None of the society's volunteers was injured in the blaze, but the shelter is a total loss.
Cause of the 2 a.m. fire was still being investigated at press time Friday.
According to Terry Barbiaux, director of the shelter, 13 dogs were in cages outside the main building and 10 dogs were released by firefighters.
Carl "Moon" Smith, assistant fire chief, said the fire started in the back of the building, possibly due to electrical causes.
The building continued to smolder through the night and firefighter Henry Eastridge worked through the early hours with one pumper to keep the structure from reigniting.
According to Darrell Harrell, Leitchfield public works director, the city has already contacted the insurance company to evaluate the loss so that clean-up can be started.
"(The city's) first priority is to get the animals moved," Harrell said.
The fire left 23 animals homeless, many being transported to the Bowling Green Humane Society. The society is in charge of relocating the animals and several still need foster homes. Food and other supplies and materials for the surviving dogs are a need.
Harrell said the city may rebuild the shelter but before any plans are made the current situation would have to be assessed.
A new storage building is being built for city use, he added, and this building could be completed as a shelter. Mayor William H. Thomason said Leitchfield's City Council will have to make a decision on the best direction to take.
Another issue that the council will probably face is the narrow bridge leading to the shelter. It would not accommodate the fire engines. The fire department was faced with the challenge of shuttling water across the bridge to the fire.
"That slowed us up a little," Smith said, But the delay could not be blamed for losses in this fire, he said.
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