We need your help!
This is Finn. He is a terrier mix male about 8 months old. He is house-trained and crate-trained. Photo | Donna Lafever
This pretty little brindle pup is about 6 months old. She’s sweet-natured and shy. She’s fully vetted and ready for her new home. Photo | Donna Lafever
By PJ Martin
Editor
The Herald-News
Animal shelters all over the county are full to overflowing with animals and here in Metcalfe County, the shelter is full, but the calls keep coming in. A litter of puppies found dumped on a road or a large dog wandering around homes looking for food.
Anyone can look at Facebook and see dozens of posts about lost animals, some likely stolen and others who just lost their way. There are also posts of stray animals that need help. They are lost, or dumped, or their owners just moved away and left them to fend for themselves.
Metcalfe County is blessed with several people who work hard to reunite lost dogs with their owners while taking care of others and finding homes for them.
Since 2016, the Metcalfe County Animal Shelter has had 1,097 stray and abandoned dogs come through the doors. Donna Lafever has taken loving care of each of them with the hopes of getting them adopted. Meanwhile, David “Doc” Lafever provides veterinary care to each one.
Of those 1,097 dogs, 1,056 have either been adopted or sent to rescues in hopes of a better chance at adoption. The other 41, well, some were just too sick to save, and it was necessary to euthanize a few due to aggression issues.
Metcalfe’s shelter maximum is 25 dogs and there are more out there that need help desperately.
The adoption fee is $75 (unless sponsored) and that minimal fee is used to cover vaccinations, deworming, flea treatment, spay/neuter, and of course, cleaning and shearing each dog. You can’t get all that for $75 anywhere.
Why are shelters so full of animals waiting for adoption? Who or what is to blame? It certainly isn’t the animal’s fault it was born. It all comes down to the owner’s lack of responsibility.
Some of the owners are heartless! Just recently, a carrier with 6 kittens was dropped at the shelter/clinic door for Donna to take care of. One day a vehicle drove up, someone threw a tiny kitten in the door and sped off. What is wrong with these people?
Pet owners are responsible for the welfare of their pets and that includes controlling the litters of babies born. Shelters everywhere receive calls daily asking if they will take in a litter of puppies, kittens, rabbits, etc. that belongs to that caller’s pet. Most shelters are like Metcalfe’s, already full and overflowing.
You hear it over and over: spay and neuter your pets. That is the only way we can hope to gain any control over the overpopulation of unwanted animals. The first thing that irresponsible owners say is, “I can’t afford it.” That is understandable, but there are places you can find help to defray some of the costs.
If you are a resident of Metcalfe County and have your pet spayed or neutered, bring your paid receipt to the Judge/Executive’s office at the Government Center and receive a reimbursement of $50 in the mail. That is one per household as long as the funds are available.
Some places will help with the spay and neuter costs.
Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society is offering $25 spay/neuter on all cats and dogs under 80 lbs. throughout 2025. They are offering this through a grant they received. Call 270-745-8646 for details.
Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society also has the Community Cat Program a Trap Neuter Release (TNR) for feral cat colonies 270-715-0937. If you are feeding a stray cat colony, call them for help.
KY SPCA charges $50 (dog or cat), but you need to fill out paperwork on their website. Go to https://kentuckyspca.org/index.php/services/low-cost-spay-neuter. You can also go to https://www.kyhumane.org/services/snipclinic/ and there are phone numbers you can call about the discounted rates closer to your area.
The only way this overpopulation will get better is with everyone’s help. Please spay or neuter your pets, and if you are feeding a feral cat colony, call the TNR number above.
The shelter board members work at events like Summerfest and the Pumpkin Festival to get dogs adopted and get donations to help the Metcalfe Shelter. We are working hard, because we realize that one day it will be necessary to build a larger shelter. With that future goal in mind, it’s going to take everyone in the county to make this happen. We need your help!
If you would like to adopt a dog or if you wish to volunteer in some way, please contact one of the board members or call the shelter/clinic at 270-432-2080.
Visit the MCAS’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/metcalfecoanimalshelter/
The website at https://metcalfecountyanimalshelter.com/
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