Cincinnati Animal CARE’s Dane Avenue Shelter Reopens After Major Renovations
Thanks to a multi-million dollar investment from Hamilton County Commissioners, our once-temporary warehouse shelter has been transformed into a modern facility.
When you walk into our Northside shelter at 4210 Dane Avenue today, you’ll find a brand-new, thoughtfully designed space dedicated to the comfort and well-being of the animals in our care.
What was once an overflow warehouse filled with pop-up pens, tarps, and even stacks of dog food has been transformed into a permanent, state-of-the-art animal shelter. Following a multi-million-dollar renovation funded by Hamilton County, Dane Avenue is now home to a modern kennel system designed to improve both animal welfare and visitor experience.
From Crisis to Commitment
In March of 2023, our shelter faced a devastating outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). It spread fast. It was deadly. And our shelter was packed to the brim. We had to do something—and fast.
Almost overnight, we converted Dane Avenue into an emergency pop-up shelter for new intakes. With nothing but crates and temporary pens on concrete floors, our team made it work. At the same time, we secured a third facility on Dooley Drive for CDV-positive dogs, while our main campus continued to house the rest of our population. With no increase in staff, we stretched ourselves across three locations.
It wasn’t easy—but our community rallied. Thanks to your support, we’ve been named Best Animal Shelter for the past four years running, and in 2025 we were proud to be named Cincinnati’s Best Cause, winning out over powerhouse organizations like Planned Parenthood Cincinnati and Matthew 25: Ministries.
That same support came from Hamilton County, which not only pledged millions to renovate Dane Avenue but also made a groundbreaking multi-million-dollar investment to purchase land for our new, state-of-the-art animal shelter on Gray Road.
Building a Better Shelter
“The facility was essentially an empty space,” said Chris Van Wyk, who has over 20 years of experience at animal shelters. “We used it for overflow and donations. When I first walked into the building, it was just random stacks of dog food.”
Over six months, renovations included knocking down walls to open up the space, converting the loading dock into a permanent walled area, and installing 140 in-and-out kennels—30 more than before.
“We’ve gone from basically an empty space with zero sound barriers, tarps being used as visual barriers, to full, professionally built kennels,” Van Wyk said. “All the walls are new. We redesigned the sound baffling system, which reduced the noise significantly for the animals.”
Lisa Colina, our Senior Communications Manager, added: “We also have noise panels that have reduced sound levels for the animals by 25%.”
The result is a calmer, safer environment for both animals and people.
The Road Through Winton
While construction was underway, our team pivoted once again—this time moving temporarily into the Winton Road facility. For six months, staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to care for dogs in another pop-up setup.
“We didn’t have a playbook,” Colina said. “We just had each other, and the belief that our animals deserved better.”
It wasn’t easy to load up dogs and move them from one temporary kennel to another, but we knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Today, that light is our completely renovated Dane Avenue facility—real kennels, real ventilation, real drains, and a space built for the level of care our animals deserve.
Gratitude to Our Commissioners
We cannot overstate how grateful we are to the Hamilton County Commissioners for making this possible. They knew Dane Avenue was always intended to be temporary—likely no more than five years of use—and still had the foresight to invest in turning it into a safe, comfortable, and functional shelter in the meantime.
And they didn’t stop there. In addition to Dane Avenue’s renovation, the Commissioners authorized a multi-million-dollar investment to purchase land for a new, state-of-the-art animal shelter on Gray Road, along with millions to renovate Dane Avenue. This dual commitment positions Dane Avenue as a secondary shelter once our future Gray Road facility is complete.
The Gray Road site—a sprawling 80-acre property at the corner of Gray and Winton Roads in the Spring Grove neighborhood—is just two miles from our Northside location. It will be a significant upgrade from the cramped, outdated Colerain Avenue shelter, which sits on only three acres and was originally built in the 1960s as “the pound.”
Shelter Director Meaghan Colville put it best: “The current facility at Colerain Avenue was not designed for modern-day animal sheltering. Aside from countless facility issues due to age and neglect, it is simply not big enough or designed for what Hamilton County currently needs. We are so thankful to the Hamilton County Commissioners for prioritizing a new animal shelter in Hamilton County.”
A Better Experience for the Community
The updates at Dane Avenue aren’t just meaningful for us—they’re making a difference for the people who foster, adopt, and visit. We don’t want animals to spend much time in our shelters—we want to be just a short stop on their journey to forever homes. But while they’re here, we’re committed to providing them with the safest, most comfortable environment possible.
The renovation of Dane Avenue and the future Gray Road shelter are proof that Hamilton County is deeply invested in progressive sheltering and the lives of the animals in our care. From crates on concrete to state-of-the-art kennels, our Dane Avenue shelter is now built to support our lifesaving mission for years to come—and soon, Hamilton County will have the modern shelter its animals and residents deserve.
