F.A.Q.

Please refer to the Adoption Page.

Yes. Foster care might be appropriate from two weeks to six months. Examples include kittens under two months old; mothers with nursing litters; and animals with special needs or medical conditions. Supplies, food, bedding, and toys can be provided by AWL, although foster volunteers commonly do share that responsibility with us, rather than rely entirely on AWL. Fostered animals remain the property of AWL and can be called back at any time. Foster volunteers can apply to adopt the animal upon the completion of the foster care period.

We will always accept our animals back if it is not working out. However, there is no refund on the adoption price. This is agreed upon when adoption papers are signed. If we do not have the space at the moment to take them back, we ask that you keep them until we do. You will be put at the top of the waiting list and be the first to be called when a spot becomes available.

Yes, we require all of our cats and dogs to be spayed/neutered before they will be adopted out. Please refer to Adoption Page.

We do have an amazing facility – 47,000 square feet to be exact. However, only half is usable space. The other half has no electric, heat, sewer system, etc. Our current intake and holding facility is small and creates a “clog in the pipeline”, which in turn results in longer waiting lists for those wanting to bring animals to us. Also, as animals are adopted, those now empty housing arrangements might remain unused because of the clog in the intake area. The result is the appearance to the public of empty kennels and cat condos in a shelter that must continue to work from a waiting list, which in turn can deter some people from donating to us, when in fact those donations are the ONLY solution to the problem.

No. We do not have a veterinarian on staff, and we are not a vet clinic. You must visit a veterinarian for those procedures. However, all cats and dogs that we place for adoption are spayed, neutered and vaccinated by outside veterinarians with whom we have made arrangements before being adopted.

Please refer to Adoption Page.

The Animal Welfare League is a limited admission, unlimited stay shelter which means we do not euthanize (humanely put to sleep) any animal for space or time constraints. Adoptable animals remain in our shelter until a home is found or unless their health or temperament dramatically changes. Animals surrendered to our facility are evaluated based on their health and temperament. Every animal is treated with dignity and respect and our staff works tirelessly in each situation to achieve the best outcome possible. Animals that pose a safety threat to our staff or community or animals with illnesses or injuries beyond our resources are humanely euthanized. We are not a breed specific shelter; we accept all breeds of dogs. Obviously our number one limitation is space. We cannot accept animals for which we have no space. To do otherwise would threaten the health and even the lives of all other animals in our shelter. New admissions must first go through intake and then quarantine, in order to test them for infectious diseases (and for non-contagious medical conditions as well, which if present might require their transfer to a veterinarian). Animals with contagious conditions might need to be held in quarantine for many days, and that situation might cause intake to become too full to permit any new admissions. Some shelters without such rigorous screening arrangements have lost most or all their entire animal population due to the spread of contagion.We generally do not accept wild animals or farm animals, due to space limitations and disease issues. However, we sometimes are able to accept and make available for adoption pot belly pigs, goats, sheep, pet snakes, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, rabbits, bearded dragons and birds. We do not accept dogs that have dangerous aggression problems, which we evaluate on a case by case basis.

No, we do not require a fee. However, donations are always appreciated!

No organizations are required to pick up feral cats. You may call TNR of Warren at (330) 330 – 8166 and they may be able to assist you with spaying or neutering or lend you a trap for a security deposit, which you will get back upon return of the trap. We do not accept feral cats, due again to space and other resource limitations.

For items we can accept, please refer to the Wishlist Page and you can visit our Amazon Wish List

We do not have the resources to pick up strays. Stray animals are another source of congestion in the intake area, due to holding the animal until it can be picked up by its owner. (See number 8 above). If we have a stray in our possession, we hold it for 10-14 days. If you believe you are the owner, proof of ownership is required, such as vet records, pictures, a dog license, etc. Once you surrender a stray to us, we will not thereafter answer any questions you may have regarding its disposition, such as by whom it was adopted.

Stray Dog – If you find a stray dog and it has no tag, you can take it to a local veterinarian to have it scanned for a microchip. The dog pound (which is a government entity that every Ohio county is required by law to maintain) is responsible for picking up stray dogs. Please contact the Trumbull County Dog Pound at (330) 675 – 2787. You may also contact your local police department or the Trumbull County Sheriff.
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Stray Cat – If you find a stray cat, you can take it to a local veterinarian to have it scanned for a microchip. Unfortunately, there is no “cat warden”. No Ohio organizations are required to pick up stray cats. You would have to keep the cat yourself or find someone who can until the owner is found.

You can contact the Health Department at (330) 675 – 2489, or the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at (330) 245 – 3037.

No. We are an independent organization. Any donations made to these organizations do not come to us. The Humane Society of The United States is a standalone national organization without any local affiliates

There are many options. You can notify local veterinarians in case someone brings the animal in to be checked for a microchip. If they do not have a microchip, there are multiple Facebook accounts to post in, for example, Trumbull County Pets Lost Found & Rehome. If you call us, we can add that animal to our lost/found book, so we can call you if we receive information. We do not post lost or found pets on our Facebook page. There is a website, www.lostmydoggie.com, that will send us alerts if you put your pet on their website, and we, along with anyone signed up in our area, can be notified that way as well. Please provide us a flyer to post on our lost/found board, and we suggest you also distribute flyers around your neighborhood.