TOLEDO, Ohio — The Board of Lucas County Commissioners celebrated the completion of the new Lucas County Canine Care & Control (LC4) building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and public open house on Friday.

The Commissioners were joined by the LC4 team, project partners, and community leaders to cut the ribbon on the 39,300-square-foot building at 1301 Monroe St., which will officially open to the public on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 11 a.m.

The ribbon-cutting caps a yearslong project to construct a facility that will allow industry-best practices, improve day-to-day operations, and enhance services for the dogs at LC4.

“This is great day for Lucas County,” Commissioner Lisa A. Sobecki said. “This is an investment that is very important to our community. This new facility will help enhance the care for our dogs. It will help facilitate our adoption process, where we link stray dogs with loving homes. But most importantly, this new building will allow us to better serve our residents and our little furry friends.”

With a total of 177 kennels, 7,923-square-feet of outdoor space, and a modern design that maximizes the amount of sunlight that reaches kennels, the new building will improve the quality of life for dogs that come into LC4’s care and provide a welcoming space for members of the public to view, foster, and adopt dogs in need of a permanent home.

“This project has been a long time coming, and it has taken a lot of work from concept to planning to construction to completion,” Commissioner Pete Gerken said. “But all along, we’ve known that this will be a game-changer for our community. We’re excited that this new day of dog care is now. We look forward to making good on our promise to consistently enhance and improve the care of our dogs in Lucas County.”

The building includes an adoption wing and an intake wing. Every kennel is double-sided, which provides the dogs separation between where they use the bathroom and where they relax and eat. Each room of kennels has no more than 10, ensuring a calmer, more hygienic arrangement for the dogs.

“With this new building, we want to encourage the public to stop in and become involved,” Commissioner Anita Lopez said. “Adopt a dog, adopt two, foster a dog, volunteer. Animal welfare in our County is a community-wide effort. We can’t wait to unveil this building to the public.”

The adoption wing has access to a large play yard, and each room of kennels has its own dedicated outdoor space. The building also includes rooms where families can meet one-on-one with adoptable dogs.

“Our goal is to keep our community safe, number one, and to connect as many dogs as we can to welcoming families in Lucas County,” LC4 Director Dave Blyth said. “This new building will enhance our ability to do both of these things.”

To complete the $31.9 million project, the Board of Lucas County Commissioners partnered with Rudolph Libbe Group, Colliers Engineering & Design, and Pizzuti Solutions.

“We’re proud to participate in such a vital project for the county and thank the hundreds of skilled trades workers whose dedication to safe and quality work made this project possible, Lucas County citizens, and the county commissioners,” said Rudolph Libbe Group Chairman William Rudolph. “We look forward to seeing LC4 provide critical, compassionate services to the dogs in its care and serve the citizens of Lucas County for many decades to come.”

LC4’s current location at 410 S. Erie St. in downtown Toledo will close to the public beginning September 29 to allow the department to transition operations to the new building. Lucas County Canine Control officers who encounter a stray dog in the field during this time will make every effort to reunite that dog with its family before bringing it back to the shelter.

Additionally, in an effort to return as many dogs as possible to their homes, LC4 will waive the impounding fees for any dog impounded from September 29 to October 3 that is reclaimed between October 4 and October 8. If the dog does not have a current license, individuals must purchase a license to reclaim their dog. In Lucas County, an annual dog license is $25.

Adoption fees are waived until Saturday, September 27. To view adoptable, home-ready, dogs, visit lucascountydogs.com/adoption.

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