INDIANA – Nearly 300 animal-welfare professionals and volunteers, rescue and community organizations, veterinary professionals, and government officials from across the state gathered April 17 and 18 in Indianapolis for the 7th annual Indiana Animal Welfare Conference.
The conference featured three different tracks of seminars and speakers, as well as an exhibit hall and networking sessions. With shelters, foster, and rescue services in Indiana and across the country overwhelmed, the critical role of spaying and neutering was a focus throughout the event.
“As Indiana’s only statewide animal welfare organization, our role is to connect the dots,” said Cheri Storms, executive director of Pet Friendly Services of Indiana, the host organization for the event. “This conference is one of the ways we do that. We bring together veterinarians, shelters, rescues, and advocates so they can learn from each other. We know that prevention works. Spaying and neutering work. This conference is about helping people move from reacting to the problem to getting ahead of it.”
At the conference, Pet Friendly Services of Indiana launched a new, statewide Spay/Neuter Resource Directory, making it easier for pet owners to find affordable options close to home. The directory is searchable by county and includes low-cost clinics, transport programs (to clinics), voucher programs, and mobile clinics across Indiana, all in one place.
The tool was created in response to a growing need. Many pet owners want to get their pets fixed, but don’t know how to access services. Some Indiana counties are “vet deserts” without a single veterinary clinic.
“I was really impressed with the caliber of speakers,” said Dr. Ryan Hill, clinical assistant professor of shelter medicine & surgery at Purdue University, who attended the conference for the first time this year. “Some people might not think of Indiana as a big name in animal welfare, but this event featured some big-name speakers. The vet track offered some very practical insights, and it was great to meet so many other people in shelter care, both professionals and volunteers. I spoke to so many people in the exhibit hall, and there was a lot more to explore. I will absolutely go back next year.”
Dr. Hill is part of the Priority4Paws program at Purdue. P4P provides services for affiliated shelters across Indiana to prepare animals for adoption. Shelters bring about a dozen in at a time, and they receive spay/neuter, vaccination, heartworm testing, and microchips.
“Among professionals and volunteers, there has been a shift in the last few years,” Dr. Hill added, “from simply providing care to the animals in shelters to preventing animals from having to go to a shelter in the first place. Spaying/neutering is the most important part of that. It is also just preventive health care for companion animals.”
Pet Friendly Services of Indiana has provided free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to more than 300 rescues, shelters, and community-cat groups throughout the state.
“The conference was a really strong mix of practical learning and meaningful conversations,” said Rhiannon Johns, communications manager for the organization. “We had sessions on everything from best practices in trap-neuter-vaccinate-release programs for community cats to briefings on high-volume spay/neuter training for vets and vet techs. There were also tracks for leaders and volunteers in shelters and rescues.
“The energy all through the conference was enthusiastic and collaborative,” Johns continued. “People were sharing what’s working, what’s not, and how we chart a compassionate and practical future for animal welfare. It really brought together people from across animal welfare who are all trying to solve the same challenges in different ways.”
