Shown here is Luna, an adoptable dog at the Marshall County Animal Shelter. (Photo Provided)

Starting this week, the Marshall County Animal Shelter is implementing an open adoption policy to make it easier for dogs and cats to find loving homes. As part of an effort to save every healthy, treatable pet in the shelter’s care and achieve no-kill, this new policy will remove barriers and make adoption faster, friendlier, and more accessible to the community.

Moving forward, Marshall County Animal Shelter will no longer require lengthy application forms and veterinarian and landlord checks. Instead, they will prioritize thoughtful conversations with potential adopters to match people with the right pets for their lifestyle.

According to leading national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society, Marshall County Animal Shelter is incredibly close to saving the life of every adoptable pet and getting them into loving homes. Between November 2024 and October 2025, the shelter saved 89% of pets in its care. By removing barriers to adoption, the shelter hopes to make it easier for the community to get involved in pet lifesaving and save 90% or more of its pets, the commonly accepted benchmark for no-kill. This accounts for an average of 10% of pets in shelters that face irreversible medical or behavioral issues.

“Our goal is simple: Get pets into safe, loving homes,” said Abby Bateman, executive director, Marshall County Animal Shelter. “Open adoption helps us do that with compassion, flexibility, and trust.”

Marshall County is implementing these new open adoption practices with support and guidance from Best Friends. The national organization advocates for conversation-based adoption counseling, where staff talk to potential adopters about the unique qualities and needs of the pet, rather than implementing barriers like long applications, home and background checks, and veterinary references. By engaging in thoughtful conversations and offering support, shelters help potential adopters succeed instead of turning them away.

Marshall County Animal Shelter is located at 37 Animal Shelter Drive, Moundsville. The shelter is open for adoptions from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday-Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. To learn more about Marshall County Animal Shelter and pets available for adoption, please visit mcwvanimalshelter.com.