Here to HelpGiving Up Your Pet

The Humane Society of Indianapolis typically asks people who wish to surrender pets and strays to call for an appointment to bring cats and dogs to the shelter. This allows staff to ensure proper care and adequate space for every animal that comes in. Due to the large number of animals currently in the shelter’s care and our limited resources, we cannot currently take walk-in surrenders. Appointments to surrender will be scheduled as resources become available.

Please consider every available alternative before admitting your pet to a shelter. Though we don't euthanize for space or time, the shelter can be a stressful environment for companion animals, and there are often many alternatives to behavior or housing issues:

Check out our advice on re-homing your pet to a friend, neighbor or family member who is interested in having a pet.
Refer to our Pet Advice & Resources for help with behavior and other problematic issues.
For dogs with behavior issues, consider our Canine Training School.
For help with dog and cat issues, see our pet resources, including our Behavior Helpline via phone and email.

If you've exhausted all options to keep your pet or find a new home for him or her, call 317.872.5650 ext. 0 to make an appointment to surrender your owned cat or dog to the Humane Society of Indianapolis. (Strays in your possession for 30 days or longer are considered owned.)

IndyHumane also accepts rescue-transfer animals and strays - as space allows, and also by appointment only. Appointments are often filled a week or more in advance so please plan accordingly. We do not accept feral cats, small mammals or wild animals, though we can help you find a rescue organization who can help.

Appointments are available every day of the week (except Thursdays, when we are closed to the public) between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. We will ask for basic information about your animal’s health and temperament. You can type this out in advance if you would like and give it to us at the time of surrender.This appointment will take approximately 30 minutes; please allow extra time if bringing in more than one animal.

Even though we don't put animals down for space, we have limited resources and work to use them as effectively as possible to help animals find families. The goal of owner-surrender appointments is to help pet owners make an informed decision before they give up their pets due to destructive, aggressive, or other problematic behavior, an inability to be housetrained, health issues, or because the animal doesn't get along with children or other pets. This gives owners the opportunity to work through the issues they have with their pets based on helpful information, and ultimately helps keep pets in homes with loving families. Scheduling also allows IndyHumane to guarantee that animals will not be put down simply due to lack of space, and helps us provide necessary services for the animals in our care.

IndyHumane does not require any fee to drop off an animal, but donations are gladly accepted. We do not receive any tax or public funding for the care of our animals. All of our efforts are supported solely by private donations.