I was asked recently what I thought about the pet overpopulation problem in Indianapolis. My response is that it's not that difficult a problem to solve, but it does take effort in the right place.
In our 12 years, the FACE Spay/Neuter Clinic has neutered approximately 140,000 cats and dogs. The year after our opening, Indianapolis killed 22,000 animals. Last year that number was down to 9,000 -- all because of the addition of low-cost spay/neuter. Without FACE, Indianapolis would likely kill between 24,000 and 30,000 cats and dogs every year.
The proposed Animal Care and Control budget for 2012 cut vaccinations and medicines by more than $150,000. This would reduce funding to about $2 per animal for daily care.
The shelter relies on donated food; there is no budget to provide food for the dogs and cats. Animal Care and Control also is incredibly understaffed, again relying on volunteers.
The same 2012 budget proposal included an increase of almost $350,000 for "internal charges," which includes charge backs for attorneys' fees and costs from the Mayor's Action Center. Members of the City-County Council even seemed mystified by this.
It appears Indianapolis is satisfied with the status quo: to intake, house and kill cats and dogs. This costs money. The Animal Care and Control budget of more than $3.5 million, no matter what it is composed of, is paid by tax dollars. The people who care about the function of Animal Care and Control, its leadership team, have no control of the money allocated to the shelter via the budget. It is directed by the city's financial office, far removed from the shelter itself. The shelter is overcrowded, the building is in disrepair and the leadership team has little to say about it.
It is time for change. Indianapolis must acknowledge that it is in the animal business. I suggest the city embrace the shelter and turn it into something Indianapolis can be proud of, like our bike lanes, walking trails and art installations. Financial investment necessary to improve the facility is many years overdue.
Perhaps a portion of revenue generated from dog park permits could be directed to an Animal Care and Control project. Constructing a low-cost veterinary clinic on site at the shelter could provide medical care for cats and dogs at the shelter and to the public. Revenue from low-cost medical services and products at the clinic would offset costs of shelter operations.
Imagine Animal Care and Control as a destination where Indianapolis residents who face financial challenges can access care for their cats and dogs including spay/neuter and vaccines, receive education about animal ordinances and care requirements and have access to other necessary resources, including food for the animal. Increased traffic flow would also result in increased adoptions of shelter animals.
And as the number of cats and dogs killed in Indianapolis continues to decline, shelter costs will also decline. This is when the opportunity to improve the lives of cats and dogs increases, through enforceable ordinances and accessible care.
Animal Care and Control could become a significant resource to Indianapolis' cats and dogs, instead of their last stop. There is a great opportunity here to enable people to keep their cats and dogs instead of surrendering them. The FACE Spay/Neuter Clinic has offered our expertise from 12 years of low-cost veterinary care experience to Indianapolis. We hope to be taken up on our offer.