Hardin County Animal Care and Control – Operational Facts (2024)

The shelter employs 4 animal control officers, 3 of which are National Animal Care and Control (NACA) certified.

Animal Control Officers follow all procedures as outlined by Kentucky statutes (KRS.258, KRS.259, and KRS.525) and Hardin County Ordinances 249 Series 2007. Animal Complaints such as welfare and cruelty checks, strays, running at large, injured, animal bites related to dogs, cats, and livestock are logged and responded to as quickly as possible.

An Animal Control Officer is on-call daily for after-business-hours emergencies. These calls are processed through 911 dispatch.

A dog or cat that has bitten someone and has broken the skin must be placed on a 10-day quarantine hold. If Hardin County Animal Care and Control must hold the animal during the quarantine period and it is owned, the owner will be responsible for the quarantine fee of $250.

Hardin County residents can surrender an owned cat or dog by scheduling an appointment. We will only accept animals from Hardin County.A current Hardin County ID is required to surrender a pet or turn a stray in to the shelter.

The fee to surrender is $30 if altered and $70 if unaltered. The owner must bring verification by their veterinarian of the pet being altered.

A litter of puppies or kittens less than 4 months of age may be surrendered by appointment and the fee to do so is $45.

Surrender fees are charged to offset the cost of vaccinations and veterinary services while in our care.
Hardin County Animal Care and Control maintains the right to refuse any owner surrender including but not limited to those with behavioral issues, such as aggression.

If a stray dog is found, call the office and an animal control officer will be dispatched to pick the animal up. They will scan the dog for a microchip while out in the field and make every effort to return the dog to its home without having to enter the shelter. For safety reasons this is the recommended protocol for stray dogs; we will never ask anyone to restrain a dog or transport it to the shelter.

Stray dogs are held for 5 days according to Kentucky statutes.

Stray cats are tended through the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. An appointment can be made to bring the cat to the shelter where it will be spayed or neutered, given a rabies vaccination, and ear tipped. It will then be returned to where it was found/came from. There is no charge for this program for Hardin County residents. If a TNR appointment is scheduled and the caretaker of the cat arrives late, a new appointment will need to be made. Slots for this program are filled very quickly.

Kittens less than 4 months of age are not normally put through the TNR program; they are kept at the shelter to be placed for adoption. We maintain the right to keep and adopt any cat and/or kitten that comes through the program.

We have live-humane traps that can be borrowed for 1 week. A current Hardin County ID is needed to borrow a trap. Citizens can borrow up to 2 traps at once.

Reclaim fees apply to all pets recovered by their owner. A $25 per day boarding fee is charged, starting with the first day in the shelter. The first time reclaim fee is $50; second time $100; and third time is $150. Second and third time reclaims may also receive a citation from the animal control officer.

When reclaiming a dog proof of rabies vaccination and license is required. If the owner cannot show this proof, there will be a charge of $30 for a county license, $20.00 for a micro-chip and $12.00 for a rabies vaccination.

Adoptable pets can be seen at the Hardin County Animal Care & Control shelter Monday – Saturday from 12:00pm – 4:00pm or online on our Facebook page or our Petfinder profile.

The adoption fee for a cat is $60. This includes the spay or neuter surgery, feline vaccination, deworming, and rabies vaccination. The adoption fee for a dog is $90 and this includes the spay or neuter surgery, distemper-parvo vaccination, bordatella vaccination, rabies vaccination, deworming, microchip, and a license.

Adoptions require an approved application. All animals must be spayed or neutered before leaving the shelter. A 24-hour hold may be made with an approved application.

Information packets are given to each adopter and these packets include local area veterinarians, groomers, and trainers; coupons to local pet stores; and advice to help the newly adopted pet acclimate into their new home. This last sheet is called ‘The Rule of 3’ and gives advice for settling in and what to expect in the first 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months of bringing the new pet home.

If a newly adopted pet does not work out and the owner cannot keep it, the pet may be returned within 30 days of the adoption after calling the office. Adoption fees are not refundable. After the first 30 days, an appointment must be made to surrender the pet to the shelter and will be subject to the applicable intake fee(s).

*All applicable sales tax will be applied