INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Animal Care Services has seen major progress over the past year.
Compared to 2024 data, euthanasia decreased 13%, while adoptions increased 12% and rescues and transfers increased nearly 30%.
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IACS is under new leadership.
Director Amanda DeHoney-Hinkle is about 120 days in her new position.
“Quicker adoption rates. Getting them in and out. Decreased euthanasia. Shortening our length of stay. Those are my biggest priorities," DeHoney-Hinkle said.
In 2025, IACS has expanded its medical capacity, strengthened volunteer operations, improved animal enrichment and drastically reduced Animal Control backlogs.
To support this progress, IACS has made updates to its volunteer program and introduced new roles aimed at improving animal care:
- A Volunteer Coordinator was hired and is actively working to restore structure to the program, reestablish onboarding, and expand support for volunteers
- With a new Volunteer Coordinator in place, Director DeHoney-Hinkle extended volunteer hours to 8:00 p.m., five days per week
- More than 800 prospective volunteers received new orientation materials the week of November 10.
- Enrichment Coordinators for dogs and cats were added to the IACS staff to evaluate animals, develop individualized enrichment plans and work daily to reduce kennel stress for both dogs and cats
IACS also launched its Doggy Day Out program last month. This program allows members of the public to take shelter dogs out for up to five hours.
“Being able to know what their behavior is outside of the shelter. It gives them enrichment, kinda destress and gives some of our longer-term residents some time to decompress outside of the shelter setting," DeHoney-Hinkle said.
Angela Hopson is with Street Outreach Animal Response (S.O.R.E) Initiative, which partners with IACS.
“We mostly focus as a rescue or shelter relief support. This means that we may take in animals that have behavioral or medical-type conditions and are at risk of euthanasia," Hopson said.
Hopson says she's noticed improvements in operations in the latter half of the year.
“There’s a smooth process between partners and the community. There’s communication. We know which direction the animal needs to come and how to do it," she said.
IACS has ended its 'Emergency Intake Only' status, which had been in place since last year.
“It gives our officers back the discretion to bring more animals in. They’re bringing in more strays, more injured animals, more neglect cases," DeHoney-Hinkle said.
Soon, IACS will be able to better serve even more animals in need.
The new shelter is set to open in spring 2026.
“The dogs will have indoor-outdoor space now. They won’t have to go potty in their own cages. It’s going to give them so much more enrichment and time. Hopefully it will make the animals less stressed. Walls are sound proof, there’s not as many animals in one certain room," she said.
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Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
