Mission
Our
Mission & History
The mission of the Wayne County Dog Shelter is to provide temporary shelter, care, and comfort to all stray, abandoned, neglected and injured dogs in Wayne County; to reunite lost dogs with their owners; and to promote a humane and responsible community in Wayne County through education and outreach.
The Wayne County Dog Shelter opened in September 2015. We are a county operated dog shelter that is responsible for caring for the stray dogs in Wayne County, Ohio. Our shelter is funded primarily on the sale of dog licenses and donations. We work very hard to reunite dogs with their owners, we provide adoption services, and we offer educational programs on canine care and safety to the community.
In January 2019 the Wayne County Board of Commissioners appointed shelter Director, Katelyn Lehman, as the Dog Warden for Wayne County. Dog Warden services are now provided through the Wayne County Dog Shelter. These services include enforcement of dog licenses laws, impounding dogs running at large, and investigating dog bites and deeming dogs nuisance, dangerous, or vicious.
In 2020 PAWS for the Wayne County Dog Shelter, a 501c-3 nonprofit organization, was created with a purpose of supporting the Wayne County Dog Shelter through fundraising efforts. PAWS has since created 4 play yards with play yard equipment, improved the quality of vaccinations given to the dogs, provided heartworm prevention to all dogs at the shelter, added acoustic paneling to the kennel areas, and begun funding a spay and neuter program so that all dogs will be spayed and neutered prior to adoption.
Vision
The vision of the Wayne County Dog Shelter is to reduce the stray dog population through the education of dog laws. We hope to keep Wayne County dogs safe by educating owners on the importance of licensing their dogs and keeping their dogs properly confined according to the Ohio Law. We also hold in high regards spaying and neutering your pet. By spaying and neutering your pet you will be contributing to reducing the overpopulation of animals and your pet will have a reduced risk of health issues as well. Specific shelter goals are to return as many dogs as possible to their owners. We will accomplish these goals through the promotion of dog licenses and by utilizing various media outlets. We also strive to reach our goal of a 90% successful placement rate each year. A successful placement rate would include dogs that have been adopted, rescued, or owner claimed. While we do have to euthanize for aggression or serious illness we hope to lower the percentage of dogs euthanized each year by promoting responsible pet ownership, but by also allowing the dogs sufficient time to adjust to the shelter environment and by providing training techniques to assist with behavioral concerns.
