EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) – The Vanderburgh Humane Society (VHS) is partnering with Evansville Animal Care and Control (EACC) and Best Friends Animal Society as part of Best Friends’ Prince and Paws Shelter Collaborative Program with a goal of increasing a live release rate from 61% to 90% for dogs and cats entering Evansville Animal Care and Control.

Officals say the goal of the partnership is to improve the save rate at EACC by the end of the year grant program. A news release says this would mean that the vast majority of the dogs and cats entering animal control’s care leave alive, understanding that some animals will be too medically or behaviorally fragile to be released. Officials say Best Friends helps to facilitate these matches, works with peer mentors to create a contract that includes clear grant parameters, provides mentors with seed grants and offers ongoing training and coaching to mentors and fellows.

The news release says Evansville Animal Care and Control and VHS will use the funding to implement proven strategies to decrease unnecessary intake and increase adoptions, community engagement and rescue partnerships.

Officials say current partnership initiatives are:

  1. Free microchips for pets in the community at pop-up microchip clinics, including the first one coming up on March 3 from 1 to 5 p.m. This event is located in VHS’s rear Intake lobby. National microchip registration is included at no extra charge.
  2. Use portions of the grant to waive reclaim fees so families can reclaim their pets from EACC more quickly, with less financial burden.
  3. Creative initiatives to improve outcomes for cats.
  4. To provide best practice recommendations to update the city of Evansville’s Animal Control Ordinance.
  5. A focused collaboration around promotion of adoptable pets and fundraising for animals’ medical expenses at both organizations.

Together, the VHS and EACC expect these strategies to really reduce the need to euthanize animals simply for lack of space at EACC.

Kendall Paul, CEO of the Vanderburgh Humane Society, says, “Things will only improve for our community’s animals if we all work together. This grant will take the VHS and Evansville Animal Care and Control’s longtime partnership to new heights. The initiatives that come from this collaboration will have a positive impact for the people and animals of Vanderburgh County.”