Cleveland kennel has more than 100 dogs available to adopt as overcrowding persists

NewsCleveland opened its kennel on Detroit Avenue in the Cudell neighborhood in March 2019.By Lizzie Kaboski, cleveland.comAdvance Local Express DeskCLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland’s city kennel has more than 100 dogs and puppies available for adoption or rescue as the facility continues to struggle with overcrowding.The kennel took in 97 dogs from July 5-13 alone, adding to an already-full facility that recently received more than 30 dogs in less than two days.Cleveland Animal Care & Control is an open-intake facility legally required to accept every stray found in the city and hold them for a mandated period to give owners time to reclaim them.“When we get full, we can’t just close,” City Dogs Cleveland, the kennel’s adoption and volunteer program, said in a Facebook post. “It means that some dogs don’t get as many chances or as much time as they otherwise would.”Lauren Sammon, founder of CLE Pups, a rescue advocacy organization, said the city needs to be more transparent about the challenges facing the kennel. She files monthly records requests to obtain euthanasia and live release data.In 2025, the kennel took in 4,440 dogs, with 1,167 reclaimed by their owners and 1,101 euthanized, according to city data provided by Sammon. The facility’s live release rate increased 2% from 2024 to 2025, but remains far below pre-pandemic levels when the shelter achieved a 90% or higher live release rate.“We can’t solve problems we don’t know exist, and we have seen time and time again when the community realizes there’s a problem and they believe they can be part of the solution, they step up,” said Sammon, who has worked in animal rescue for 16 years.CLE Pups was established in 2023 to create a centralized resource for people searching for lost dogs or looking to adopt. Sammon said navigating the city’s website to find the kennel’s page was complicated.“I saw a need in the community for an easy, one-stop shop for people to look and see their dog was missing or see dogs available for adoption,” she said.The organization’s website also promotes programs including Slow the Flow, a partnership with the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter that provides free spay and neuter services for bully breeds, and Timmy’s Hope, a new organization seeking nonprofit status that provides short-term foster care for pets whose owners are seeking inpatient substance abuse treatment.“For some people, their dog is their barrier to treatment,” Sammon said. “We don’t want an owner to have to surrender their pet just to get treatment.”Sammon said the staff working at the kennel deserves credit for their hard work. She urged the community to donate, adopt, foster and get pets spayed and neutered to reduce the overpopulation problem. Residents who have lost dogs should check the Cleveland Kennel immediately. CLE Pups can provide Spanish translation support for people picking up lost dogs or interested in adopting by emailing clepupsaction@gmail.com.To view all intakes and available dogs, visit CLEPups.com. To schedule an adoption meet-and-greet, visit tinyurl.com/meetacitydog.City Dogs charges a $61 adoption fee, which covers spaying or neutering, a microchip, a county dog license and basic vaccinations. The kennel is located at 9203 Detroit Ave. and can be reached at 216-664-3069.Lizzie covers criminal justice for Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer. She is originally from the Chicago suburbs and studied journalism and theatre at Indiana University. Previously, Lizzie covered public...