Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society is Hamilton County’s animal shelter and resource center, providing stray animal intake, pet adoptions, public safety services, and community support for people and their pets.

As the only county-funded shelter, Cincy CARE fulfills the county’s legal responsibilities under Ohio Revised Codes 955 and 959, which govern animal sheltering and cruelty enforcement. This means we handle all stray dog calls and conduct animal cruelty and neglect investigations throughout Hamilton County.

Since opening our doors in 2020, we’ve maintained a save rate of over 90%, achieving no-kill status while caring for thousands of animals every year. Beyond lifesaving sheltering, our team works every day to keep pets and people together—because compassion and community are at the heart of everything we do.

Our main shelter and home base is located at 3949 Colerain Avenue, where most adoptions, stray intake, community support, and dog housing take place. We also operate out of 4210 Dane Avenue, which houses our cat care program (a.k.a. Kitty City) and serves as overflow housing for dogs.

We are open daily from 1–6PM for adoptions and lost pet reclamation, and 1–5:30PM for community support services like pet food pantry access, microchipping, and more.

Hours for other services may vary by location—please check our Contact Us page or individual program pages for the most current info.

Cincinnati Animal CARE is a no-kill shelter by national standards, meaning we do not euthanize animals for space or time. We focus on saving every healthy and treatable pet. 

Cincinnati Animal CARE is nationally recognized as one of the leading animal welfare organizations in the country. Since taking over Hamilton County’s sheltering contract in 2020, we’ve remained committed to no-kill, community-focused, data-driven, and transparent practices.

We follow national best practices and continually innovate to save more lives. Thanks to community support, our achievements include:

• A consistent no-kill live release rate over 90%
• One dog per kennel housing
• A robust foster network with over 2,000 participants
• Transparent, monthly “noses in, noses out” shelter data
• Individual behavior assessments for every dog
• Daily supervised dog playgroups
• Thoughtful matchmaking to ensure adoption success
• Ongoing operational assessments across all departments, including medical, behavior, and care

We invest in staff development and prioritize keeping people and pets together through comprehensive Community Support Programming. In recognition of our efforts, we’ve been named one of only 16 Tier One shelters in North America by Human-Animal Support Services.

For complete information about our no-kill designation and philosophy, please read out blog post: no-kill-2025

If you’ve found a stray animal in Hamilton County, Ohio, call our Animal Services team at (513) 541-7387 or visit our Found a Pet page for next steps.

Check our Lost & Found Pets page to view found animals, file a lost pet report, and visit our Lost a Pet page to learn what to do if your pet goes missing.

Cincinnati Animal CARE is here to support both people and pets, and surrendering a beloved animal is never an easy decision. We encourage families to explore all options first, including our Community Support Services, which may be able to help with short-term pet food, medical resources, behavior support, or temporary foster placement.

If you’re considering surrendering a pet, please visit our Rehoming Resources page to see if direct rehoming might be the best path for your pet. Cincinnati Animal CARE does not euthanize animals for space, so we operate at or near capacity at all times. Your decision to hold onto your pet a little longer or find a home through your own network could make space for a pet in crisis who has no other options.

We’re here to help however we can—email us at [email protected] to discuss your situation and get connected with support.

Visit our Adoptable Animals to view the animals in our care, learn about our process, and see adoption fees and policies.

Yes! We waive adoption fees for adult animals for veterans, first responders, and registered vet techs every day. (adult animals are six months of age and older) 

We additionally offer half-price adoption fees for animals under the age of six months. 

*Hamilton County Dog Licenses (required for Hamilton County residents), leashes, collars, carriers, and other merchandise are not included in our fees.

Check out our Foster page to learn more about fostering, and sign up to get involved! #fosteringsaveslives

Our Volunteer page has all the details on available roles and how to sign up!

You can make a one-time or recurring monetary donation, shop from our Amazon or Chewy wish lists, or even bring gently used items to 3949 Colerain Avenue in Northside, any day from 1-6pm! Visit our Donate page for all the ways to give.

Every animal at Cincinnati Animal CARE receives a comprehensive behavior and medical evaluation before becoming available for adoption. Our Behavior & Training, Medical, and Dog Care teams work closely to assess each pet’s physical health, personality, and comfort level in different environments.

Animals who show signs of stress, fear, or behavioral concerns receive individualized care plans, including training, enrichment, and medical support, to help them succeed. In some cases, dogs may have specific adoption requirements—such as no small children or other pets—to ensure a safe and successful match.

If an animal poses a serious or ongoing safety risk to people or other pets, or is suffering with no reasonable chance of improvement, we make humane decisions guided by our Lifesaving Committee, comprised of medical, wellness, placement, and behavior team members in our organization. These decisions are always made with care, transparency, and compassion, and we never euthanize for space.

In addition to safety around working with live animals, we do everything we can to make sure our facility is safe as well. The following are just some of the strategies, precautions, and protocols we have in place to minimize safety risks:

• Monthly Safety Committee meetings (with each department, volunteers and fosters represented)
• Lifesaving Committee Meetings to discuss and review every single bite and make behavioral euthanasia recommendations
• Volunteer Dog Walk groups that have:
  • Mandatory handling training
  • Walkie-talkies for each walk leader and on site
  • A carabiner is attached to every leash for easy hookup to a fence if needed to create separation from a dog
  • Fanny packs that must be worn, with each containing an air horn, a Pet Corrector, and emergency shelter phone numbers
• Dog Care Staff equipped with all of the above, plus specialized leashes designed for easy removal and non-slip footwear.
  • 2 leashes that create a safety lead to easily remove over a dog’s head without reaching down  
  • A carabiner is attached to the leash for easy hook up to a fence
  • Walkie talkie
  • Treat bag
  • Air horn
  • Pet Corrector
  • Non-slip boots
• Dogs are assigned a color level that designates ease and safety of handling, and every kennel has that dog’s color card posted.  
• Volunteers go through training to advance in color, allowing them to handle only those dogs they are trained and prepared to handle
• Behavior and Training staff offers weekly one-on-one training to volunteers interested in learning how to work with or handle certain dogs
• QR codes are posted around the shelter for staff and volunteers to easily submit feedback about dog behavior
• Facility upgrades for safety include blindspot-eliminating mirrors; multiple emergency toolkits with First Aid supplies, air horns, extra slip leads, Pet Corrector, sanitizers and bite sticks situated throughout the shelter; and regularly scheduled replacement of kennel latches and doors as needed.