Indy Animal Care feels impact of cold weather at aging shelter

When bitter, cold weather strikes the city, there’s a surge in animals that end up in the city shelter. Indianapolis’s Animal Care Services is feeling the impact at its aging southwest side shelter. 

The shelter has been on emergency intake for three months, but had to bring in 70 dogs during the last week of November when temperatures dropped below 20 degrees.

Legally, people need to bring animals inside when it is colder than 20 degrees. Colleen Walker, public information officer at IACS, said the shelter also has to respond.

“With those calls that we are getting, we are getting a lot more strays, a lot more animals that are going to be on an emergency intake status because they can't be outside,” Walker said.

The shelter continues to operate over capacity, as it has for years. The recent emergency intake change allowed the facility to reduce numbers. The shelter held a number of successful adoption events.

Walker said they are actively working with animal nonprofit partners to make sure all dogs and cats are inside during cold snaps. IACS said partners are crucial to ensure the shelter doesn’t become overwhelmed again.

“We're not going to be adding kennels back into the hallways. It's not humane,” Walker said. “We're trying to put as many animals out to rescue, as many animals up for adoption, as many animals to foster as we can.”

Walker said people can help to make sure animals are microchipped as well as help foster or adopt.

A new shelter for IACS will be twice the size of the current facility. It’s scheduled to open in 2026.

Contact WFYI city government and policy reporter Jill Sheridan at [email protected].