developed. The informal group of animal advocates and the county judge-executive and his governing body, known in Kentucky as the fiscal court, worked together to imagine and implement creative ways to improve the unluckiest animals’ conditions and prospects and even to create a 501(c)(3) organization to help.

THE SPECIFIC CHANGES

With the support and help of the Grant County Fiscal Court, the tiny group of animal advocates formed the Grant County Friends of the Shelter, the 501(c)(3) organization, and recruited members, including local opinion leaders. Some of the county’s top-ranking, elected officials even became members. The group did everything they could to promote adoption. So did each new animal care and control officer.

And, the animals waiting for homes are reasonably comfortable. Instead of the 1997 shelter with only four indoor runs, the new facility has 34 climate-controlled runs for adult dogs and 26 additional kennels for puppies.

There are also two rooms dedicated to cats. One room has comfortable cat cages when they first arrive at the shelter. However, cages never feel like home, so, once the staff knows that a cat has no diseases, he/she moves into the family room-like space, where they move about freely and greet visitors, volunteers, and potential adopters.

This didn’t happen because Grant County became wealthy. Instead, through events and pleading, the Friends of the Shelter raised funds for those improvements. Grant County officials and the Friends of the Shelter’s committed members were also driven to be creative.

To illustrate, some of the creative, low-cost solutions to the homeless pets’ problems the Friends have done include promoting adoption in every way they can imagine.

For 27 years, Friends of the Shelter members have ensured that 260 shelter dogs and cats have their photographs and stories in the newspaper each year.

Other Friends, with lots of help from shelter workers, put ALL shelter animals on Petfinder.com and Facebook.

Friends’ members spend hours at the shelter, making animals more adoptable.

Friends’ members search for creative ways to place animals. One shelter dog went to a senior care facility. Another became a working, search and rescue dog for local law enforcement.

Friends’ members take animals to every possible adoption event.

Friend’s members and a network of volunteers transport Grant County dogs to U.S. and Canadian locations where puppies and dogs are scarcer.

However, no amount of marketing can create enough homes. So, the Friends of the Shelter and staff of the shelter worked on cutting intake with an aggressive spay/neuter campaign. It became a policy to adopt no shelter animal without being spayed or neutered.

In 2010, the group implemented an aggressive Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Return (TNR) program for free-roaming cats. As of 2023, approximately 4,000 were altered.

After the shelter’s involvement in shutting down a local puppy mill, Colgate Corporation began donating Hill’s Science Diet to feed all shelter animals and continues to do so.

THE LIMITATIONS

The Friends of the Shelter members are willing to give hours to help the animals, but they need help. There is no promise that the shelter will stay no-kill. The Friends need volunteers and donations to enable the shelter to maintain this no-kill standard.

Volunteer Opportunities

Donation Opportunities

Stay in touch, FRIENDS!

Founded in 2002, the Grant County Friends of the Shelter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that strives to find a home for all the animals in the Grant County Animal Shelter.

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Founded in 2002, the Grant County Friends of the Shelter is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that strives to find a home for all the animals in the Grant County Animal Shelter.