Whether looking to add a new furry friend to your family or find a lost pet its home, Indianapolis Animal Care Services can help. Their services include adoption, surrendering animals, connecting lost pets to theirowners and addressing reports of animal cruelty or neglect.
The shelter is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Thursdays, when they close at 7 p.m. Roxie Randall, IACS manager of community outreach, recommends coming in at least a half hour before close.
Here’s a rundown of how to use IACS:
How do I adopt a pet?
Those interested in adopting an animal can browse the available pets on the shelter’s Petfinder page. The shelter recommends filling out an online adoption application to speed up the process.
Those looking to adopt can then head into the shelter, located at 2600 S. Harding St., during business hours. Shelter staff will then help them through the process of bringing home a new pet.
All adoptions are currently free.
How do I surrender my pet?
An appointment is required for owners looking to surrender an animal. To schedule a surrender, email IACSIntake@indy.gov and provide a name, phone number, information about the animal and whether it is a stray or a pet.
Available appointment times to surrender an animal are currently being scheduled a couple months out, Indy CARES Program Director Ashley Temple.
If the shelter is over 80% capacity, IACS can turn away non-Marion County residents who are trying to surrender their animals. Since the shelter has been over capacity since April 2021, Temple said they typically redirect out-of-county residents to their respective shelters.
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If an owner wishes to keep their pet but needs extra help, Temple said Indy CARES offers assistance, such as free vaccinations, low-cost veterinary care and behavior training as well as smaller items such as a bag of food or a crate. Indy CARES can be contacted through their online form.
For Marion County residents, there is no cost to surrender. If an out-of-county resident is able to surrender their pet, the fee would be $100 per animal.
What do I do if I find a lost or stray animal?
The shelter asks people to look at different options before bringing in a lost or stray animal. This includes reporting the animal on Indy Lost Pet Alert, spreading the word on Facebook or Nextdoor or taking it to a vet clinic to be scanned for a microchip.
People should avoid immediately taking a found pet to a shelter, Temple said, because many lost animals are typically found within a mile of their home. If brought to a shelter, she said it may be more difficult for the owner to find their pet around their neighborhood. Instead, she said they should spread the word locally and talk to their neighbors first.
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If all is done to no avail, email IACSIntake@indy.gov to schedule an appointment to surrender the animal. Appointments are currently about six days out, Temple said.
While waiting for an appointment, Temple said the shelter can provide items, like a crate or food, to make it easier for the person holding onto the animal for the time being.
Surrendering a stray animal is free.
What do I do if my pet is missing?
When stray animals are taken into the shelter, Temple said they scan to see if a pet has a microchip and contact the owners if possible.
If a lost animal was brought to IACS oranother local shelter, it may be on the 24Petconnect database, which lists stray animals at shelters in the area. Found animals may also be reported on Indy Lost Pet Alert.
Residents can visit a shelter in-person to report a lost pet and check to see if it has already been found.IACS said people should stop at the shelter to look for their lost pet every couple days and check other local shelters, like IndyHumane or the Hamilton County Humane Society.
Per city-county code, an owner has 32 business hours to claim an animal in-person at the shelter. This cannot be done over the phone, email or social media. After that period, animals are evaluated for the adoption floor and are available to one of the shelter's approved rescue partners.
If an animal is found at a shelter, a person must provide evidence they are the owner, such as photos, vet records or microchip information.
Can I get my pet microchipped?
Owners can microchip their animals without an appointment during business hours, Randall said. Microchips serve as a permanent identification on a pet with an owner’s name, address and phone number.
Randall said an owner must show photo ID and proof of ownership of the animal in the form of photos or vet records.
The service costs $10.
What should I do if I need to report
suspected animal cruelty?
Issues regarding animal cruelty, attacks or similar issues can be reported through the RequestIndy website and app. People can also call the Mayor's Action Center at (317) 327-4622 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday through Friday.
To anonymously report dog fighting, contact the Central Indiana Canine Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-8477.
Cate Charron is an intern at the IndyStar. Youcan contact her on Twitter at @CateCharron or email at CCharron@gannett.com.
