Pendleton County has a new animal shelter. The facility on Ed Monroe Road has been dedicated, replacing the county's aging shelter after 15 years of fundraising and planning. It was not yet open to the public and was expected to open in the following weeks, per a report from NKyTribune.
Local officials dedicated the new site during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in early September, according to NKyTribune. The project was funded through a public-private partnership: the Humane Society of Northern Kentucky raised more than $500,000 in private donations, while the Pendleton County Fiscal Court kicked in $300,000 in county funds. Humane Society leaders Belinda Perry, Janet Scanlon, Jeff Gowen, and Michele Hamilton led the long fundraising push alongside county Judge/Executive David Fields, the outlet reports.
As WKRC reports, the new shelter offers dogs a safer, more comfortable space. A web report describes the former facility as having inadequate ventilation, inadequate air conditioning, and rodent infestations.
A Building Designed to Fix Old Problems
The new facility was built to directly address those failures. It includes 22 indoor dog kennels with individual runs, a two-bay quarantine room, a dedicated whelping room, a grooming room, 13 additional outdoor runs, and two large fenced exercise areas, per the same NKyTribune report. The new facility also has a state-of-the-art air-handling system.
The new facility relocates the county's animal shelter from its former site.
Why the Shelter Still Can't Take Cats
Despite the upgrades, the new shelter remains designed exclusively for dogs. The Humane Society of Northern Kentucky has said Pendleton County currently lacks the tax revenue and staffing infrastructure required to operate a feline shelter wing, noting that expanding operations to cats would require public funding beyond what the county's budget currently allows, according to Humane Society of Northern Kentucky.
The county shelter serves dogs, and county staff continue to manage animal-control operations there, as reported by Humane Society of Northern Kentucky.
Keeping Kennels Manageable Before Opening Day
The sources reviewed mention BISSELL Pet Foundation adoption programs generally, but do not establish a specific October 2025 Pendleton County partnership, the services offered, or a broader Northern Kentucky practice.
Even with the new building in place, the division of labor hasn't changed. The Humane Society of Northern Kentucky organized the capital campaign and oversaw construction, but daily operational authority and animal care policy remain entirely under the jurisdiction of Pendleton County government, as noted by Humane Society of Northern Kentucky. County staff continue to manage animal control calls and daily shelter routines, while the nonprofit acts in a voluntary supporting role, the organization has said.
