Hart County Animal Shelter Closes to Public After 2 Storm-Triggered Outages

Q: After a tornado wrecked their shelter, what is the long-term plan for Hart County's homeless animals?

Hart County’s long-term plan is to move its homeless animals into a new permanent facility already in development: Animal Haven of Hart County, a privately funded no-kill shelter expected to open in 2027. In the short term, the county shelter is focused on recovery after the tornado damaged fencing and caused flooding, while staff continue caring for animals on-site. Officials have said all animals are safe, even though the shelter remains closed to the public and is dealing with phone and internet outages tied to broader storm damage and power disruptions. The longer-range solution is the new Animal Haven project, which is designed to become the largest privatized no-kill animal shelter in Kentucky. Organizers say it will be able to house up to 100 dogs and provide a more durable refuge for animals facing neglect, abuse, overbreeding and puppy mill conditions. The facility is also intended to help neighboring counties that do not have shelters of their own. That means the county’s answer is not just repairing the storm-hit shelter, but transitioning toward a larger, modern no-kill operation with expanded capacity and regional reach. For now, recovery donations such as tarps, sun shades and bungee cords are helping stabilize current operations while that longer-term shelter plan moves ahead.

3 articles · Updated · WBKO · Jul 22

Wednesday's closure shut the Hart County Animal Shelter to the public after Tuesday night's storms damaged the facility and knocked out both internet and phone service.
Staff remained on-site caring for animals, cleaning the shelter and assessing immediate needs despite the communications outage.
The shelter asked the community for donations of sun shades, tarps and bungee cords as it works through the storm aftermath.
Donations can be dropped off at the Hart County Courthouse or the animal shelter while officials work to restore operations.