Harrison County WV Animal Control

01/24/2025

Crate your dog so you can keep your dog! 🐶

Recently we and the Humane Society of Harrison County - WV have had quite a few people either surrender their dogs or return their dogs, depending on entity. After many conversations with individuals we knew the issue; people don’t want to crate their dogs!

Crating your dog is important especially if you’ve just brought in a new dog. This can help give them a safe space from other animals that you’re introducing and a place where they can get away from children if uncomfortable. Crates are also important when traveling and to reduce destructive tendencies when alone.

“Well I don’t want my dog to be stuck in a crate all day! I don’t believe in that. It’s inhumane.”
Please understand that your dog would rather be in a crate, napping while you’re away than in a shelter where it is incredibly scary and highly stressing for them.

Here’s an example, just last week we had a gentleman come in, just had a new baby, and was at a loss of what to do with their dog. He thought for sure there was no other option but to surrender him to us. But we talked and thankfully figured out that he was crate trained! I asked if we could get him a crate if that would assist in the nature of his issues, the owner said yes. A crate just isn’t in their budget at the moment and he really didn’t want to part with him. The Humane Society graciously gave him a crate so he could keep his dog. It was simple!

You can find crates everywhere, Walmart, Target, our great friends at Pet Supplies Plus - Clarksburg WV, yard sales, and even Facebook Marketplace!

For more information on crate training:
https://bestfriends.org/pet-care-resources/how-crate-train-puppy-or-dog #:~:text=It%20can%20be%20used%20for,dog%20needs%20to%20be%20crated.

01/23/2025

Edit 1/25: these dogs have all been transferred to one of our rescue partners!

We currently have a dozen dogs, which means we’re creeping up on our 16 kennels being full. We have received 5 dogs just today. Below are the ones that need homes/rescue.

Our dogs are available for adoption through the Humane Society of Harrison County - WV, and once adopted, will receive necessary medical care, including spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping. The adoption fee is $150 for dogs under a year old and $125 for dogs over a year old. To adopt, please visit hshcwv.org.

We also collaborate with 501(c)3 nonprofit rescues and shelters for transfer opportunities.
Unfortunately, due to limited space, these dogs are at risk of euthanasia at any time.

Please share this information to help us find forever homes for these deserving dogs. We’re open M-F 10am-4pm, Sat. 10am-3pm. The Humane Society of Harrison County hours differ, 10:30am-3:30pm!

01/21/2025

Due to the extremely cold temperatures forecasted for tonight, it is essential to bring your outside dogs/cats indoors, even if this means crating them in the garage or a basement. They will not be able to successfully regulate their body temperatures with the weather we're about to endure. Please note we have dealt with cases where an outdoor dog froze to death and the owners were charged with animal cruelty and neglect.

Please take your responsibility as a pet owner seriously!

To report animal cruelty please contact us at 304-592-1876.

Pictured below is Jayce who is available for adoption at the Humane Society of Harrison County - WV.

01/21/2025

Gabby is our ONLY available dog at this time! Gabby simply longs for some treats and a good pet. She is sweet as pie 🥧

Our dogs are available for adoption through the Humane Society of Harrison County - WV, and once adopted, will receive necessary medical care, including spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping. The adoption fee is $150 for dogs under a year old and $125 for dogs over a year old. To adopt, please visit hshcwv.org.

We also collaborate with 501(c)3 nonprofit rescues and shelters for transfer opportunities.
Unfortunately, due to limited space, these dogs are at risk of euthanasia at any time.

Disclaimer: Dogs listed dog or cat friendly here, can have a change in temperament in a home. We do our best to evaluate behavior but this isn’t always accurate due to the nature of the shelter environment.

Please share this information to help us find forever homes for these deserving dogs. We’re open M-F 10am-4pm, Sat. 10am-3pm. The Humane Society of Harrison County hours differ, 10:30am-3:30pm!

01/21/2025

PSA!
Though we are pretty active on this page please note that to file a formal complaint you must call in to the shelter or if after hours call the nonemergency line, 304-626-4900. This way we know for certain the complaint will be received and resolved accordingly. Unfortunately, Facebook messages can easily be overlooked with the abundance we receive. We also MUST take caller information (just like 911 does) to document the call in our database. We do not accept anonymous complaints. Understand that we do NOT give out caller information, but it is necessary for us to map out the call volume for that location.

Laws in West Virginia are few and far between so we can only enforce what we are provided with by the government, even if we would love to do more. We understand there are many concerns regarding the weather and outside dogs, no matter what the weather entails if dogs are provided with food, water and shelter, that is all the law requires. We can, however, still do welfare checks to confirm the dog(s) are healthy, educate the owner(s) and provide straw to dogs in need.

If you do have a formal complaint you can report to us, 304-592-1876. We are here to serve!

01/18/2025

Per the Harrison County commission, Animal Control will be closed Monday January 20, 2025 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Please note that who we are now calling ‘Gabby’ is still trying to find her way back home.

See Gabbys original post below:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18FxPoL4sj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

01/16/2025

PUPDATE 1/16: Snoop has a meet and greet today! And the other 4 dogs are being transferred to one of our rescue partners! Thank you to all that shared. We do still have sponsored adoptions and that money will be kept for our next two adoptions!

01/14/2025

Next time you’re in our facility, drop a couple dollars in our jar to support one of our many partner organizations or donate food to the Harrison County Pet Food Pantry, take a bracelet!

Mr. Tim Haddix, made and donated 100 bracelets to encourage folks to support the cause!

01/14/2025

Skylar is the only dog with an application (approved). Everyone else is still available. You can come in, fill out the application for same day adoption or submit your application online, hshcwv.org. On your application please put the dogs name where it asks which animal are you interested in (ex. Luna - AC).

01/13/2025

PUPDATE 1/16: Snoop has a meet and greet today! And the other 4 dogs are being transferred to one of our rescue partners! Thank you to all that shared. We do still have sponsored adoptions and that money will be kept for our next two adoptions!

Our dogs are available for adoption through the Humane Society of Harrison County - WV, and once adopted, will receive necessary medical care, including spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping. The adoption fee is $150 for dogs under a year old and $125 for dogs over a year old. To adopt, please visit hshcwv.org.

We also collaborate with 501(c)3 nonprofit rescues and shelters for transfer opportunities.
Unfortunately, due to limited space, these dogs are at risk of euthanasia at any time.

Please share this information to help us find forever homes for these deserving dogs. We’re open M-F 10am-4pm, Sat. 10am-3pm. The Humane Society of Harrison County hours differ, 10:30am-3:30pm!

01/10/2025

Updated with Jinger who we just got and 4 mix breed pups!

01/10/2025

Did you know Morticia and 4 other dogs were confiscated from an abandoned home in the fall? She’s the last one of her group to find a forever home! She’s so deserving! Contact the Doddridge County Humane Society for more information.

Morticia - 2 yrs , Pit Mix , very sweet, good with dogs , good with cats . Partially house trained, spayed.

01/10/2025

It’s a Pit-Party! We have three pittapotamus 🦛 looking for new homes (not to mention the additional two we’re supposed to get today, also pitties).

Did you know that ‘Pitbulls’ occupied more than 70% of shelter space in 2023? And out of the 1.2 million (average) dogs euthanized each year, 40% are ‘Pitbulls’ aka bully breed mixes?

We all hear the horror stories of the aggressive pitbull attacking and terrorizing the neighborhood, but let us be the first to say, we see it all as ACOs. We see the dog bites, the aggressive dogs, etc. and yet all 5 Animal Control Officers have at least one ‘pitbull’, ALL OF US. So think about this, maybe it’s not the ‘pitbull’ that’s the problem…

We also have four, 4 month old mix breed puppies available for adoption! 3 males and 1 female. Unknown breed(s). Photo below!

Our dogs are available for adoption through the Humane Society of Harrison County - WV, and once adopted, will receive necessary medical care, including spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping. The adoption fee is $150 for dogs under a year old and $125 for dogs over a year old. To adopt, please visit hshcwv.org.

We also collaborate with 501(c)3 nonprofit rescues and shelters for transfer opportunities.
Unfortunately, due to limited space, these dogs are at risk of euthanasia at any time.

Please share this information to help us find forever homes for these deserving dogs. We’re open M-F 10am-4pm, Sat. 10am-3pm. The Humane Society of Harrison County hours differ, 10:30am-3:30pm!

01/08/2025

Pupdate: HSHC has now taken both of these boys!

It’s a cold one but that didn’t stop these boys from playing hard! ❄️

Jayce (black, 4-5 years old, male) and Kane (brindle, 2 years old, male) are both available for adoption!

Our dogs are available for adoption through the Humane Society of Harrison County - WV, and once adopted, will receive necessary medical care, including spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping. The adoption fee is $150 for dogs under a year old and $125 for dogs over a year old. To adopt, please visit hshcwv.org.

We also collaborate with 501(c)3 nonprofit rescues and shelters for transfer opportunities.
Unfortunately, due to limited space, these dogs are at risk of euthanasia at any time.

Please share this information to help us find forever homes for these deserving dogs. We’re open M-F 10am-4pm, Sat. 10am-3pm. The Humane Society of Harrison County hours differ, 10:30am-3:30pm!

01/07/2025

Due to Governor Justice declaring West Virginia in a state of emergency, Animal Control will be remain closed tomorrow, 1/7/25. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Animal Control officers will be on call for emergencies only! You can call the nonemergency line, 304-626-4900.

01/06/2025

We found this nifty thing called Pawscout. As much as we wish this was an advertisement it’s not. We just thought it would be beneficial to the public and therefore we are sharing!

90% of the strays that come to Harrison County Animal Control have no form of identification. We scan every dog, check for tags AND check the lost and found pages on Facebook to exhaust efforts in locating owners.

One of our own at AC bought three of these Pawscout tags for her dogs and this is what we know!

- Quick scan of a QR code and the person that found your pet can easily contact you!

- The tags are SUPER easy and efficient to set up.

- There’s no fees unless you want to upgrade to where if the QR code is scanned you get a location in real time ($10 annually).

- You can have multiple tags on your account.

- It alerts your phone if the tag is scanned.

- It supplies medical information to the one keeping your pet safe.

- You can update information at anytime.

These tags run about $6.97 each. They’re sold by multiple retailers including Walmart and Chewy!

Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/1685834115?sid=e4c05ae6-f9b9-4215-bef0-892153606f69

Chewy:
https://www.chewy.com/pawscout-qr-smart-dog-cat-tag/dp/850798?utm_source=app-share&utm_campaign=850798

Pssst… Walmart in Morgantown on I-68 has these tags in the pet section for $1.96 EACH!
*photo in comments*

Identification on pets is SO important and necessary! As we’ve said before, if you have ID on your pets there’s a huge chance they will never make it to Animal Control and will be home before you know it!

01/05/2025

Due to Governor Justice declaring West Virginia in a state of emergency, Animal Control will be closed tomorrow, 1/6/25. We apologize for any inconvenience; however, our goal is safety for all.

With that, if possible take your outside pets indoors if they are not protected by the elements. Remember West Virginia defines shelter for outdoor dogs as a solid structure, a crate is not adequate. Please make sure your dogs have straw NOT blankets. Blankets can lead to animals to freezing to death (this is neglect and if reported you could be charged with animal cruelty!).

Animal Control officers will be on call for emergencies only! You can call the nonemergency line, 304-626-4900. Please be mindful of what you’re reporting, as stated, our goal is safety.