INDIANAPOLIS—Indianapolis Animal Care Services remain at capacity. As of Oct. 3, they have 441 animals in their care including 288 dogs, 3 rabbits, 1 duck, and 149 cats.
It’s an issue that animal welfare advocates in the city say is a crisis.
"There is nowhere to turn,” Laurie Collins the Director and Founder of Lucci's House Bully Rescue said. “The rescues are full, the advocate programs that help with the rescue's and the shelter they're full, everybody is overwhelmed and underfunded."
Both Indianapolis Mayoral Candidates say they plan on addressing the issue.
“Through this comprehensive approach, we’re aiming to address the most acute challenges at the shelter in the short-term, while setting up IACS for sustained success in the years to come,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Over the past seven and a half years, we’ve made progress, but we are committed to accelerating it even further.”
Hogsett says he is doing the following to address the issue.
Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett’s Plan
- Collaboration with Partners
IACS, FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic, Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside (FIDO), IndyHumane, and Indy Neighborhood Cats are working together to evaluate the central Indiana animal welfare ecosystem. They will comprehensively address the issues that continue to create crisis conditions at IACS and other area shelters.
IACS and partners will be working with Indianapolis-based Hedges, using funding from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, to produce a community-wide audit report, an action plan with strategic recommendations and implementation guide, as well as a benchmark dashboard.
-Increased Staff Capacity
Earlier this year, the Hogsett administration says the mayor authorized a market analysis to compare job descriptions and compensation against peer cities across the country. This focus on salary increases builds upon the 50% growth in the IACS budget since 2016.
Two new strategic positions—one filled, and one forthcoming—were designed to make the most efficient use of the shelter’s limited workforce. A policy and planning administrator was hired in July 2023 and is now evaluating current shelter processes, identifying improvement areas, and implementing new procedures.
To complement that role, a new shelter placement manager position is currently in the works to provide training, improve customer service, and decrease the length of stay for animals in the shelter’s care. The City plans to fill that position before the end of 2023.
IACS has also engaged Best Friends Animal Society for assistance through its Embed Program. If approved, the nonprofit would provide two staff members to help guide systematic improvements and support the shelter’s goal of achieving and maintaining a no-kill status.
-Community Focused Strategies
A new program is being established to lower intake numbers and increase diversion. IACS is launching a new community- supported sheltering program utilizing the “adopt-a-block” concept.
The new program will provide community members with the supplies they need—crates, food, leashes, etc.—to be able to hold a stray animal in the neighborhood where the animal was found for 48 hours as they try to locate its owner. If the animal’s owner isn’t identified after the 48-hour time period, the animal can be relinquished to the shelter.
In 2018, IACS launched the Indy CARES (Companion Animal Resources, Education, and Support) program, which focuses on keeping animals out of the shelter. Indy CARES provides resources to pet owners who feel they have no other choice but to surrender their pet to the shelter. This includes access to food and assistance with medical costs, as well as coordination for temporary foster homes. Since its inception, Indy CARES has diverted 5,000 animals from the shelter and provided free vaccinations for an additional 2,000 owned pets. In 2021, Mayor Hogsett made Indy CARES a permanent program of IACS by providing funding for two full-time program coordinators and a monthly budget to support pet owners.
Last week, IACS formed a new partnership with Nine Lives Cat Café to provide the local business with as many as 16 available shelter cats and kittens at a time. Already, four of the eight kittens have been adopted and a portion of those fees have been donated to the Friends of Indy Animals.
-New Shelter
IACS is continuing its ongoing efforts to build a new animal care facility and evaluate its role in the central Indiana animal welfare ecosystem. Funding for the facility is on track, with the $19 million bond approved by the City-County Council and work with charitable partners to address any gap not covered by public funding.
According to Data from IACS through September 30, the live release rate for IACS in 2023 was 85%. From 2016 to 2022, the live release rate averaged 88%, a 26% increase over the average of 62% from 2010 to 2015. IACS achieved a 90% live release rate in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
For animal welfare advocates working to address the issue on a daily basis, they say that funding is the biggest issue.
"Both in the shelter and the field side both have been grossly underfunded for years and you know our city has failed that agency,” Darcie Kurtz the Executive Director of FIDO said.
Jefferson Shreve the republican candidate for Indianapolis Mayor says he is planning on addressing the funding issues. He released his plan on how to do so on Tuesday.
Republican Candidate Jefferson Shreve’s Plan
-Donating His Mayoral Salary to IACS
Shreve has pledged to donate his salary as mayor to IACS to help fund the daily necessities he says the city is currently not providing. His examples are things like heartworm treatment and other medical needs.
-Taking action on the building of a new shelter
Shreve’s campaign says a new shelter was promised by the Hogsett administration by the end of this year. He says there has been no meaningful progress on the selected site which is proposed to be at N. Sherman Dr. and E. Michigan St. He says he will move progress forward on the selected site or choose a new site that is better suited for IACS.
-Working towards a no-kill shelter
Shreve plans on taking steps to better fund IACS and provide the resources needed to reach this goal.
-Hiring additional veterinarians
The city currently employs one vet. Shreve feels a county the size of Marion County should have more than one vet to provide around the clock care. Shreve says he will increase the IACS budget to employ an additional vet.
-Raising IACS staff salaries
Shreve says that IACS staff is underpaid for the work they do. He plans on raising the salaries by increasing the amount of Money budgeted for IACCS.
-Cremation of animals
The city currently puts down animals and places them in trash bags in a walk-in freezer until they are picked up by DPW for disposal in the landfill according to the Shreve campaign. Shreve says he will secure a partnership with an organization to cremate animals, a model he says is in place in other counties.
-Create an animal welfare Advisory Coalition
Shreve says that people in the animal welfare community, local law enforcement and legislators would comprise the group. He plans on meeting with this coalition regularly and would lean on their first-hand experiences in the field and shelter to help inform decisions about IACS and animal welfare.
“In a city with a $1.6B budget, we can do better,” Shreve said, noting that money can be moved around within the budget for Business and Neighborhood Services, under which IACS falls, to better fund the shelter’s operations. “I’m saddened by the state of animal care in Marion County. The fault lies with Mayor Hogsett and the blind eye he’s turned for seven and a half years. It’s time to turn this around, and it will take a change in leadership at the top. Eight years is enough.”
Regardless of how the race plays out, one animal welfare advocate is glad they are a focus for current and potential city leaders.
"As a non-profit we can't be partisan but yeah the fact that both parties are talking about these issues is a very good thing,” Kurtz said.
Mayor Hogsett’s campaign released the following statement in regard to Jefferson Shreve’s plan.
“Since Mayor Hogsett has taken office, he has grown the IACS budget by 50 percent, increased the live release rate by 26 percent, and expanded innovative adoption and diversion practices so that more animals land in loving homes. Jefferson Shreve’s “plan” for animal welfare is a mix of initiatives already underway and political posturing rather than a genuine care for animals in need.”
