INDIANAPOLIS – Several times a year, Indianapolis Animal Care and Control (IACC) runs adoption specials. You've seen them, as low as $10 sometimes. You may be seeing a lot more of those specials thanks to a new city ordinance.
The ordinance allows the IACC (without outside help) to set lower fees for adoption for special events and limited periods of time, designated in advance. While the lower fees can’t be set for individual animals, it can be used for groups.
Before the ordinance, the IACC did clearly have discounts. But what you may not realize is that in those cases, an outside group had to offer to pay the difference between the lowered rate and the amount the shelter needs to survive financially.
Now the city of Indianapolis is essentially going to subsidize those adoption fees.
If the shelter is overloaded with animals and something needs to be done to bring in new families for the animals, IACC just needs to go to code enforcement to explain the issue, and with approval, can drop its prices.
“This will just make us more efficient, and, ultimately, who does that help? It helps all the animals who are calling us home right now,” IACC Sgt. Randy Dodd said. “The faster we can move them out, the better our live-save rate is.”
The cheaper the adoptions, the more animals find homes. The more animals find homes, the fewer have to put down due to lack of space.
And it’s already saving lives.
The first city-funded special is running right now. Any dog or cat who has been up for adoption for more than 30 days is now available for just $10.
