Fort Wayne, IN – Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control has been awarded a Bright Idea Award for profiling its cold cases with media partner WANE-TV.

Over the course of the summer FWACC teamed up with WANE-TV to get the public’s help on solving open investigations. Eight cold cases were profiled in the segments and several tips from the public poured into the shelter. The cases ranged from extremely emaciated animals to deceased animals.

The initiative has raised awareness about the work Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control does to end animal cruelty and neglect in our community and educate the public on the known link between animal abuse and other types of abuse. It’s also sparked statewide attention from animal-welfare advocates working to strengthen animal laws in Indiana.

“We are fortunate to be in a community that is filled with passionate animal lovers and by taking these unsolved cases to the public with the help of our partners at WANE-TV we’ve been able to give a voice to the voiceless,” Pasquinelli said.

Director Amy-Jo Sites and Community Relations and Education Specialist Holly Pasquinelli received the award on behalf of the shelter at the Great Lakes Animal Welfare Conference held in Detroit. The award is presented by Michigan Humane Society which selects five animal shelters to receive Bright Ideas Awards. These shelters kicked off a creative campaign, thought up a cutting-edge project, or made exciting improvements to their facilities and shared their ideas with other shelters at the Great Lakes Animal Welfare Conference.

This is the second time Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control has been recognized with a Bright Idea Award. It received the honor in 2015 for the Community Cat Program.

Fort Wayne, IN – Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control wants to remind residents of precautions to take around bats to prevent possible exposure to rabies. 

Rabies is a viral disease of the central nervous system that is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. The virus is carried in the saliva of infected animals and is usually transmitted to people and other animals when they are bitten or scratched by the rabid animal.

Bats transmit the most human cases of rabies in Indiana. While it is still a low percentage of bats that do carry rabies, a bat that is active during the day, is unable to fly, or is found in a place where bats are not usually seen -- such as a room in your home -- is more likely to be rabid.

Bats present an additional concern because they have small, sharp teeth which may not leave a visible mark. Persons exposed to bats are often given the rabies vaccine as a precaution, especially if the bat is found in a room with a young child, a sleeping person, an intoxicated or mentally-impaired person.

In many cases, however, the expensive treatment is unnecessary if the bat can be safely captured alive and found to be rabies-free.

If a bat is found inside your home, do not kill it or set it free if there is a chance it may have come in contact with a person or pet. Instead, residents are urged to contain the bat and contact Animal Care & Control immediately so the bat can be tested for rabies.

To safely capture a bat indoors:
- close the windows, room and closet doors
- turn on lights
- wait for the bat to land
- wearing long sleeves and heavy gloves, cover the bat with a pail, coffee can or similar    container

• NEVER touch a bat with your bare hands
• call your local animal control office

If you spot a grounded bat outdoors, you can prevent further contact with people and pets by covering it with a pail or similar container and then calling Animal Care & Control.

Protect your pets by making sure they are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. As a precaution, never handle wild animals.

If an exposure does occur, immediately wash the wound with soap and water and then seek medical attention. Call Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control at (260) 427-1244 or ask your healthcare provider or the emergency room staff to fax a completed bite report form to (260) 427-5514.

More information can be found at www.allencountyhealth.com or by calling (260) 427-1244.

City of Fort Wayne – In an effort to save as many lives as possible, Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control is implementing a new initiative, called the Pet Assistance and Rehoming program, aimed at preventing pets from having to enter the shelter by keeping them at home with their owners whenever possible.

More than 10,000 animals come through the shelter’s door each year. It is our goal to provide the best outcome for each and every one of those lives. As an open admissions shelter that does not turn an animal away for any reason, ensuring a positive outcome for each one is one of the biggest challenges.

Implementing the Pet Assistance and Rehoming program means the shelter no longer accepts walk-in owner surrenders. Instead, pet owners first work one-on-one with a staff member to address the underlying issues that are preventing them from keeping their pet, or learn how to rehome their pet without bringing it to the shelter.  If pet owners ultimately decide they must surrender their animal to the shelter, they can do so by appointment only. 

"One of our main priorities is helping people hold on to their beloved pets, and this program allows us to focus on providing resources to help them do that," Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control Director Amy-Jo Sites said. "Competition is tough when our kennels are full and we need to make decisions on outcomes for these animals. By implementing this new life-saving program pet owners are giving us more time to find a positive outcome for their pet by keeping it in their homes or even rehoming it themselves."

Life-saving efforts like this have been very successful in communities similar to Fort Wayne. A municipal shelter in Charlotte, North Carolina reported more than 800 fewer animals were surrendered to the shelter in the first year staff began spending more one-on-one time with pet owners. The shelter was concerned that a shift toward scheduling surrenders could lead to more animals being dumped or brought in as strays instead of owned animals. In fact, the shelter saw fewer stray animals come through its doors and that number continues to decrease.

Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control has been awarded a $5,000 matching grant from the Best Friends organization to help support this program through the Pet Retention Fund. With the community’s support we hope to raise an additional $5,000 by September 15 to help families in our community.

To learn more about the Pet Assistance and Rehoming program click HERE. If you'd like to donate to the Pet Retention Fund click HERE.