INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Animal Care Services currently operates under the supervision of another city-county department, but the animal welfare service will soon become unleashed and become its own agency.
The Indianapolis City-County Council approved splitting off IACS from the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services during its Monday meeting. It will become independent on New Year's Day.
IACS executive director Kelly Diamond said there is no ill will towards its current supervisors, but acknowledged a split could improve the way the animal shelter operates.
"It can be a little bit tough for us to grow and make some of the decisions we need to make," Diamond said. "Our day-to-day tasks are very different. The issues we deal with are very different. Being able to be a little bit more independent and focus as an animal shelter in the community instead of an animal shelter that's under a different agency, it will make a big difference."
IACS' independence comes as it prepares to build a new animal shelter on Raymond Street and Emerson Avenue. The new shelter is estimated to open in 2026.
Laurie Collins has fostered hundreds of pitbulls from IACS through her organization, Lucci's House Bully Rescue. She is cautiously optimistic for how the split could make IACS better.
"No matter what you do, it's never enough," Collins said. "There's always one more dog or ten more dogs that need your help, whether it be owner surrenders, people that have found stray dogs, or dogs at the shelter."
Collins is hopeful that IACS' independence will mean good things for the shelter's employees and volunteers.
"They have the biggest hearts and they have the hardest time," Collins said. "They don't get to escape it, they don't get to go home and put it away. They have to deal with it every day and take every dog."
Diamond said she is excited to see how IACS can improve under its own guidance.
"It's just being able to make decisions quicker and make decisions that are really relevant to animal welfare," Diamond said.
