Indy Animal Care Services reopens to public walkthroughs to spur adoption to reduce crowding

Alexandria Burris, Indianapolis Star
·3 min read
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Earlier this month, Indianapolis Animal Care Services did something it had not done since 2020: It reopened its dog kennels for public walkthroughs in the hope that visitors would walk the halls and find a furry forever friend to take home.

Everyday from noon to 5 p.m., would-be adopters can now tour two of IACS's kennels at 2600 S. Harding St. to meet and interact with dogs in need of permanent homes.

Shelter officials hope that face-to-face contact will spur individuals and families to fall in love with one of the animals and adopt them.

Before last week, due to the pandemic, staff would bring animals to the front to meet would-be adaptors. While that method protected staff from exposure to COVID-19 and helped decrease stress level for animals, it didn't necessarily help increase adoptions.

Avocado, a dog housed at Indianapolis Animal Care Services, is in a need of a forever home.
Avocado, a dog housed at Indianapolis Animal Care Services, is in a need of a forever home.

"It's been closed for about two and a half to three years now because of the COVID pandemic," said Roxie Randall, IACS spokeswoman.

So after a three-year hiatus, the shelter tours restarted on Dec. 14. There is no end date at the moment.

The shelter will monitor the program to ensure the increased presence of people doesn't stress the animals and to see if the program leads to more adoptions.

"If we see a massive spike in our dog's stress levels, we can reevaluate and see how we can balance the two better," Randall said.

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Overcrowding has plagued the city's animal shelter system for some time, and Randall said not much has changed. More animals enter the system when the weather turns colder. There's also a perennial need for people to adopt or to foster a dog or cat temporarily.

"We're still over our capacity for care. We've got crates everywhere," Randall said, adding that IACS need more adopters and people willing to temporarily foster dogs and cats to free up space at the municipal shelter.

IACS is still taking animals by request. Animal Control officers continue to bring in stray animals.

Through October, 8,221 animals had entered IACS compared to 8,589 animals in the full year of 2022, according to data made available by IACS.

Of this year's numbers, the bulk of animals entering IACS were dogs and cats — 4,519 and 2,990, respectively. Of all the possible outcomes for animals in the shelter entering the shelter, roughly 3,000 were adopted, 835 returned to their owners and 1,468 were euthanized, including 247 at the request of their owners.

Randall said anyone is welcome to walk through the two dog kennels. People can search online listings Adopt-a-Pet page or on Petfinder, and request to meet certain dogs.

Those who want to help can adopt can fill out a form online. The shelter also is seeking people to foster and provide a temporary home to an animal. A foster coordinator will reach out.

IACS also conducts foster matchmaking sessions where new fosters can meet with an experienced foster and ask questions. The experienced foster helps them meet a couple of animals that might be a good fit for their homes.

Donations can be made through the Friends of Indy Animals Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial support to the municipal shelter. You can also support the shelter by purchasing items such as food, crates, cleaning supplies and blankets from its active wish lists. Those can be found on Amazon, Chewy, and Walmart.

Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @allyburris.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy Animal Care Services reopens kennels to public walkthroughs