Kennel cough is going around the dog population at the Marshall County Animal Shelter, but officials said it isn't the number of cases that's alarming them -- it's how the dogs are catching the illness.

Shelter director Cindy Brautigan said it's not out of the ordinary for any animal shelter to have some battles with kennel cough, and the current four cases at the shelter is about normal for them.

The illness is airborne and it's typical for dogs to pass it from one to the next, like people would the common cold.

But, Brautigan said that's not the case at the Marshall County center. Instead, outside circumstances like people going from kennel to kennel petting each dog is believed to be the issue.

"Your first response to visiting our kennel is to stick your hands down and say hello and greet that dog," Brautigan said. "I try to explain that to people as kind as I can so that they understand that it's a serious issue that we'll never beat, and that they could help reduce the numbers by not touching,"

She said the dogs at the shelter that are currently battling kennel cough have been quarantined from the general population of dogs. They are in their own cages in spots on the opposite side of the site, away from healthy dogs. But, those outside circumstance -- like petting -- can make isolation measures difficult.

Signs are posted about the dog about kennel cough, and while people can't catch it, the disease spreads easily from dog to dog.

And she said if the number of infected dogs reaches eight or 10, some dogs will need to be euthanized.

"If you greet this dog and then the next dog and the next dog and the next dog and they're all licking your hands you know, that person could potentially be responsible for the euthanasia of that dog," Brautigan said.

At the shelter, dog kennels are cleaned and disinfected daily, but still it's possible for a dog to carry the cough without showing signs, so people could potentially even adopt a dog that's infected.

"Anyone that is adopting from us that has a dog at home, make sure your dog is vaccinated for kennel cough just to be on the safe side. And if you do adopt from us and you take your dog home, and the next day or so it breaks with kennel cough, our (veterinarian) will prescribe meds because she has already seen it," she said.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, when a dog has kennel cough, its behavior won't vary much from usual, but it will have a deep honking cough or gag. If left untreated, it can be a serious illness for dogs.