On a snowy afternoon, Laura Lawson and Jason Johnson of Rubber City Rescue drove around Akron’s Firestone Park neighborhood searching for a loose dog.
Someone called the rescue group to report a dog running in and out of traffic.
“They call straight to us all the time,” Johnson said.
They spotted the dog running across a laundromat parking lot. Armed with a lasso and treats, Johnson caught her: a white, visibly scared pit bull with a nasty bite wound on her neck.
"That's how it's done," Johnson said.
This is the daily grind for Lawson and Johnson. If they rescue a microchipped dog, they try to find its owner and return it. If it's not chipped, they will keep it in one of the cages and kennels at Lawson’s Firestone Park home while trying to find someone to adopt it.
That’s because most of the time, Summit County Animal Control is full. The Summit County Humane Society only accepts sick or abused animals.
“So, we go. If we don't have room, we'll make the room,” Lawson said. “Right now, we're overfull, you know, I got cages in my living room. But they're clean.”
Animal shelters in Northeast Ohio have been grappling with overcrowding for the last few years. In Summit County, a lack of shelter space and an increase in stray dogs is straining city and county resources, officials said.
Now, Akron leaders are raising concerns about rescue groups like Rubber City Rescue picking up the slack.
“I think the city needs to step up, and so does the county,” said Akron Councilmember Donnie Kammer, who represents Firestone Park.
Kammer is concerned Rubber City Rescue is putting themselves in danger and racking up expenses when city or county employees should be doing the work.
Citizens and local police departments will sometimes call Rubber City Rescue directly to report a stray dog, rather than animal wardens, Lawson added.
While Lawson’s passion for animals drives her work, it’s not all “puppy love,” she said.
She’s running out of space at her Firestone Park home. She pays hundreds of dollars out of pocket for shots, microchips and spay and neuter fees, she said.
Rescuing can also be dangerous. Lawson was attacked by a pit bull last year and spent several days in the hospital, she said.
The city and county are relying too heavily on Lawson, Kammer said.
“We have animal wardens that - the taxpayers pay their salary, and we actually have vehicles and all the supplies needed to go out there and do that job,” Kammer said. “Same thing with the Summit County Animal Shelter. You know, the taxpayers are paying for all this.”
The county’s animal shelter can hold up to 92 dogs – and it’s almost always full, said Greta Johnson, assistant chief of staff for Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro.
Overbreeding and a spike in adoptions in the pandemic are partly to blame for the issue, she said.
“Often times, people aren't raised with pets and so don't understand the full commitment of pet ownership, and, unfortunately … don't feel that they have the resources or the wherewithal to do it,” Johnson said.
County animal control officers legally must respond to stray dog calls that come from the county’s townships, she said. Even if the shelter is full, employees and volunteers get creative to make room, she said.
While Akron pays the county to use its shelter, the county does not have to accept dogs from the city when the shelter is full, Johnson said.
“The contracts that we have with the municipalities indicate that if we are at capacity, we cannot, we cannot provide that service,” Johnson said.
Akron officials declined interviews, but city spokesperson Stephanie Marsh said they’re having ongoing conversations with stakeholders about the problem.
The city animal wardens are currently not responding to calls about non-aggressive dogs because there is nowhere to take them, she said.
While the uptick in strays is a countywide issue, 95% of the dogs come from the city of Akron, Johnson added.
Most of the dogs at the shelter are pit bulls, which can be difficult to adopt out because of stereotypes and concerns about their temperament, she said.
Some cities, including Akron, have strict rules for pit bull owners, including requiring a special insurance policy, leashes and muzzles.
Relaxing some of those restrictions could help boost adoptions, she said.
“It certainly causes some folks to pause or to not adopt that specific type of animal when those type of stringent requirements are in place in city limits,” Johnson said.
Lawson at Rubber City Rescue added that some local rescue groups bring dogs from kill shelters in other states into the area, which contributes to the increase in strays, she said.
Kammer, the Akron council member, is calling for the city to hire more animal wardens and compensate Rubber City Rescue for their work.
But Lawson believes it’s not a lack of wardens driving Akron’s stray dog problem. The city needs its own space, she said.
“If we had a building, things would change. It would really change for the better. I solely believe that,” she said. “Akron has so many abandoned buildings. Why don't they donate one? I mean, and then we'll furbish it with what it needs. I mean, I'm already doing the job, and I'm doing it for free.”
The city did not respond to questions from Ideastream whether it’s considering opening its own animal control facility.
