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Knox County animal shelter reports April–June intake, adoptions and citations
Summary
The county animal shelter reported April–June 2026 intake and outcome counts, including 33 dogs leaving in April (7 euthanized), 49 leaving in May (13 euthanized) and 45 leaving in June (3 euthanized); commissioners discussed fees for out‑of‑county surrenders.
The Knox County animal shelter presented monthly reports to the Board of Commissioners on July 16 covering April, May and June 2026 and answered commissioners’ questions about fees and licensing.
For April the shelter reported 38 dog intakes and 33 exits, including 13 returned to owners, 13 adoptions, 7 owner‑requested euthanasias and 2 transfers to rescue. The shelter issued 19 citations in April, including multiple failure‑to‑license and other charges.
In May the shelter recorded 46 dog intakes and 49 exits. Of the exits, 15 were adoptions, 14 returned to owners, 7 euthanized at owners’ request and 7 transfers to rescues; May citation totals were 80 across multiple charges, which shelter staff said included cases where multiple people were cited for the same incident.
June’s report showed 29 dog intakes and 45 exits: 14 adoptions, 13 returns to owners, 3 euthanasias (two at owners’ request and one after an incident in which a volunteer was bitten). As of the most recent Wednesday noon the shelter said it housed 28 dogs: 24 available for adoption and 4 awaiting pickup.
Commissioners raised the issue of out‑of‑county surrenders and fees. One commissioner said out‑of‑county surrenders should be charged significantly more than in‑county surrenders; the shelter official said current policy charges a $50 surrender fee (or $90 for unlicensed animals) and that adoption fees are kept low to encourage placements. The board asked staff to bring fee options back to the agenda in the new year for formal consideration.
The shelter also reported licensing figures: 155 unrenewed licenses were outstanding from last year’s tax list of 11,106. Shelter staff said they attempt contact and home visits to locate licensees before pursuing enforcement.
Next steps: commissioners requested the fee structure for out‑of‑county surrenders be placed on a future agenda for consideration.
