INDIANAPOLIS — Even after a big adoption weekend, Indianapolis Animal Care Services says it's in dire need of space and desperate for more adoptions to take place.
Space remains an issue at IACS despite the shelter adopting out 121 animals and sending another 22 to rescue partners over the weekend.
"We want to thank the community for supporting us, and helping us get animals out of the shelter," said IACS Deputy Director Katie Trennepohl. "But we are not out of the woods yet."
Also, over Memorial Day weekend, the shelter took in another 121 animals, canceling out the progress made through weekend adoptions, and more animals are coming in daily.
IACS said its staff continues to exhaust all resources to get animals adopted, into foster homes, returned to owners, and pulled by rescue partners, "but we are still faced with the possibility of having to use euthanasia."
"We don't want to have to make these decisions," Trennepohl said. "I am proud of all the work staff and volunteers are doing, but we can't do it alone."
IACS is pleading to the public to consider adopting or fostering a pet.
Anyone interested in adopting an animal can go online and fill out an adoption application.
IACS said those who want to help but can't adopt a pet can apply to be a foster, volunteer at the shelter or donate to the Friends of Indianapolis Animal Care Services.
IACS said one of the easiest, but still very impactful, ways to help is by simply sharing the shelter's social media posts.
"We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has shared our posts over the last few days," IACS said. "Each share gets an animal one step closer to finding his or her new home."
IACS said there's another way you can help. If you find a stray animal in your neighborhood, you can help IACS by trying to first locate the owner before contacting the shelter.
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IACS said these are a few things you can do to identify the owner:
- Check for a collar and tag. Some pets have a collar with the phone number stitched in.
- Post a photo and information of where the pet was found on Indy Lost Pet Alert, NextDoor, your neighborhood social media group, and your social media accounts. Most lost and stray pets tend to stick close to home.
- Take the animal to the nearest vet clinic to check for a microchip.
- If there’s a microchip, contact the owner and reunite the pet with its family. If there’s no microchip, hold onto the animal (if you can) and continue searching for its owner.