Shelter Medicine Program

Veterinary services at the shelter are provided by an innovative collaboration between Franklin County Dog Shelter and the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University.
This unique program is the most extensive partnership of its kind between a municipal shelter and a major university.

All senior veterinary students spend two weeks working at the shelter, where they perform surgeries, physicals, diagnostics, treatments and vaccinations under the supervision of two full-time faculty members.

They not only gain valuable hands-on experience with their patients, but also develop a better understanding of shelters and a real empathy for the dogs who come here based on personal experience.


Spay-Neuter Information

The Franklin County Dog Shelter spays or neuters ALL dogs adopted at our facility as part of our effort to combat the problem of pet overpopulation here in Franklin County.
The shelter received more than 14,000 animals last year!

The best way to reduce the number of unwanted animals is to spay and neuter your pets before they have a chance to accidentally reproduce.

About 3,500 dogs are spayed or neutered annually at the Dog Shelter by a team of OSU senior veterinarian students under the direction of Dr. Lawrence Hill.  This is a phenomenal achievement for Franklin County, as it is one of the largest municipal shelters in the state of Ohio.

We also provide LOW COST spay and neuter services to
the community for dogs not adopted from the shelter! 

For more information and to make an appointment
to get your dog fixed, please call: 
614-462-5581 

 

Facts about Spaying or Neutering Your Pet

  • Despite popular belief, sterilizing your dog or cat will not make it fat and lazy. Pets normally become fat and lazy because of overeating and lack of exercise, not from spaying and neutering.
     
  • Both male and female dogs live longer healthier lives if they are spayed or neutered. Spaying a female eliminates the possibility of uterine and ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the chances of breast cancer. Neutering a male dog will make your pet more affectionate and less likely to roam, get in fights, or become lost.
     
  • Having your dog spayed or neutered can save you money in other ways. In Franklin County, the dog license fee for a dog that has been spayed or neutered is one half the regular fee, and the impound fees at the Dog Shelter are one third those that are charged for an un-altered dog.

FACT: One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in six years and one cat and her young can produce 420,000 kittens during the same time frame.

FACT: For every human born, there are 7 puppies and kittens born.

FACT: An estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year. That's about 55 percent of the animals entering shelters, based on reports from the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy.