DOGS BARK happily, cats nonchalantly clean their fur, and rabbits and guinea pigs wiggle their noses in greeting. All these are common occurrences at the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society (BGWCHS), where staff and volunteers tend to the animals in their care. This has been the case for over 60 years, as the humane society works to better the lives of thousands of animals in Bowling Green, Warren County, and beyond.
BGWCHS has many programs that benefit the community, above and beyond what might be expected for a community of Warren County’s size. Emily Cothran, the community cat program manager, has worked with the shelter for five years and said the shelter is honored to be serving the way they are.
“We are a very large, very busy humane society, especially considering the surrounding area,” Cothran said. “We’re really active and really busy for the size of the community.”
As an open-intake facility, the humane society will take in any animal brought by a Bowling Green, Warren County, or Edmonson County resident. The shelter will take animals from other surrounding communities if space allows, but every local animal is welcome — and they do not euthanize to free up space. Instead, through its Rescue & Transport program, the humane society sends adoptable animals biweekly to partners in New York and Pennsylvania who have a high adoption rate.
“We’re getting highly adoptable animals directly into homes quicker and then freeing up local space to continue to serve the local community,” Cothran said. “It’s so important to make sure that we can continue to do all the other things that we do.”
Animals are also adopted right here in the community. In 2024, nearly 5,500 animals found homes through local adoptions. Each new animal companion is fully up to date on vaccinations and flea and tick control, and the shelter works hard to keep fees low.
Other programs include a community cat program that focuses on the health of free-roaming local cats, a spay and neuter clinic with low-cost public appointments, a shelter thrift store, and a working cat program that gives unfriendly outdoor cats a home in local sheds, barns, and warehouses. Those programs are constantly changing and growing to fit the needs of the county.
“Our animal shelter is very focused on serving the community and on improving animal welfare through our whole community, and when we improve animal welfare for a community, we actually improve the quality of life for our human neighbors as well,” Cothran said. “Animals are a very meaningful part of a lot of people’s lives, and so we take that very seriously.”
Many others also take the humane society’s work seriously, volunteering money, time, or goods to keep the shelter running. When the shelter puts out a call for help after a storm, an influx of animals that need baths, or for any other need, Cothran said the help can be overwhelming. When supplies are low, people are incredibly generous, and other talented community members constantly make warm, cozy things for the animals’ comfort.
“We have incredible community support in a lot of ways,” Cothran said.
Besides donating or volunteering, there are two big ways to support the shelter’s work: spaying or neutering pets and adopting local animals. BGWCHS works to make both actions as cheap and available as possible because they want to see a positive impact on every animal in the community.
“Animals come to us through a number of circumstances,” Cothran said. “Some of them are heartbreaking, some of them seem more routine, but all of these animals deserve the absolute best opportunity at a safe and loving home.” GN
Learn more about the programs at bgshelterpets.com or visit the humane society in person at 1924 Louisville Rd.
