Bracken County Shelter Doing a Lot With a Little

Bracken County is a no-stop-light county in northern Kentucky, not too far from Ohio. The Bracken County Animal Shelter is a simple metal building with 14 kennels and a tiny office/storage area.

It may not look like much, but Heather and Robbin, the two full-time ACOs who do all the care, cleaning, and also run every call – alternating weeks on 24/7 call, make the most of what they’ve got.

The shelter is open intake, taking in strays and owner surrenders. While they have just 14 kennels, they currently have 26 dogs and puppies in the shelter. All the kennels are full, with many doubled-up, plus there is one pop-up kennel in the center aisle with two adorable puppies. Both Heather and Robbin take home fosters on a regular basis, especially puppies.

We arrived just as Heather was doing the daily feeding. She was preparing huge bowls of food – concocting a delightful mix of dry and wet food, topped with treats.

After the dogs were invited back inside (the inside and outside of each kennel are separated by a doggie door that must be manually opened), Heather put a clean blanket over each Kuranda bed (and stopped to give each dog a little loving). The Kuranda beds were basically placeholders, as their legs were chewed off and their fabric centers worn through.

UPDATE: Through our Instagrant program funded by the @ASPCA, we were able to purchase new Kuranda beds for every kennel.

Heather has been working at the shelter since March, but prior to that Robbin was working alone at the shelter for the previous five years. The shelter does not have any volunteers (but would love some). They do have a few fosters, and Heather was quick to say that their supporters (local and from afar) help with supplies when they put out a plea.

The county budget covers some spay/neuter and medical, but there is never enough funds, and they want to help the community pets, so they also depend on grants. They prioritize dogs being adopted. Some of their dogs may be at the shelter for months or longer (two have been there a year).

I looked around at the full kennels and asked what would happen if she got a call today to pick up a couple of stray dogs. She shrugged and said, “I’d put up another pop-up kennel.” In other words, this shelter won’t euthanize for space; they’ll find space.

One dog, Chase, is a big black bear of a dog. He was dropped off at the shelter a year ago and lived out by the shelter dumpster for months until the staff were able to trap him in their drop kennel. Now, he takes treats and lives in a kennel, but it’s still impossible to put a leash on him. Having never been handled, he is slowly learning to trust people, but it could be a long time before he could be adoptable. Heather said, “He’s basically the shelter dog.” Chase is lucky to have landed here in a shelter that will give him all the time he needs.

While the accommodations aren’t fancy, the dogs seemed fine. It was pouring rain, so they were all inside, full of excess energy, and had plenty to say. They welcomed our treats and attention. There is a play yard, and weather permitting and when they have time, Robbin and Heather take the dogs outside to play and enjoy the air.

A local groomer named Maranda (Grooms By Maranda ) stops in for a ‘hopeful hound of the week’ and takes a dog out for grooming. Milo was the lucky dog most recently groomed, so he sported a bandana and a really cool heart tatoo on his ear (I’ve never seen anything like that!).

Most of the dogs leave via adoptions, but Robbin also works with rescues to find placements. Meanwhile, the shelter relies on donations and makes the most of what they have. They’d like to have some volunteers to spend time with the dogs, helping to socialize them and make their days a little more interesting.

If you’d like to support the Bracken County Animal Shelter, you can shop their Amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1S5OGPEAN091T/

So many of the shelters we visit are in the same situation as Bracken—one big hoarding case away from making tough decisions, having to beg for donations to provide food and basic care, and struggling to find access and funds for spay/neuter. It’s a precarious place to be. We need solutions that will enable shelters to be solid, safe spaces for animals in need.

That kind of change starts with awareness. Please don’t accept the situation, wherever you may be. If you want it to be better, you need to get involved. Speak up. Ask questions. Demand your tax dollars provide a real shelter and stop taking advantage of the dog-hearted people who work long hours for little and never have enough.

Until each one has a home,

Cara

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