Nearly 700 stray dogs have been adopted in the past year from Summit County Animal Control (SCAC), but the system remains full to the brim.
Intake levels also remain high at the county’s dog pound — adoptions help, but they do not “eliminate the crisis,” said Greta Johnson, the assistant chief of staff for Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro. The moment a family walks out with an adopted dog, another stray dog often arrives to fill the space, she said.
SCAC has space for about 90 stray dogs at a time. The shelter is required by state law to accept strays from Summit County townships, but the contract the City of Akron has with the shelter limits how many city dogs the shelter will take.
“The city only pays for a certain number of cages,” Johnson said. “Every dog that we take in from Akron fills one of those cages, because we have to keep space available for the strays we are legally required to accept from the townships. We don’t have the ability to go beyond our capacity.”
The problem is a dogged one. A little more than a year ago, Donnie Kammer told Akron City Council members, “Enough’s enough. We have to fix this problem.”
The Ward 7 council member was upset because the county animal shelter was too full to accept more dogs and cats (it no longer accepts cats), and local animal rescue organizations didn’t have the resources to back up the shelter.
A year later, city officials said they have no updates to share on making changes to the city’s current system for handling strays.
Vacant building in Kenmore allows rescue to expand capacity
Helping to fill in the gaps is Rubber City Rescue, one of the animal rescue organizations frequently called by Akron police and fire department members to rescue animals, last year was turning away animals because it was out of room. Thanks to a new facility in Kenmore, it has been able to expand.
When a dog cannot be immediately taken in by the county shelter, agencies such as RCR step in, frequently handling five to eight dogs each day.
The local nonprofit was founded by Laura Lawson in 2015 in her backyard, where she initially cared for six to eight dogs at a time. That changed about two months ago after RCR moved into a three-story building in Kenmore, with 5,000 square feet per floor. The organization currently operates on two floors of the building and can now house up to 40 dogs.
The expansion came after Ward 9 Council Member Tina Boyes was contacted by Toby Samples, president of the Akron Rubber Development Laboratory, about a vacant Kenmore building the organization hoped to put to use.
“They had been looking for someone — a nonprofit, potentially — to use the building in some way and put it to good use for the community,” Boyes said.
Boyes said she later learned about Rubber City Rescue’s work helping the Akron Police Department manage stray dogs and decided to connect the two.
“It kind of struck me,” she said. “We’ve got this vacant building with a property owner who’s very willing to partner with a worthy nonprofit, and this group who’s clearly doing great work in the community. So I decided to connect them, and it took off from there.”
Day-to-day care inside the Rubber City Rescue
RCR accepts dogs in all circumstances — surrendered, lost, abandoned or left behind by a deceased or jailed owner. Sometimes the rescue’s workers help bring the dogs in, and other times animals are transferred by the Akron Police Department.
“We also hold dogs overnight when police have no access to the [county shelter] building, so they stay here before being transferred to the shelter,” Lawson said.
The rescue is slowly renovating the building, Lawson said, while it cares for the dogs. The facility includes a nursery to help protect nursing dogs and puppies, an indoor play area, and an outdoor pen for exercise when the weather permits.
The dogs aren’t alone in enjoying space for physical activity — a local gym owner has donated equipment for police officers and volunteers.
“If someone wants to work out, they have to volunteer for the dogs. At no charge, they can work out for free,” Lawson said.
Once a dog arrives at RCR, it is bathed, examined by a veterinarian, microchipped and spayed or neutered. “One of the biggest problems is that people don’t get their dogs spayed or neutered,” Lawson said, noting that unspayed dogs can become pregnant easily, which contributes to the growing population of stray dogs.
Butter the big dog
Daily care at RCR includes helping dogs adjust to a new environment. Tony Fullen, a member of the rescue’s team who helps primarily with dog walking, recalled working with Butter, a Cane Corso mix who arrived at the shelter after his owner passed away.
When Butter first came in, Fullen said the dog sat still in his kennel, showing little reaction to his surroundings.
“Dogs listen,” Fullen said. “They may not understand words, but they understand feelings.” Over time, Butter adapted to the rescue. He is the largest dog currently at the facility, weighing about 200 pounds.
RCR relies heavily on donations and a dedicated volunteer base. Volunteers help care for the dogs, assist with playtime, and support daily tasks, while donations fund food, veterinary care and renovations. The cost to care for each dog ranges from $150 to $400, depending on whether it needs to be spayed or neutered or if it needs shots.
While the rescue receives food and treat donations, the kennel consumes around 50 to 100 pounds of dog food per day. “We receive a lot of food donations from Pet Supplies Plus and from L&M Tree Service,” Lawson said.
Owners reclaiming their dogs are not charged, and adoption fees for new families range from $75 to $200, depending on the dog. “Sometimes you take a loss; you just want to have a good home. It’s not about the money. It’s about dogs being in a good home,” said Jason Johnson, vice president of the rescue. At the new facility, roughly 37 dogs are being cared for as volunteers work to match them with permanent homes.