Animals and Pets

We love our dogs and cats and know your pets are an important part of your lives. That's why the City of Cincinnati supports the needs of your furry friends.

Working with our partners we provide a wide variety of community resources, such as animal rescue, animal shelters, pet adoption, dog parks and more to help keep your pets happy and healthy - or to help you find a special pet that's waiting for the perfect home.

TETHERING ORDINANCE

Cincinnati City Council passed a law known as the “tethering ordinance” with the goals of increasing public safety and the humane treatment of dogs in the City. The ordinance regulates when a dog may be tied out and when a dog may be outside during inclement weather. A dog may not be tethered:

Between 10pm and 6am
When the owner is not home
For more than 6 hours in any 24-hour period

The law also restricts keeping dogs outdoors in extreme weather conditions. A dog may not be kept outdoors for

For more than an hour when the temperature is above 90, or below 20
During a severe weather warning issue by the National Weather Service for the area in which the dog is kept
Without adequate shelter, food, and water

DOG ADOPTION - Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society assumed operations of the Hamilton County shelter in Northside in August of 2020 and can help you select the perfect dog from the dozens waiting for a new home. You can also find out about volunteer opportunities, pet care and animal rescue resources at cincinnatianimalcare.org.

CAT ADOPTION Looking to adopt a new cat or kitten? There are several shelters in the Cincinnati area. Cincinnati Animal CARE is the new county shelter, taking over operations in Northside at 3949 Colerain Ave. You can visit Kitty City seven days a week between noon - 6pm.

SPAY AND NEUTER Cincinnati Animal CARE believes that a No-Kill community for cats and dogs in Hamilton County is achievable, but it will take both adoption and spay/neuter of homeless animals to get us there. Click here for a list of spay/neuter service providers.

REPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY If you know of an animal that has been abandoned, neglected or mistreated, please contact Cincinnati Animal CARE's dog wardens at 513-541-PETS to investigate or direct you to the proper resource.

LICENSES By law, all dogs in the State of Ohio three months and older must be licensed by January 31st of each year, or within 30 days of bringing a new dog into your family (ORC 955.01). The standard licensing period runs December 1st through January 31st. After that date, the price of a late license doubles. They can be acquired through the Hamilton County Auditor or Cincinnati Animal CARE.

LOST ANIMALS
Lost or found a pet?
For lost/stray dogs + cats, visit Cincinnati Animal CARE. They also post lost and found pets on their Facebook page.

GET INVOLVED If you'd like to give your time to improve the lives of pets in our City, consider pet adoption or volunteering at Cincinnati Animal CARE.

FOSTERING A shelter should be a last resort for an animal. If you can temporarily house an animal, it helps Cincinnati Animal CARE learn more about their personalities and make them better candidates for adoption. Fill out a foster application here.

ANIMAL RESCUES If you operate an animal rescue with 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, you can pull animals from the Hamilton County Shelter. Learn more about becoming a rescue partner .

Cincinnati Police Department (CPD)

The Cincinnati Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the City of Cincinnati and provides a full range of police services to 52 diverse neighborhoods. The Department currently maintains approximately 1000 sworn officers and 125 civilian employees. Led by the Police Chief, law enforcement operations are divided among three Bureaus: Patrol, Investigations and Support.

On January 9, 2023, Teresa A. Theetge was sworn in as Cincinnati's 16th Police Chief. Chief Theetge was appointed Interim Police Chief by Interim City Manager John Curp in February 2022 after Chief Eliot K. Isaac announced his retirement from the Cincinnati Police Department. Chief Theetge is the first woman to be appointed Chief of Police for CPD.

Chief Theetge has been with the Cincinnati Police Department for more than three decades. In 2016, she was promoted to Assistant Chief and in 2020 assumed the role of the Executive Officer. Throughout her career, Chief Theetge has had a multitude of assignments at varying ranks. She has experience in Patrol and Investigative assignments as well as Inspections’ audits and Internal investigations.

Chief Theetge is a life-long Cincinnati resident and comes from a large Law Enforcement family. She and her husband Bob have four adult children and eight grandchildren.