Dogs are spending more time at the Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center, but steps the organization has taken to reduce the number of dogs coming through its doors has prevented a spike in its euthanasia rate.

Why it matters: Pet adoptions surged during the pandemic, and now shelters are dealing with a rebalance of supply and demand.

• Intakes at public and private shelters across the U.S. are expected to reach a 3-year high this year, and adoptions aren't keeping pace, Axios' Carrie Shepherd reports.

The big picture: Dog euthanasia rates among public and private shelters have spiked 37% nationally from 2022 to 2023, per the Shelter Animals Count database.

• Ohio's rate is nearly 7%, which is lower than the national average of 9.5%.

Zoom in: Data Franklin County provided to Axios shows the local shelter's 2023 adoption rate through July (50%) is higher than year-end rates over the last five years.

• The euthanasia rate (21%) is about the same as last year, but higher than 2019-2021.
• Dogs are increasingly spending more time in the shelter, though — an average of 22 days this year, up from 20 last year.

Meanwhile, intakes to date this year are comparable to recent years, which shelter director Kaye Persinger attributes to changes such as:

• Making intakes by appointment only, and encouraging owners to use social media to rehome their pet first.
• Asking people who find friendly, healthy lost dogs to temporarily house them, if possible, with the shelter providing any necessary food or supplies.
• Helping owners repair damaged fences to prevent escapes.

Between the lines: In many cities, economic stressors are compounding capacity issues because it's harder for owners to afford pet-related expenses.

• That's why the shelter periodically waives lost pet fees and offers free microchipping.
• Nonprofit Columbus Humane recently opened a low-cost veterinary clinic and pet food pantry on the South Side to help.

Of note: The Franklin County Dog Shelter nearly hit capacity in June 2022 and most recently in March and April, when it temporarily only accepted dogs in emergency situations.

What they're saying: "We have our hand on it very tightly, and I pray every night to whomever will listen. We do not want to euthanize for space, and we have not thus far," Persinger tells Axios.

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Tell us: Where do you find your pets? Did you adopt or shop?

• Are you seeing overcrowding at area shelters?
• If you brought a pet into your home during the pandemic, how's it going?
• If you waited until recently to become a pet owner, why? How has it been?

Of note: If you just want to send us photos of your cats, dogs or any other critters looking adorable, we won't complain.

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🏈 Kyle McCord will be the Buckeyes' starting quarterback in Saturday's game against Indiana — but coach Ryan Day says Devin Brown will also get some play time. (ESPN)

🚌 A state representative plans to reintroduce a bill to require seat belts on all Ohio school buses, following last week's crash that killed an 11-year-old boy near Springfield. (WKRC-TV)

Two teens were arrested and charged following the Aug. 18 carjacking and shooting of OSU wrestler Sammy Sasso.

• Sasso's family is raising money to help him learn to walk again. (Dispatch)

🙅 Eminem has ordered local presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to stop rapping his songs at campaign events, after Ramaswamy's performance of "Lose Yourself" at the Iowa State Fair went viral. (Politico)

💬 Quote du jour

"Vivek just got on the stage and cut loose. To the American people's chagrin, we will have to leave the rapping to the real slim shady."

Yesterday, we invited you to guess the location of this beautiful mural.

• A few of you correctly said it's in the Hilltop, near the intersection of Broad and Oakley streets.
• Tyler stopped by during a unique Broad Street reporting assignment that you can read about in tomorrow's newsletter.

Details: Artist Sarah Hout painted "Free to Be" last year and dedicated it to the Hilltop community.

• She painted another mural, "A Call for Kindness," on the building's other side.
• We previously featured her Hilliard mural inspired by the movie "Up" back in April.

👏 Congratulations to reader Angela M., today's free Axios swag winner!