HOPKINSVILLE, KY ─ Christian County Animal Shelter was recently awarded a $1,000 grant from Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America’s shelters.
The grant recognizes Christian County Animal Shelter’s work alongside the local animal control offices to increase the number of lost pets being returned to their homes through the Best Friends Paws in the Field Challenge — a nationwide initiative designed to increase “return to home” rates and engage communities in reuniting pets in the shelter and on their own.
Christian County Animal Shelter was one of 91 animal services organizations across the country to pilot this innovative community-based field service to increase the number of lost pets returned home, in an effort to increase lifesaving at their shelters.
900 lost pets taken in this year
Nearly 10 million pets go missing each year and lost or stray pets make up the largest percentage of animals entering animal shelters. Since the beginning of 2025, Christian County Animal Shelter has taken in 914 of lost pets.
“It breaks our hearts when a lost pet is sitting in a kennel, when we know someone in Christian, Todd, and Trigg Counties is looking for them and missing them. The Paws in the Field Challenge gave Christian County Animal Shelter a boost to help more lost pets get back home to the people who love them,” said Melissa Goff, Director for Christian County Animal Shelter.
“With Best Friends’ support through the challenge, and now the $1000 grant we’ve been awarded from Best Friends, we can keep the return to home momentum going,” Groff continued. “We also could not have done this without the help and support of our local animal control officers. Hopkinsville Animal Control, Oak Grove Animal Control, and Todd County Animal Control all actively worked to get these animals back home before bringing them into the shelter.”
Challenge period
The Paws in the Field Challenge ran from May 1-31, 2025. Through this challenge period, Christian County Animal Shelter and the local animal control offices helped 78 lost pets be returned to their families in Christian, Todd, and Trigg Counties— an increase of 44 over 2024. More than 2,500 pets were reunited with their families nationwide.
“Lost pets are one of the biggest challenges, and biggest opportunities, for shelters and for lifesaving Christian County Animal Shelter’s great work alongside the local animal control offices during the Paws in the Field Challenge means more pets are in their homes where they belong, being loved by their families and leaving kennel space for the cats and dogs who truly have no place else to go,” said Whitney Bollinger, Director of Strategy & Network Operations, Best Friends Animal Society. “We are thrilled to recognize Christian County Animal Shelter with a grant that shows how well they’ve done helping lost pets get home during the challenge, and that will help power their return to home efforts going forward.”
Christian, Todd and Trigg County residents can support continued return to home efforts by microchipping their pet and keeping a collar with tags on their pet, so in the event they become lost and end up in a shelter they can quickly returned home.
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