Lorain County commissioners have sworn in Kelsey Leftwich as the county's first female dog warden, and just weeks into the job she says the kennel is already seeing a turnaround. Leftwich began the role on Sept. 29, and in her first month on the job she reported adoptions have increased drastically, along with a significant jump in redemptions, or owners retrieving their dogs from the kennel.
According to Morning Journal, Leftwich's new duties include supervising the activities of the warden's staff, managing kennel operations, and enforcing state and local animal-control laws. The Lorain County kennel, located at 301 Hadaway Court in Elyria, exists to serve county residents by seizing stray and at-large dogs. Before stepping into the role, Leftwich served as Sheffield Lake Clerk of Courts, a position she resigned on Sept. 19, as reported by The Chronicle-Telegram.
A Volunteer-Backed Operation
Leftwich said she hoped the rise in redemptions meant people were being more responsible with their pets, and that she hoped the numbers would stay low going forward. She said she felt she had already made a huge difference and was excited to be there, the outlet's report notes.
Twenty-one volunteers spent 400 hours helping out at the kennel in October alone, per the same account. She brings her own hands-on history to the role: Leftwich has volunteered at the kennel since 2017, is a board member of the Erie Shores Humane Society, and currently serves as a foster parent for dogs between homes while also volunteering as a foster home provider for several rescue groups.
From Clerk of Courts to Certified Animal Control Officer
Leftwich became a certified animal control officer through the National Animal Control Association and assisted the Sheffield Lake Police Department with catching stray dogs before taking the county post. That hands-on background with strays mirrors challenges the kennel has wrestled with for years.
Capacity has been a recurring issue at the facility. A report from cleveland.com in July 2025 described the kennel as having hit maximum capacity with no open space for incoming dogs, noting seven new dogs had arrived within 24 hours that week and just one adoption had been recorded since late June. That report also cited the kennel's dog warden at the time saying only about a third of dogs that arrive are reclaimed by their original owners, and that roughly 17 volunteers were donating around 160 to 170 hours each month.
Earlier coverage from Morning Journal in August 2024 quoted then-Deputy Administrator Karen Perkins saying the agency had taken in 436 dogs that year, with the kennel full at 29 canines. A September 2025 Morning Journal report said the kennel has room for roughly 30 dogs, though extra crates have been used during lengthy stretches at full capacity.
Renovation Plans Have Shifted Over Time
Plans to expand the kennel have been described differently across reports. Cleveland 19 News reported in September 2024 that the expansion would add 25 new kennels, a quarantine area, a dog washing station and a new dog run, calling it a $1.3 million project. A different cost estimate appeared in a 2024 Vermilion Daily report, which described the work as a $1.4 million upgrade combining a $250,000 state grant with an $800,000 county investment.
By July 2025, cleveland.com reported the expansion was expected to add 22 kennels by early fall, while a September 2025 Morning Journal report described the addition as including 21 new kennels, with 10 built in a quarantine area. The evidence reviewed does not establish whether that renovation work has since been completed or how many kennels were ultimately added.
For now, the focus at the Elyria facility is on the early results Leftwich is reporting under her watch, alongside the 400 hours volunteers contributed at the kennel in October.
