Lyon County Animal Services 2025 Report
From Lyon County Animal Services
Total number of animals that were intakes for 2025: 1,001
Total Strays- 463
Fernley- 144
Silver Springs- 137
Dayton- 91
Stagecoach- 33
Yerington- 28
Mound House- 20
Wellington/Smith Valley- 7
Other- 3 (Found outside Lyon County but brought to our facility)
Total Owner Surrenders- 163
Dayton- 68
Fernley- 27
Yerington- 25
Silver Springs- 23
Stagecoach- 19
Other (Storey County)- 1
Total Seized and/or taken into Protective Custody- 369
· Silver Springs- 225 (5 for bite quarantine, 3 abandoned in homes, 9 whose owners were transported to jail, 9 whose owners were transported to the hospital, 11 whose owners passed away, 2 court ordered cases, 9 for inadequate housing, 174 taken due to animal cruelty, 2 abandoned (at Lake Lahontan), 1 due to medical emergency).
· Fernley- 65 (27 whose owners were transported to jail, 15 for bite quarantine, 11 whose owners were transported to hospital, 2 that were court ordered, 2 for animal cruelty, 4 abandoned in home, 4 whose owners passed away).
· Dayton- 44 (11 for Bite Quarantine, 3 that were court ordered, 9 whose owners were transported to jail, 4 whose owners passed away, 4 that were abandoned in homes, 1 medical due to medical emergency, 3 whose owners were transported to the hospital, 9 due to animal cruelty).
· Yerington- 18 (3 for bite quarantine, 2 that were abandoned in homes, 10 whose owners were transported to jail, 2 whose owners were transported to the hospital, 1 for animal cruelty).
· Wellington/Smith Valley- 10 (4 abandoned out in the desert, 3 whose owners were transported to jail, 3 whose owners were transported to the hospital).
· Stagecoach- 5 (4 whose owners were transported to the hospital, 1 for bite quarantine)
· Mound House- 2 (1 abandoned in home, 1 for animal cruelty).
Total transferred in from other agencies- 6
Total outcomes for 2025- 1,004
Total that were reclaimed by their owners- 388
Total that were transferred out to other agencies/rescues- 444
A BIG thank you to all the rescues and agencies who stepped up and helped us take in all those animals! We greatly appreciate all your help and dedication to help us find all those animals loving homes!
Total Adoptions- 115
Total Returned Adoptions-18
Total Euthanasia- 58 (28 for aggression, 11 due to severe medical issues and 19 that were failing to thrive in the shelter environment)
We know there is going to be people who are going to ask "I thought Lyon County is a no kill shelter?" A no kill shelter is defined as a live release percentage rate of 90% or higher. We try our best to work with all the animals that come in here but, sometimes, some are just too aggressive to release back to the community or some are just too sick or injured and it would be in their best interest or the vets we work with recommend humane euthanasia.
Sometimes we have dogs that don't adjust to the shelter environment and stop eating and fail to thrive and it would be more humane to euthanize then just let them suffer. This is not a decision we take lightly here nor is there a "time frame" that we give the animals that come in here either. We try our best to get every animal here a good, loving home and we have a wonderful group of volunteers who come and take out our dogs and socialize them and get them some exercise.
We hit a 94.4% live release rate for 2025. With over 200 more animals we took in this year, we still managed to increase our live release rate by 2%! We strive to keep making that number larger and help all the animals we can and that is why we need your help!! Please, please, please keep your animals safe inside your property. We understand that mistakes can be made and they can get out. If that is the case, please microchip or, at the very least, keep an ID tag on your pets so they can get home faster and safely! We offer both here at our facility. Microchip is $15 and an ID tag is $7.
If you are looking for a new dog to add to your family, please check out our available dogs on https://www.adoptapet.com/pet-search?radius=50&postalCode=89429&awos[0]=89022&filterMode=all
Please consider getting your pets an ID tag and/or microchip to help get them reunited to you. We offer a variety of ID tags at our shelter for only $7. We also do microchipping, by appointment, Monday-Friday from 10am-3:30pm for $15.
If you are needing to rehome your dog(s), we ask that you consider all options before having to make that decision. Contacting a professional trainer/behaviorist if it is due to any behavior issue. Getting a dog walker/sitter if you work long hours (you can check Rover.com for services in your area or perhaps put an add out on social media). If you are moving, check for rentals that are pet friendly. Having issues with affording the necessary needs for your pet, reach out to us and we can direct you to low cost vet care and pet food help. We also offer a low cost vaccine clinic every other month. We understand that times are tough right now, so if you absolutely have to surrender your dog, please note, that our surrender list is about a 5-6 month wait currently. We are trying our best to get them in as quick as possible without having to euthanize to make room for more dogs.
