INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Animal Care and Control (IACC) reached an 86.4 percent live release rate for the first six months of 2016. General consensus is that 90 percent is considered no-kill for an animal shelter, a rate which IACC already is surpassing with cats. The live release rate for cats for the first half of the year was 92 percent.
IACC is an open-admission shelter, which must take in any animal brought to its door. From January through June of 2016, IACC took in 6,088 dogs and cats. These included strays, owner-surrenders, and animals from other jurisdictions. Housing so many animals is no small task, which is what makes the 86.4 percent live release rate so outstanding.
IACC cannot obtain no-kill status without the help of current and future pet owners. It is important that pets are being spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. These three steps can greatly impact the live release rate of IACC as well as the health and wellbeing of the city’s animal population.
In addition to the imminent arrival of a new, fulltime deputy director, IACC will benefit from increased funding for staff and training as well as strengthened partnerships with other animal welfare organizations. The goal of reaching — and surpassing — a 90 percent overall live release rate is very close to being realized.