A man who tried to surrender a dog he said belonged to his uncle walked away from Cleveland's animal control kennel on August 6 empty-handed — and within the hour, a worker down the street found that same dog dumped in a crate. Now the Cleveland Division of Animal Care & Control is asking the public to help identify him.
According to Cleveland 19 News, the man came to the Division's kennel claiming the dog belonged to his uncle, but staff told him the uncle needed to officially sign the dog over himself. Unable to complete the surrender, the man left the facility — and shortly after, someone left the same dog in a crate elsewhere on the street. A worker nearby spotted the abandoned crate and called the kennel within an hour to report it, per the same account.
The kennel sits at 9203 Detroit Avenue, a 4.8-acre facility with five fenced exercise yards that opened in March 2019, according to a Signal Cleveland report on the facility. That same reporting describes the requirement in this case: the uncle needed to officially sign the dog over before staff could accept the surrender.
A Shelter Already Stretched Thin
Cleveland's animal control agency has said dumping dogs at a shelter is not the answer, while the station's report notes capacity concerns. Officials added that every dog deserves better than being abandoned in a crate and left behind — a message aimed at pet owners struggling to find a way out rather than working within the system.
The timing underscores just how strained the system has become. In July, CACC reported taking in 87 dogs in a single week while adopting out fewer than 20, per the same account cited by the station's report. Cleveland City Council's 2025 Department of Public Safety budget included a budgeted staff total of 37 for the Division of Animal Care & Control.
Standard adoptions include spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchipping and a Cuyahoga County dog license.
Help Available Beyond the Shelter Gate
Friends of CITY DOGS Cleveland, a nonprofit counterpart to CACC, funds medical care, spay and neuter procedures, and behavioral enrichment for impounded animals — resources meant to ease exactly the kind of bind that leads some owners to consider abandonment instead of following surrender rules. The nonprofit's fundraising has also intersected with local business efforts, as Hoodline reported in a Labor Day fundraiser tie-in.
CACC officials reiterated that pet owners should take responsibility for their animals and that those who can no longer care for a pet should seek help and explore responsible options rather than leaving an animal behind. Pets are a lifetime commitment, the agency said, and abandonment is never the answer.
Under Ohio Revised Code § 959.01, Ohio law addresses abandonment of domestic animals. If an abandoned animal suffers serious physical harm, prosecutors can pursue felony charges under Ohio's Goddard's Law, which elevates neglect or abandonment cases to a fifth-degree felony, according to Patituce & Associates.
Anyone who can identify the man is asked to contact the Cleveland Division of Animal Care & Control at 216-857-6877. The case also comes amid local coverage involving CITY DOGS Cleveland, the adoption program CACC launched in 2014 to rebrand pit bull-type dogs that make up the majority of the kennel's population, including a comedy festival dog rescue fundraiser covered by Hoodline.
