We are excited to announce that Clermont Animal Care Humane Society is our BOGO recipient in January 2018.

Clermont Animal CARE Humane Society took over management of the Clermont County (OH) Shelter on Jan. 1, 2018 after being awarded the one-year, $310,000 renewable contract by the Clermont County Commissioners.

They have pledged to reduce shelter intake, accept owner surrenders, and engage the community by offering opportunities to volunteer, foster, donate and adopt.

"We are honored by the trust placed in us by the county, and we are committed to making Clermont County the model for open-intake, no-kill animal sheltering in the state of Ohio- Robin Tackett, Clermont Animal CARE president, said in the statement. Phasing in services and support for public-owned animals, we will strive to reach this status by the end of 2018."

What is involved in keeping a shelter-based rescue going? (How many adoptable dogs are in your program? Where do your dogs come from?) If you also use foster homes, please tell us how you manage both.

A shelter based rescue has its own unique upsides and challenges. It's wonderful to have a facility where people can come in during open hours to view available animals and our capacity to intake animals is greater than for many foster-based organizations. However, there also is the added challenge of having all of your dogs concentrated in one building and providing daily cleaning, feeding, socialization, and care in a centralized location.

We had a huge weekend with lots of dogs transferred to rescue and numerous adoptions so currently, have fewer dogs in our care than is typical, but we have 64 kennels in total and an average of approximately 50 dogs (plus cats too).

Our dogs come to us both as strays and owner relinquishments. We do also plan to use foster homes but as a new organization is still developing that program so currently all our available dogs are housed here. We do also partner with some wonderful rescue organizations who have been integral in transferring some of our dogs that thrive more in a home environment.

What are some of the things your group is known for?

As a new organization we're still establishing ourselves in the community but we hope to be known for being a community-based organization that is enthusiastic to place our animals via open adoptions, supportive of our community which means keeping animals in homes whenever possible and providing resources to the pet owners in our community, and an organization that readily works with rescue groups. Over time, we also hope to establish more extensive programs and be the first open admission no-kill organization in Ohio.

Describe some of the more challenging moments in rescue and how you/the other volunteers got through it.

The members of this organization all have an extensive range of experience in rescue and therefore I'm sure all have their own unique stories. However, this specific organization is a new collaboration. The biggest challenge has been getting everything in place at lightning speed as this group received the contract to run the county shelter just weeks before officially opening. It has definitely been an all hands on deck effort with many early mornings and late nights, but seeing all the amazing animals joining their new families on opening day made all the efforts worth it.

What is the most rewarding part of volunteering? What would you say to others who are considering volunteering for a group like yours?

I'd just say that regardless of your passions or skill set there is a niche for everyone when it comes to volunteering. Many of us love working with both people and animals and the highlight of our day is assisting people with finding a new family member. However, for those that prefer working directly with the animals via dog walking or cat socialization, that is certainly a need here too.

Let us know anything else you'd like to share with us.

We're just so excited to be a part of this community and help more deserving rescue dogs get out of the shelter and into loving homes! Website Facebook