Animal control gone astray: Akron seeing too many loose dogs, not enough shelter space

There is a dog loose on the University of Akron’s campus.

The pup is a cutie by most standards: an unneutered gray and white male pit bull wearing a hot pink collar with no visible tags or licensing.

University of Akron police officers spend an hour and a half trying to catch him, with officer Brian Moore even managing to get the pup’s front paws into his cruiser at one point.

This isn’t that unusual of a situation, especially near graduation. As the school year comes to a close and students realize they can’t bring Fido home to Mom and Dad, some opt to release them.

“About half of our officers have a dog we found on campus,” Moore says.

Eventually, Lt. Mackenzie Callahan calls Laura Lawson, founder of Rubber City Rescue, a local nonprofit that catches, traps and reunites loose dogs with their owners.

They often call volunteers at Rubber City Rescue because Akron’s animal wardens never come, according to Moore, and Lawson can capture loose dogs 90% of the time.

“I’d much rather have it come in on four legs than scrape them off the concrete,” Lawson explains.

It’s a makeshift solution to a growing dog problem in Akron.

Dogs are being left high and dry, ending up in Summit County Animal Control for months or longer, on the streets of Akron or in the hands of local volunteer rescue groups. Due to certain policies and other obstacles, owners also aren’t being reunited with their missing dogs, and prospective adopters are flocking to other counties to adopt pets.

Too many loose dogs, not enough space in Akron

Problems plaguing the system are complicated, but many boil down to Akron’s overabundance of stray dogs and overcrowding at Summit County Animal Control.

Akron, like almost all other cities in the county, contracts with Summit County Animal Control to house and care for its stray dogs and cats.

Animal wardens, police departments and rescue groups are stuck in the middle when animal control is over capacity and can’t take more dogs.

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It’s gotten to the point that Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer, a family friend of Lawson’s, called out Summit County government during an Akron City Council meeting, asking that they step up and do better.

Kammer, as well as a few City Council members and a member of the administration, had been discussing animal control in Akron for over a year – but those talks eventually died off.

“That's what I was trying to get across to some of my colleagues, like, ‘Hello, let's wake up and come together and figure this out,’ because this has been going on for some time and if it wasn't for Laura, we would be facing this, we would be talking about this,” he said.

Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Mosley has received numerous calls from residents about dogs running loose and the city’s animal wardens not responding.

Mosley believes more animal wardens would fix that problem, but Eufrancia Lash, Akron’s deputy director of public service and neighborhood assistance, and Greg Kalail, code compliance supervisor and manager of Akron’s department of neighborhood assistance, disagree.

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The issue has never been adding to the city’s three full-time animal wardens − it’s having nowhere to put animals once they are captured, according to Lash.

Summit County Animal Control has been at or near capacity with dogs since the pandemic.

“Sometimes we can't get animals in, to the point where we have had to even overlook certain issues within the community because there has just been nowhere to take the animal,” Lash said.

Why is Summit County Animal Control so full?

The agency, which can hold around 90 dogs at any given time at its Akron facility, has been at capacity for almost two years, according to Craig Stanley, director of administrative services for Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro, and Christine Fatheree, director of Summit County Animal Control.

Before the pandemic, cats were the primary residents at the facility. Now, just three years later, only a handful of cats remain, but the building is bursting with dogs.

The county is only required to hold unlicensed dogs for three days before putting them up for adoption or euthanizing them. It’s been over a decade since the facility has euthanized for space, according to Stanley and Fatheree.

“We’ve always been able to manage that pretty well until the last probably year and a half or so,” said Stanley.

Summit County Animal Control has reached out to other rescues, such as Rescue Village, in hopes that they will take dogs – but they all seem to be in similar boats.

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This phenomenon is likely caused by various factors, such as the adoption and puppy-buying boom during the pandemic, a shortage of veterinarians, inflation and more. Regardless, both Fatheree and Mindy Naticchioni, director of Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter, said shelters and rescues across the United States are filling up and staying full after the pandemic.

In an effort to keep dogs in their homes, Summit County Animal Control began hosting a drive-thru distribution of food, litter and pet supplies to rescues and the public on the last Tuesday of each month.

Rubber City Rescue a ‘tremendous asset’ for lost and abandoned dogs in Akron

Rubber City Rescue has become a "tremendous asset," according to Lash. The organization helps trap, catch and, should Summit County Animal Control be full, shelter loose dogs for city’s animal wardens and the Akron Police Department.

"She's filling a need that is kind of left open because there's so much need,” Akron Police Capt. Kris Beitzel said. “Every community could use a dozen Lauras, but we just have one.”

Kalail estimates the city reaches out to Rubber City Rescue for assistance eight to 10 times a month on average, sometimes more when there are more dogs on the loose during nice weather.

Akron contacted Rubber City Rescue 324 times between Jan. 1, 2022, to April 16, 2023. At times, Lawson or Vice President Jason Johnson respond to calls in the middle of the night to pick up dogs that have been found or were with someone who was arrested.

That’s in addition to officers taking dogs home, trying to find places for them to stay temporarily like a local animal hospital, or even keeping them in their cruisers during a shift when the weather is particularly bad during the winter.

“As Summit County and Akron, we have to fix this,” Kammer said. “I believe we’re in a situation that has a Band-Aid on it, and if we really don’t come together and think of a good solution, I think we’re going to be hurting.”

Majority of loose dogs in Akron are pit bulls

Since 2020, the number of dogs coming to Summit County Animal Control from Akron has risen by 41%, with the vast majority of them being pit bulls like the one recently found wandering the University of Akron campus.

More than 90% of the dogs in the facility are from Akron, and Stanley and Fatheree have found that the city has the lowest redemption by owner rates compared to other communities in the county.

It's unclear why Akron residents aren’t picking up their dogs, but Stanley and Fatheree have a theory that Akron’s ordinance placing requirements of ownership on pit bulls, presa canarios and American bulldogs is discouraging owners from redeeming their dog for fear of being fined and forced to comply.

Since March 2020, Akron animal wardens have issued  211 citations based on the ordinance.

The animal wardens consider multiple factors when deciding whether to issue citations: Has the dog owner been warned before? Does this include a dog bite involving a restricted breed dog? Is the dog owner a repeat offender? How many complaints have they received on this dog violation at this address?

Those redeeming their dog, if unlicensed, must pay for an $18 license and the $18 penalty fee for having an unlicensed dog. Owners are then charged $14 for the first day a dog is in the facility and $10 for each additional day – fees that can be too much for some cash-strapped pet owners. For example, an owner would pay $70 to get their unlicensed dog out of Summit County Animal Control after being in the facility for three days.

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Mosley recalled a friend who was unable to claim her lost dog from Summit County Animal Control because she was going to be charged $130. The fees were reduced but she still couldn’t afford to get her dog out; Mosley gave her the money.

Community confusion, ignorance contribute to loose dog problem

Owners not spaying or neutering their pets, not keeping control of their dogs or not being aware of local laws has contributed to the issue.

Many residents also don’t understand the need to license, microchip and correctly register or update the chip in their dog, according to Stanley.

“This isn't a Summit County Animal Control problem. This isn't an Akron Police Department problem. This is a community problem and it's a people problem,” Beitzel said.

In May, Summit County Animal Control began chipping adopted dogs to ensure there is a starting point should they get loose. But it is ultimately the owners who must make sure the chip stays updated with their most recent contact information and address.

Fatheree said the public seems to be confused about how animal control works. She said callers often don’t know who they are speaking to or who they have previously spoken to, whether that’s Summit County Animal Control, Akron police, Akron animal wardens or the Humane Society of Summit County.

“It's very seldom that people separate us,” Fatheree said. “They all think we are the same.”

Akron has its own animal wardens but has a contract with Summit County that allows the dogs the city captures to go in the county facility. It’s like the justice system in that Akron has its own police department, but contracts with the county for use of its jail.

“What I don't want to see is us forcing our hand at Summit County Animal Control and then we’re having to put animals down,” Beitzel said. “They’re not a humane society. They're not a shelter. They're a pound. They're a county-owned pound and they're not under any obligation to do a lot of what they do, legally, they're not.”

What are the visitation rules at Summit County Animal Control?

Another point of confusion seems to be whether those looking for their lost dog or hoping to adopt can walk through the kennels at Summit County Animal Control.

Justin and Nia Couch of Copley said they had two experiences where they were unable to do so.

The first instance happened in 2021, when the family was looking to adopt a dog. Realizing that they couldn’t walk through the kennels, the couple checked out available dogs at the Stark County Sheriff's Office Dog Warden Division and ended up adopting Coconut, a white bichon.

The second took place just after Memorial Day this year, when one of their four dogs, a black and white Shih Tzu named Lola, got spooked by fireworks and ran away. The couple searched high and low for their beloved pet, but Nia was not told she could walk through the kennels to see if Lola was at the facility.

Thankfully, the little Shih Tzu was found hiding under a car about 3 miles from home on June 17.

When told about the Couches' experience, Stanley said that “2021 was a different time,” but later said that people have always had the option to be escorted through the kennels upon request. He instructs people not given permission to tour the kennels to reach out to management.

Limiting access to the kennels was done to lessen the dogs' stress and prevent negative behaviors, such as excessive jumping and spinning, from becoming permanent in certain dogs – making them less likely to be adopted, according to Stanley and Fatheree. It also protects the public from itself, as some people would act inappropriately near the kennels and put themselves in danger of getting bitten.

Other communities aren’t facing the same issues as Akron

Nearly all communities in the county have either an implicit or written contract with Summit County Animal Control, though many report rarely contacting the facility.

Cities like Hudson, Tallmadge, Stow and Fairlawn are often able to reunite dogs with owners, having few dumped or considered vicious enough to bring to Summit County Animal Control. The only difficulty most report having is contacting someone at Summit County Animal Control after hours should an officer find a loose dog and be unable to determine its owners.

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“Animal control is not a significant challenge in Tallmadge,” Tallmadge Police Chief Ron Williams stated in an email. “There have been times when an officer contacts Summit County Animal Control, and they are not available to assist. The police department utilizes its partnerships with Rubber City Rescue and the humane society when needed.”

Some communities, such as Stow, New Franklin, Springfield and Lakemore, have their own temporary holding kennels in their police or fire departments for dogs at large.

The village of Richfield has its own dog pound with three to four kennels at its police department. There, owners can pick up their lost dog and the unclaimed are adopted out by local rescues.

Patti Horn, Richfield’s part-time and only animal control warden, responded to 146 calls for animals at large in 2022, according to Police Chief Mike Swanson. The village’s proximity to the interstates promotes dog dumping, which makes the number higher than it should be for a community the size of Richfield.

Barberton also relies on volunteers to help with animal control

Barberton is the only municipality in the county without an agreement with Summit County Animal Control.

The contract expired in 2020, but officials did not realize until 2022. Toward the end of last year, Barberton officials reached out to Summit County to have it renewed and have been waiting for the county’s response ever since, according to Jaime Iceman, Barberton’s director of public safety and human resources.

Barberton does not have its own animal warden but seems to be taking the Akron approach of relying on an unpaid citizen, in this case Nicki Freed, for animal control services.

Now, Barberton’s police and citizens call on Freed to assist in catching loose dogs, finding the owners and, when necessary, securing shelter for them. Freed also runs the Barberton Lost and Found Facebook page.

According to Freed, Barberton’s situation is slightly better than Akron’s because most of the loose dogs can be successfully traced back to their owners. The issue is that many of the dogs caught are repeat offenders, with some getting loose on an almost daily basis.

Though she said Barberton police are not permitted to pick up dogs the way Akron police can, and can only scan them for a microchip. Freed works closely with Lawson, often handing over dogs to her when she can't locate the owners.

“When I looked through the log for this year, most of them are going to Rubber City Rescue, that's the main entity that's been helping us,” Iceman said.

Things ramped up following the pandemic, with more dogs loose and nowhere to take them. At one point she was bringing them to Summit County Animal Control but stopped after the facility began charging $25 to surrender dogs. 

Stanley said the county facility started charging people to surrender dogs because it was getting more animals from Akron citizens than from Akron animal wardens. The facility gets paid a minimum of $40 per impounded animal under its contract with the city, so the switch impacted Summit County Animal Control’s revenue.

Still on the loose, like so many others

Sometimes finding a loose dog’s owner takes more effort than it’s worth.

After almost trapping the loose dog at UA, watching with bated breath as it crosses Exchange Street and bribing it with canned chicken for 15 minutes, Lawson talks to a neighbor, who confirms the dog lives next door.

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Lawson puts in calls to the university’s police department and Akron animal wardens with the address of the owner and status on the loose dog. Because the pooch went back to its owner’s property, there was nothing more Lawson could do.

And so, the dog continues on its way, tail to its home and wandering south − left to wander the streets like so many others.

Beacon Journal staff writer April Helms contributed to this report. Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Canine crisis: Akron has too many loose dogs, not enough shelter space