Shelter stresses recent actions taken to protect animals during severe overcrowding and an unsustainable funding gap  
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The Ashtabula County Animal Protective League (ACAPL) wants to ensure the public and community representatives have accurate information about the ACAPL’s mission, work, legal responsibilities, and the financial reality threatening animal welfare services countywide. 

The ACAPL is a nonprofit that provides lifesaving shelter and care to more than 1,000 animals each year. Already in 2025, more than 920 animals have come through the ACAPL’s doors seeking safety and care. In August, the shelter hit a breaking point – operating at 250% of its capacity.

​With extremely limited funding and the shelter operating well beyond capacity, the ACAPL made the difficult but necessary decision to temporarily suspend humane agent operations. The ACAPL’s actions were taken for one reason only: to protect the safety and well-being of animals already in the ACAPL’s custody. This decision was guided by compassion, responsibility and necessity. To suggest otherwise is not grounded in fact. The real failure would have been accepting more animals than the ACAPL could care for responsibly. 

The Funding Reality – and Why It’s Urgent. 

There appears to be some confusion and misinformation as to how the ACAPL is funded so here are the facts:

• The ACAPL raises 85% of its budget privately; only 15% comes from limited city/county contracts. It is thanks to donors, volunteers, and dedicated staff that the ACAPL can sustain its operations and remain a vital safety net for the county’s homeless and neglected animals. 
  
• While the City of Ashtabula has contracted with the ACAPL, the City of Conneaut does not pay the ACAPL for services.
  
• The ACAPL holds a county contract under which Ashtabula County pays $90,784 per year. Unlike dog shelters in other Ohio counties which can temporarily limit or suspend intake when their shelters are full, this contract requires the shelter to accept all dogs brought by the county. Providing care, housing, and medical attention for these animals costs hundreds of thousands of dollars above the amount the county pays, placing a significant strain on the ACAPL’s already very limited capacity and financial resources.
  
• In many cases, the ACAPL receives no payment for animals subject to hold under court orders, with such holds often lasting for weeks or months. These animals may be sick or injured and require long periods of veterinary treatment, forcing the ACAPL to absorb the entire cost of care for animals on court hold. In one recent case, the ACAPL’s costs exceeded $18,000 to care for nine dogs on court hold for 60 days; the ACAPL received no reimbursement for these expenses. 
  
• By acting as the county’s stray-hold facility, the ACAPL has saved taxpayers an estimated $1.4 million since 2007, and continues to save the county hundreds of thousands of dollars each year AND avoid unnecessary euthanasia as compared to operating a county-run dog pound.
  

As a nonprofit, the ACAPL has stretched every dollar to protect animals and support public safety. The ACAPL has kept its doors open, absorbed overflow, and saved the county significant taxpayer dollars, but the ACAPL’s decades-old facility can no longer support the ever-increasing demand for animal care. The current situation is untenable.

​The ACAPL desperately needs a larger shelter and increased funding to support the needs of the residents and animals of Ashtabula County.

Partnerships and Path Forward

The ACAPL works every day to protect the welfare of animals in Ashtabula County and commends the City of Ashtabula for its collaborative efforts and leadership. The ACAPL remains hopeful that all jurisdictions will join in constructive dialogue to pursue fair and sustainable agreements. The ACAPL is doing everything it can — responsibly and compassionately — to protect animals and support public safety. 

​For more information or to support the ACAPL’s lifesaving work, please visit www.acapl.org.

Ashtabula County Animal Protective League
440.224.1222 | [email protected]