Welcome to the Indy No-kill Initiative!
The Indy No-Kill initiative seeks to implement proven techniques to Indianapolis to reform the animal welfare community to a philosophy where killing sheltered animals is not the automatic solution to every problem, but only a last resort and used on a small percentage of animals. While to many this may seem an impractical solution to the animal issues faced in our community, it has been proven to be not only practical, but cost effective. It's also a wonderful rallying point for a community that wants to prove itself a sophisticated, world-class city.
Recommendations submitted to IACC board as serious problems persist at shelter
Three weeks after two independent investigators substantiated claims of mistreatment of animals and violation of laws at Indianapolis Animal Care & Control, and the subsequent resignation of IACC Administrator Steve Talley, more disturbing reports of suffering and death within the facility are surfacing.
Investigator's reports now available online
Late last night I received the investigators' reports. There is a bit of confusion since the reports are substantially similar and both seemed to be signed by Joan Isaacs, but only one was signed by Karen Jensen. I presume the confusion will be addressed at the hearing this afternoon.
Full package of grievance text and related photos now online
The full text of the grievance filed August 10th, 2008 with the IACC advisory board, complete with all attachments, as well as a complete archive of full-resolution photos depicting various conditions within IACC is now available as a .zip archive file. The file can be downloaded by clicking here. Please note that the file is 16MB due to the large number of high-resolution photographs. People using Windows XP or later should have no trouble opening the archive.
Important Venue Change Note
We received a notice from the Erin Pratt in Public Safety that the hearing and IACC board meeting would be in the Public Assembly room on the 2nd floor of the City-County building, NOT in room 260, as had been stated previously.
Grievance Hearing Wednesday, Sept. 10th
This update is long overdue, and I apologize for that. My last update e-mail asked many critical questions about the upcoming grievance. Fortunately, someone passed that e-mail along to Mr. Newman who was kind enough to spend time responding to the questions, as well as assuring me that his aggressive, prosecutorial demeanor at the August 13th board meeting was not at all an expression of bias. So apparently the considerable number of us who interpreted it that way were all mistaken, as Mr. Newman was actually supporting our right
Citizens file official grievance with IACC
Indianapolis, Ind., August 10, 2008– In a letter of grievance filed today with the Indianapolis Animal Care & Control (IACC) advisory board, a group of over 50 citizens cited multiple violations of Indianapolis law and examples of animal mistreatment within the IACC shelter.
Most disturbing was the account of a cat supposedly euthanized and left for dead, but found alive and in pain hours later, and evidence that there may be deliberate alteration of official kennel records to conceal failure to provide timely treatment for a seriously ill animal.
Citizens urged to help stop animal mistreatment at city shelter
Following numerous firsthand observations of animal care & treatment violations at Indianapolis Animal Care & Control (IACC) which were dismissed by IACC Administrator Steve Talley, a group of citizens has prepared an official grievance to be filed with the IACC Advisory Board for hearing/resolution at the IACC board meeting scheduled for 6pm, August 13th at the IACC shelter, 2600 S. Harding Street.
Humane Society announces new director
Humane Society of Indianapolis (HSI) announced on Friday the hiring of their new executive director. Seemingly in keeping with the criticism that has plagued the society for years, this decision is already facing skeptics.
IACC says suffering of maggot-infested kitten not excessive
In a response to an inquiry from 7/21/08, Indianapolis Animal Care & Control Administrator Steve Talley issued the agencies "official" conclusions about the 2-day suffering of a seriously debilitated, maggot-infested kitten discovered by volunteers on June 24. The circumstances surrounding this are outlined in a letter of complaint filed with the IACC advisory board on July 4th. You may read the entirety of the letter by clicking here.


