INDIANAPOLIS — Animal shelter overcrowding is a serious problem across central Indiana. Many pets spending a lifetime looking for someone to love them.
Now, some dogs are getting special training in hopes it will help lead them to find a forever home.
At Paws & Play Resort and Training Center, in Fishers, they do dog training, daycare, grooming and boarding. But what you might not know is that they also work with local shelters to help train their dogs with behavior issues to become more adoptable.
They're sweet, they're loving, but they might have a lot of energy. And that's when dogs come to Paws & Play to work on behaviors from mouthiness to jumpiness and learn better manners.
About seven years ago, Paws & Play began training dogs from local shelters that were being overlooked and not getting adopted. Since then they have trained more than 100 dogs from half a dozen shelters and rescues. Helping pets from places like Indianapolis Animal Care Services find a home.
"We see over 14,000 animals a year, which is insane," Kristen Lee, with IACS, said. "So programs like this that are really addressing our good dogs in the kennel they just need a little extra training or a little time out of the kennel is amazing."
Their goal is within a few weeks, train these dogs well enough that people can't help but be impressed by their new skills and feel comfortable welcoming them into their home.
"It gives them I think a sense of trust in the dog," Kayla Aaron, Paws & Play Resort Manager, said. "It also provides a full education for them."
"You know that they're getting hands-on training, we are seeing a significant increase in adopters and keeping these animals," Lee said.
IACS announced a new adoption special on Friday to help more of the animals in their care find more homes. You can try your "luck of the paw" by selecting a coin out of a pot of gold to see what your adoption fee will be. Adoption fees will either be 50 percent off or free, depending on which coin you choose.
IACS
2600 South Harding Street
Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
