Tails in the News
by Lauren Lewis
Hamilton Humane breaks ground
The Humane Society for Hamilton County is getting some new digs. A ceremonial ground breaking for its new $2.3 million facility at 1717 Pleasant St. in Noblesville was held in March.
The 12,000-square-foot shelter will include indoor and outdoor exercise spaces, rooms for people to get to know the dogs and cats during the adoption process, and though the building will house about 80 dogs (the same number of animals as the current shelter), individual spaces will be much larger and more comfortable.
“Words cannot express how excited we are to be moving into the new facility this year,“ says executive director Rebecca Stevens. “This means more space and better overall conditions for the animals, including a state-of-the-art ventilation system, isolation areas for our sick animals, and kennels that are easier to clean and safer to use.”
Although the county is paying for the construction of the building (it has a contract with the Humane Society for county wide animal-control services), the organization is still in need of some furnishing items, including rolling cages for the cattery and stackable T-Kennels for puppies and kittens. Additionally, it is in dire need of medical equipment, such as a microscope, stethoscope, and scales, Stevens says. The group has set a goal of $50,000 to help cover those expenses and the costs associated with moving.
The facility will also include a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, which will be run and operated separately from the Humane Society. “We will, however, utilize their services for many of our spays/neuters and collaborate on programs that will help educate the community about the importance of spaying/neutering their pets,” Stevens says. “We must start making headway in solving the problem of pet overpopulation, and I believe this is an important step toward that.”
The Humane Society relies heavily on donations for its operating costs. With a 20 percent increase in the number of animals it took in at its facility in 2005, and with the growth of Hamilton County (the 18th-fastest-growing county in the United States), the organization reasons that the number of homeless and unwanted animals will continue to increase significantly.
“Keeping up with the costs associated with the fundamentals of food, general supplies, and especially medical care has been a daunting task and will continue to be when we move into the new building,” Stevens says. “We simply can’t do it without the ongoing financial support of individuals and businesses in our community.”
Donations can be mailed to Humane Society for Hamilton County, 18102 Cumberland Rd, Noblesville, IN 46060 or visit www.HamiltonHumane.com.
Trap-Neuter-Return ordinances
Thanks to IndyFeral, a nonprofit organization that specializes in Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), many free-roaming cats are getting a chance at life.
In the past year, several Indiana communities, including Indianapolis and most recently Lawrence, have passed TNR ordinances and enlisted the help of IndyFeral. The organization was formed three years ago and its program consists of trapping wild cats and taking them to veterinarians, where they’re vaccinated, treated for fleas and ear mites, and sterilized. The feral or wild animals are then released back into their familiar home territory under the care of colony managers who agree to provide food, shelter, and care.
“TNR is important for any community because it is a community-generated problem and every community has a responsibility to work toward a solution,” says IndyFeral president Lisa Tudor. “Free-roaming cats and their offspring are victims of abandonment, accidental loss and failure by [guardians] to sterilize their pets. Without the monitors and caretakers in place to quickly TNR or adopt these former domestics or ferals, the cycle will continue unchecked.”
In February, IndyFeral received a $20,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to be used to offer 800 spay/neuter surgeries on free-roaming cats in managed colonies in support of the TNR ordinance in Indianapolis. “The support from Petsmart validates the merit of TNR as a movement and recognizes all the hard work and commitment devoted by our volunteers,” Tudor says.
According to Tudor, TNR results in the reduction of freeroaming
cat nuisance calls, cat impounds, and euthanasia. Additionally it gives animal-control officers a non-lethal tool for the control of free-roaming cat populations.
For more information, visit www.IndyFeral.org.
