Photo courtesy Sheryl Shannon
Annie, a friendly pit bull mix at the Knox County Dog Shelter, is available for adoption but through phone appointment only due to the shelter’ closure to the public in observance of social distancing precautions.
MOUNT VERNON — Despite a bare-bones staff necessary for maintaining social distancing precautions, the Knox County Dog Shelter and its volunteers continue to care for as many as 18 or more dogs at a time — while doing its best to find them homes through adoption. Those appointments to adopt can be scheduled by phone (740) 393-6713, as the dog shelter is currently closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dog Warden John Carhart said only one out of three animal control officers works at a time right now. Their duties include being at the shelter to care for the dogs as well as going out in the field. The other two officers not on duty are on-call and available if needed.
That is also true for volunteers, with just one dog walker at a time permitted to work from 8-11 a.m. The shelter closes to volunteers by noon.
“The scheduled volunteer may walk the dogs for 40 to 45 minutes,” Carhart said. “This allows for a 15 to 20 minute gap in between shifts so that the volunteers may avoid contact with each other.”
Despite all of its current limitations, the dog shelter continues to do fairly well with adoptions, he said, which shows that people care about animal welfare and giving a home to a dog even during the most challenging of times. Recent adoptions, which first involve the dog and prospective owner enter a room for a “greet and meet,” haven’t changed in that regard, pandemic or not. Dogs such as Sasha, a beige Husky mix, and Bosco, a shepherd/retriever mix, are among the most recent dogs adopted.
Other dogs, such as pit bull mixes Annie and Sadie, await their turns. The shelter dogs are available for viewing with their descriptions, by visiting Facebook and typing “Knox County Ohio Animal Shelter” in the search bar, and then clicking “like.” Specialized care needed by some dogs, such as those with specific medical needs, is provided through funding from the Dogs of Knox Fund, a nonprofit organization.
There are still two Pittie Paw Rescue dogs, Odie and Xavier, which have been at the shelter since late 2018 following their seizure and criminal prosecution of the former owner on animal negligence charges. They are the last of what were more than 60 PPR dogs taken in by the dog shelter, the majority of which were adopted with some going to rescue operations. Carhart said he’s confident Odie and Xavier will be fostered by rescue operations in the near future.
The private, non-profit Knox County Humane Society, which normally adopts out cats and provides pet spay and neuter services, is also closed to the public. Those interested in adopting a cat can visit the website, knoxhumanesociety.org, and fill out an application and contract under “forms.” Completed forms may be sent to kellykchs@yahoo.com.
Despite COVID-19 affecting all aspects of human life, dogs continue to be a great pet choice, and Carhart said his staff is handling the current situation in stride.
“The daily functions of the Department of Knox County Dog Warden tends to be volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous,” he said. “We do not know what is going to happen on any given day. Situations and cases are not necessarily better or worse than others, mostly just different (and) individual specific. We respond, adjust, and take care of business accordingly. This will pass and something else will take its place.”
