Humane Society of Indianapolis

I first fell in love with Indy Humane after reading the sassy and adorable biographies of the adoptable animals on their website (love their digital presence!). I knew from the first day I stepped foot in there that it’s a great place to volunteer!
All volunteers are required to attend an info session (if you can’t make it, they send you the info via email), fill out an application, attend a basic training (general info + shelter tour), an intro to shelter felines or canines course, a shadow day, and a buddy day (canine volunteers only). The process from start to finish takes 3 – 4 weeks before you can start volunteering independently.
Everyone I have interacted with here has been incredibly kind and dedicated to the shelter. Indy Humane truly values its volunteers and appreciates their hard work! I’ve been really impressed with the communication regarding steps of training — they have it down to a science.
Know going into it that there is a $ 15 training fee and they ask volunteers to donate 8 hours/​month (most go in at a regular day/​time for 2 hours/​week), so if you can’t make that commitment regularly it might not be a good fit. They want their volunteers to be active in the shelter!
The Humane Society cares for 200 – 300 animals at any time, and invests $ 600-​$ 800 per animal during their time at the shelter. They are a private non-​profit and rely on donations!
These animals are in a high-​stress situation and are in need of a loving home, and Indy Humane does everything in their power to socialize the animals and provide them top-​notch care. Every animal undergoes a behavioral and medical assessment prior to hitting the adoption floor. Adoption fees range from $ 0 (FIV+ cats) to $ 250 (puppies). An adoption counselor will do their best to find a good match for you and your lifestyle — after all, these animals are looking for their fur-​ever homes (you’d be surprised how many are adopted as littles ones and returned after a few years because owners can no longer care for them.)
I genuinely look forward to donating my time and socializing the cats once a week. It is such a positive place and I felt confident day one that I was prepared to begin volunteering independently!
Other notes:
*low cost vaccine clinic and spay/​neuter services available
*re“tale” store available in lobby with dog and cat products (proceeds benefit the Humane Society — shop here!)
*closed to the public on Thursdays and major holidays
*ALWAYS looking for donations — check the wish list on their website

I’ve gotten two of my babies from the Humane Society of Indianapolis, and I couldn’t be happier. because these dogs have been an important part of my life. The staff does a terrific job on very limited resources, and they are very good about treating everyone who walks in the doors with the utmost care and respect, regardless of their situation. You can tell that they genuinely care about animals and their welfare. Best of all is the director John Aleshire. He’s not just a fantastic person, but he has done a great job in leading the organization and ensuring that they stay debt-​free. That says a lot about his leadership, and the kind of organization that he runs.

This place was great! Took my pup there today for shots. We were in and out in less than an hour. Not to mention it is cheaper than a vets office. I’m glad to know that there are places out there that care about our pets and our bank accounts!

Although we have not adopted an animal here, we have brought our in laws here to potentially adopt a dog. This shelter is one of the nicest shelters I’ve visited. Their dog park outside and trails are well kept. Not to mention great for dogs currently at the shelter to get a chance to be walked and play. The staff are super helpful and kind.
Their low cost vaccine clinic is AMAZING and a great way to update your pets vaccines but for way less than a typical vet (but I still recommend to have a regular vet for full annual check ups). They also offer heartworm meds that are very discounted. We take our 5 dogs here for annual shots and I can’t praise them enough for this service.
I attended their 2015 Mutt Strut fundraiser and was blown away. What a great concept and even in rain hundreds if not thousands of dogs attended.

Having been a volunteer here during my college days and just an animal lover in general, I don’t have enough positive things to say about the Humane Society!
The no kill mission is great, and the place is clean and well kept. You can tell employees and volunteers alike truly are passionate about the animals they are helping.
You can’t come in this place without feeling good. Okay, probably a little (or a lot, I’ve cried here before) sad too, but mostly happiness that these animals have a safe and loving place to stay before going to a forever home.
I haven’t been lucky enough to be able to adopt a dog or cat friend from here yet due to living situations, but the moment I am allowed, you’ll find me at the Humane Society picking out an animal to take home.

After visiting this «Humane Society» twice in the past 2 days, we now have a wonderful cat from the PetSmart in Noblesville (From Rescue Me RCHS Inc.).
I am a current cat owner and lover who has grown up with cats my entire life.
Our first visit we arrived 30 minutes before closing and were told we were not allowed to fill out any papers, place any holds, nor visit with any kittens because «We don’t start any adoptions an hour within closing.» Whether or not this was just a personal choice by the disrespectful girl working that night or the shelter policy, I don’t know. Any questions my girlfriend asked her were treated as if she was interrupting this girl’s off-​topic conversation with a co-​worker. But okay, fine. I’ll come back tomorrow.
So I take a half day off work to get there when they open. Already have application filled out, hand them the kittens info card, wait 20 mins, and sit down with the adoption manager. This is when things really got absurd. From the get-​go, she started creating hypothetical scenarios as an excuse for us not to take this kitten home.
For one, she seemed shocked that a vet would declaw our current cat and that he hasn’t experienced any negative symptoms from it. To her, the only window to declaw a cat would be within the first few weeks and any older is despicable. Please lady, I don’t care what your views are on declawing, and don’t try to tell me there should be something wrong with my cat you’ve never seen. Not to mention none of the vets we called for declawing pricing ever told us they wouldn’t do it. Get off your high horse.
Along with asking a lot of irrelevant questions about our current pet («Does he roam around the apartment complex at all?» No, he just goes out on the balcony once in a while, I just said that), she latched onto the fact that our current cat is declawed and then assumed that we would be doing it to this kitten, which I told her was wrong multiple times. There are ways to handle a cat with claws.
Nevertheless she rolled out this amazing scenario that this cat will be declawed, and since it’s older than a few weeks it would become «bitey», which to her is apparently equally as bad. THEN, with this «bitey» cat, she asks if there are children in our future, to which I respond possibly, maybe in 5 years down the road (seriously, I’m not even engaged at the moment, but she doesn’t care), and that turns out to be a big no-​no for her with a «bitey» cat (surprise, surprise). She then refused to let us take ANY cats home until our current cat had certain tests done (he is up to date on everything) which our vet «should have known to do.» We have talked to the veterinarians. You know, the people who go to school for this and take care of animals for a living, and they said this shelter is absolutely ridiculous.
I truly feel bad for the animals that are at this shelter. Part of me wishes that all the pets there could be adopted and this place could be shut down, because when you’re rejecting cats from being rescued and placed in a loving home as this kitten would have been, and you’re trying to run an animal shelter, you have some SERIOUS problems.

Recently had the opportunity to take my pomeranian pup (for shots, etc) to the Shelby Street Tuesday 4 – 6 pm clinic. Employees were friendly, informative and welcoming! Great building servicing the Fountain Square district! What a gem in the city.
Thanks sooooo much for making my visit pleasant. It was quick and easy on my wallet. So glad to discover YOU!

This place is amazing! Don’t be fooled by the house looking exterior – this is an animal shelter! After selecting your animal, they provide you with as much information as they can (eating habits, playing with other animals, personality, etc.) If you adopt a dog, you can sign up for training classes with Connie at a discount. It also has a small store inside and the prices there are comparable (if not cheaper) than the big stores, and all the profits go back to the animal shelter.

Bowie is our buddy! When we first got our pup, it took a few days for him to settle down and show us his «true colors.» Honestly, we thought we might have chosen the worst possible dog. However because of The Indianapolis’ Human Society’s patient trainer, we were able to understand him a lot better (more importantly, he was able to understand us). Nowadays, Bowie plays with other dogs and strangers just fine. The Human Society didn’t just give us the dog, they gave us the education.

Whewy! I’m a fan of the Humane Society! I adopted my adorable kitty cat from the Humane Society of Indianapolis about a month ago and it was the best decision I ever made.
I’d never been to the shelter before, but when I arrived I immediately felt welcome and excited to be there. It was a clean and happy atmosphere and the animals looked really well taken care of. I’m not a huge dog person, so I guess I can’t speak for the dog section, but the cat section was awesome. There were cages for some cats as well as free spaces for the cats to roam. Each animal also had a really great description which included a bit about their personality as well as how old they were and how long they’d been in the shelter. There were also «staff favorites» meaning you could adopt the animals for only $ 15! Great deals for great little animals.
When I decided on Chewy — who is now named Giovanni — the helpful volunteer was able to read me his entire history — both medical and personal. She told me a little bit about his life pre-​Humane Society and also all procedures, shots, etc that he’d had while staying at the Humane Society.
They have a great little store where you can buy competitively priced pet toys, food, supplies, etc which was a great addition. They also give you one month of pet insurance and have followed up asking me how kitty cat is doing.
I’m a huge supporter of adopting from shelters … not pet stores… so I was glad to support this amazing organization that does so much for Indy’s furry friends. If I had more space/​time/​money, you know I’d adopt about 10 more cats. For now, it’s just me and Gio, but if in the future we decide we’d like to add another kitty to our litter, Indy Humane Society is the first place I’ll go.

I adopted a wonderful 9 year old cat a few weeks ago and was so excited to give him a new home. It was $ 35 to adopt him! Can you even believe it?!

The Humane Society of Indianapolis truly is an amazing place. I have not yet adopted one of the awesome animals here, but have had the opportunity to be a volunteer here for the past few months. First of all, I am amazed at the facility and resources that the people in charge have been able to put together here, especially since they receive zero funding from the government, ASPCA, the Humane Society of the United States, PETA, United Way, or any other organization like them. The good that they are able to do for these animals stemming solely from contributions and grants is well above what I thought they would ever have access to providing. They really are able to put all contributions to great use. The other big thing that makes this place stand out is that their animals never have an expiration date, and they will never be put down because of time or space. I love that, and it feels good to know that they really will do everything they can to match up an animal with a forever home instead of putting them down because they are too crowded or they have been there too long.
Indy Humane offers a long list of services that people can utilize who already have pets, including a canine training school, behavior helpline and private behavioral consultations, an awesome dog park, pet micro chipping, and of course the volunteer program. They also have a low-​cost vaccine clinic that offers affordable vaccines to keep animals healthy. If you are in the market to adopt a pet, I would highly suggest checking out the animals at Indy Humane. The staff here works very hard not only to make sure that each animal is well taken care of while it is here, but that the animals get sent to the right home for them so they can be there forever. With the help of the volunteers who spend each day with the animals, the staff does a great job of figuring out the personalities of the animals, which they then post descriptions of on the outside of each ones cage. The application process makes sure that these personalities get paired up with the right home, for the benefit of both the animal and the family it is going to. Each adoptions comes with spay/​neuter, microchips, shots, and a health and behavioral tests. Plus, you can get discounted training school classes for you and your new pet if you adopt from this shelter. Feel free to come in and spend as much time as you want with an animal to get to know it before you adopt. If you are looking for a dog, the volunteers can get you and the dog set up in a large play yard so that you can spend some actual quality time together before having to make a decision. The volunteers are there to make sure each dog gets to a forever home, so feel free to spend as much time taking out as many dogs as you need to make a decision.
As far as volunteering goes, it is an awesome experience and I look forward to getting to do this for a long time. My role is to help the large dogs, but I am sure this can relate to most volunteer experiences. First of all, the volunteer coordinator and staff do a great job of making sure every person that volunteers gets the necessary training to both do the job correctly, and do it confidently and comfortably. They definitely do not want to put anybody into a situation that they can’t handle or don’t feel comfortable doing. This includes at minimum attending three training sessions, one that gets you familiar with the shelter, one behavioral class that teaches how to work with animals safely and what kind of things to look for, and one shadow day that allows you to work with a current volunteer to see how everything works firsthand. There is also additional training that is offered if you feel that you aren’t ready to step in a start just yet. They ask only for a 2 hour regular commitment each week, but the more time the better. There is no better way to get into a good mood than getting to spend time with the animals playing in the kennels or going on a walk on one of the hiking trails through the woods. I always feel that I have all of the resources I need to make the most of my time with the animals. The volunteer group is a great bunch of people, and it is a lot of fun to get to come in and spend time with them as well. Everybody is always willing to help someone else out, and a lot of people have been there a long time and can pass on a lot of valuable information. If you aren’t looking to work with animals directly, there are also opportunities available to lend a hand that might fit what you are looking for. In the end, it makes it all worth it when you get to see an animal that you have gotten to work with go home to a new family.

I can’t say enough good things about HSI! We did not adopt our furry kids here, however we utilize many of their services.
We have been taking our 2 year old pup to the training classes with Connie and she is AWESOME! You start by attending a (free) orientation class to learn about how the classes run and what type of training she does. This is a great way to see if it is even the place for you and even if it isnt, you still walk away with some great tips! The classes are organized to allow you to only learn what you want to learn. And you come when it is convenient for you. Couldn’t ask for more!
The dog park at the back of the property is great to let your dog run! For $ 8 you can check it out on a day pass, or for $ 65 you can join for the year. There is plenty of room for your pups to run free without fear of them getting loose. The agility area in the center is also great to teach them new things, or a great area for smaller dogs to run around without being trampled by the bigger dogs. All the patrons seem to do a great job of picking up after their dogs and the area is very clean and well-​kept.
Also recommend the vaccine clinic! They offer all the necessary vaccines to keep your pets healthy at a great cost. They are great with the animals and keep them nice and calm by offering them yummy peanut butter and/​or cheese while administering their vaccines. This made my pups quite happy :)
If you haven’t checked out HSI, you should. They offer so many great services for current and future pet owners. All my future pets will definitely come from here!

I had my dogs micro-​chipped here. This service is offered in the vaccine clinic, which has extremely affordable prices. I also recently signed up for a year membership at their bark park. I didn’t even know it was back there. It is behind the shelter. In my opinion it is a large-​sized park. They also have a small agility course in the center. This park is cheaper than the one in Broad Ripple, and it is so much nicer too.

This is a happy place, making the most of a sad situation. The reason humane societies exist is to obviously care for abandoned animals, and this Indianapolis location does a wonderful job of making the customers feel welcome, along with taking care of the animals that live there. The volunteers are happy, willing, and eager to help these animals find a nice, safe home. There are plenty of kittens, cats, puppies, and older dogs. Kittens and younger animals are more expensive than older animals, which is to be expected since more people tend to lean towards younger animals. There is a dog park across the parking lot, and there are plenty of habitats for the animals to live in. The building is clean and the animals are all in healthy condition. Applause for the dedicated volunteers!

Volunteers are always needed. Do something good. lend a hand!

HSI is a great place to find a new cat or dog friend! Please consider adoption before you pay big bucks to a breeder or pet store — lot’s of perfectly lovable animal friends need homes, and HSI is an organization dedicated to getting animals adopted to good homes.
We have adopted all of our cats over the years from HSI and will continue to do so.
We also use their low cost clinic to vaccinate our dog.
HSI has a wonderful bark park, good hearted volunteers, and fun promotions like 2 kittens for the price of 1.
What an asset to Indy; highly recommended.

Very clean! It actually smelled great! I thought all shelters had an overpowering smell but Indy Humane Society did not! The animals are cared for dearly. The cat areas were very well maintained!
This is our second dog from the humane society. Our first one was over 11 years ago. The improvements since then are really nice!
The staff is very friendly and energetic!

I realized that I hadn’t updated this with a review of the Humane Society’s attached dog park. What a treasure.
I’ve been a member for more than a year. Even though the park is a bit of a drive for me, I’ve never regretted signing up. First, the space is huge and well secured. Even the most energetic dog will find it tough to leave with much energy. The grounds are well kept and the fencing is well maintained to make sure no dogs are escaping. The folks who use the park are largely excellent about cleaning up after their dogs and it is rare that you have to step over or around dog poop.
In general, the dog owners are a fantastic bunch. Most everyone tries hard to keep an eye on their dog (s) and make sure that the chaos is as contained as possible. At the same time, most folks want to let the dogs be dogs and aren’t micro-​managing the dogs play. While it’s always a good idea to check in with another owner about whether your dog is playing too rough, I’ve never had anyone be anything but pleasant (even when someone felt my overly hump-​prone pooch was being a bit too amorous). Like any dog park, there is a certain amount of behind the scenes intrigue among the regulars but you can participate as much or as little in all of that as you want.
One of the best features of the park is a separately fenced off agility area in the middle of the park. It has great obstacles for your dog and also makes a great cool down area for a dog who is getting too feisty.
Overall, I highly recommend joining the park. It’s a great investment for you and your dog.

This is such an amazing place.
I started volunteering out here since I love animals and know that there are fewer cat volunteers than dog volunteers and that cats stay at shelters longer.
Indy Humane Society cares so much for dogs and cats. I volunteer as a Feline Friend about 2 – 4 hours per week, mostly as an individual volunteer and today on behalf of
. OneBrick just launched their Indy chapter and today was dog wash and walk… as well as working with the employees to get the cat enclosures ready for the public. A HUGE thank you goes out to Elite Unilocaler — Dana P. — in launching OneBrick in Indy! It was a great way to spend the morning.
If you love animals and have about 2 hours a week to spare… please consider volunteering your time at the Indy Humane Society… or any rescue group that appeals to you. Animals are innocent and need our help.