Friends –

Indianapolis Animal Care and Control (IACC) is the city’s public, open-admission shelter. Unfortunately, this is a high-kill shelter, and the odds of surrendered dogs and cats making it out alive are much lower than we’d like. In the past few years, great strides have been made to move adoptable animals from IACC to other shelters and rescue groups that can give these pets a greater chance of finding their forever homes. And the adoptable animals that stay at IACC are being held longer, thus increasing their chances of finding a home. Indianapolis Animal Care and Control has come a long way in a short time, but we still have a ways to go before we’re serving the unwanted and neglected animals like we should.
 
At the IACC board meeting last night, we learned that the Office of Finance and Management (OFM) has cut nearly $200,000 from what can be considered IACC’s daily operating budget. That’s $200,000 that would be spent on medical, cleaning, and office supplies. IACC director Teri Kendrick has approached the OFM as well as the Public Safety office (under which IACC falls) and explained that this cut will directly result in an inability to provide a decent standard of care for the animals in the shelter, which will directly result in more euthanasia. By taking away $200,000, city officials are saying that killing more dogs and cats than we already do is an acceptable means of dealing with the pet overpopulation problem. They’re saying that these animals have no value and don’t deserve even the most basic care. They’re saying that sick and injured pets don’t need treatment, and that keeping dogs and cats just a little longer in an effort to find them a home is not necessary.  
 
We all understand that every city agency needs to tighten their belts and do with a little less. We live in hard economic times right now. But those hard times are producing record numbers of animals that are being surrendered to shelters as their owners lose jobs and homes. More than ever, IACC cannot stand this incredible budget cut; IACC is already understaffed and underfunded, barely equipped to handle the 18,000+ animals that pass through their back door on a yearly basis. And now they’re being forced to take yet another financial hit. The 2012 budget will be presented at a Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, September 14, 5:30 p.m., at the City County Building. This meeting is open to the public, and many animal welfare supporters will be present to ask direct questions regarding this budget. If you  can, please attend this meeting and show your support for our community’s left-behind animals. If you cannot attend this meeting, please email  councilor Ben Hunter (bdhunter@sbcglobal.net), chair of the Public Safety committee, and let him know that  cutting the operating budget is not how you want your tax dollars spent.
 
Thank you –
 
Sue Hobbs
IACC Board Member