Pet Rescue Mission
A perfect storm of challenges has created a crisis situation for local pet adoption agencies. From municipal animal shelters like Indiana’s largest, Indianapolis Animal Care Services, to prominent, privately funded organizations, such as IndyHumane, the same struggles appear across the board: financial shortfalls, limited human and infrastructure resources, and simply too many helpless animals in need.
Donna Casamento, Indy-Humane chief executive officer, says that they receive calls for assistance from other shelters nearly every day. The bulk of requests come from IACS. Because IACS is required by ordinance to take in stray dogs and owner surrenders, it’s continuously beyond capacity in both space and staffing.
“We pull animals from them and often help with medical cases as they don’t have a veterinarian on staff. We have an awesome medical team here, so we’re fortunate to be able to help out in these situations,” she says.
With dogs, specific breeds are not so much a hurdle as size is. Though a major percentage of canines-in-waiting are pit bulls and pit mixes, “large dogs are the population we struggle the most to find homes for,” Casamento says.
Additionally, the winter months are difficult on already-stretched staff. For example, in frigid temperatures, dogs can’t be temporarily moved outdoors while their kennels are cleaned, so the inside of the shelter becomes more crowded and chaotic. Cold weather fostering is extra impactful, and it doesn’t need to be a long-term commitment. Stays from a few nights to a couple of weeks can be arranged. Foster parents report back on temperament or behavior challenges, information that Casamento calls “invaluable.”
Meanwhile, cats bring their own challenges. “We no longer have the resources that would allow people to just take a cat to a shelter like they used to be able to,” says Dawn Benefiel, executive director for Indy Neighborhood Cats. “IACS can tell them, ‘No, sorry, we’re full,’ and that shouldn’t be. We need to have an open-
admission shelter for cats.”
Because cats are “prolific breeders,” Benefiel says the primary focus for free roaming cats in the community is trap-neuter-return. This method of controlling feral cat populations has seen more than 13,000 cats fixed in the last seven years thanks to Indy Neighborhood Cats’ program. At the time of this writing, the organization was on track to fix 2,400 cats in 2025. Additionally, it provides support to folks caring for outdoor cat colonies. “Every cat we keep out of a shelter leaves a spot for an animal that truly needs it,” Benefiel says.
For those who want to assist but can’t adopt or foster, “financial support is the biggest help for us,” Casamento states. IndyHumane relies on donations, grants, and revenue from its spay/neuter clinic, as it doesn’t get tax dollars. Or consider donating time. Volunteers pitch in with everything from playing with cats to doing laundry. Casamento loves the Parent & Me program, which allows parents to volunteer alongside their kids (ages 8-plus). “It teaches them philanthropy, and you’re doing something wonderful for the community and these animals,” she says. Learn about volunteering at indyhumane.org/get-involved/volunteer and indyneighborhoodcats.org/volunteer.
Give Hope A Home
Winter isn’t loosening its grip any time soon, unfortunately, but what better way to warm your heart than with the love of a newly adopted shelter pet? You don’t have to wait for a publicized adoption day. Each county’s humane society website shows current adoption hours as well as available pets. Or consider either of these special happenings hosted by IndyHumane:
»Emergency Paw-Jama Parties: The need for these short-term foster events spikes during extreme temperatures. Keep an eye on the weather and watch IndyHumane’s Facebook page. Be ready to go by filling out the fostering paperwork in advance at indyhumane.org/foster.
»100 Day Club: The patient residents in this club have waited 100 days or more to find their forever families, so their adoption fees are waived. Visit indyhumane.org/adopt/adoptables-100-days to see these hopeful forever friends.
