National, local animal shelter overcrowding crisis prompts town hall conversation

WNIN | By Tim Jagielo

Published January 16, 2025 at 8:22 PM CST

Clark, a 130 pound rescue dog was Town Hall Facilitator Lyn Miller Pease's living illustration for the need for more adoptions — especially of larger dogs. He filtered thorugh the crowd being petted during the panel discussion and audience questions.

Public forum included the local humane society and animal care and control; the forum ended with a commitment to continue the conversation and to work toward finding solutions.

Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry (right) hosted the town hall meeting, Wednesday January 15. Lynn Miller Pease (left) facilitated discussions and kept everyone on track.

On Wednesday, Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry hosted a town hall meeting to discuss the challenges local animal shelters are facing with overcrowding.

Shelter overcrowding is a local and national problem. Todd Robertson, executive director of transportation & services said it’s a case of too many animals and not enough places for them.

It’s a problem at both the Vanderburgh County Humane Society and Evansville Animal Care and Control Shelter.

Lynn Miller Pease CEO of Leadership Everyone facilitated the town hall discussion.

The expert discussion panel included representatives from Animal Care & Control, the Vanderburgh Humane Society, PAAWS, Project ARF and It Takes a Village.

Kendall Paul, CEO of the Vanderburgh County Humane Society, said there are many barriers to affordable spay and neuter services — such as cost, availability of veterinarians and location of clinics. Fewer litters would mean fewer animals being brought to the humane society shelter, and animal control car and control shelter.

The panel discussed several causes for the overcrowding. One root are pets not being spayed or neutered. Another is the need for more foster homes.

Humane Society CEO Kendall Paul spoke about the challenge of a six-month wait to spay or neuter a pet.

“That dog can have a litter in that time,” Paul said. “And now we've taken one step forward and five steps or 10 steps back, depending upon what they had. So that's a long term type issue, but those are those root issues you're talking about.”

Robertson who oversees the city animal care and control, said owner responsibility is a big part of it too.

“These pets, nine times out of 10, they came from somewhere,” he said. “And then (if) we can get the pet owners to be responsible enough to either one — get them spayed and neutered, or two, don't allow them to run loose —”

Then animal control has to pick them up, and if they’ve strayed too far from home, have to be taken to the shelter.

About 100 attended the forum at the CK Newsome Center. Some offered questions or suggestions including how ordinances and state laws can ease the problem.

Victories were also shared. For example, the humane society shelter has a 93-percent live-release rate as opposed to 41-percent in the mid- 90s.

The forum ended with a commitment to continue the conversation and to work toward finding solutions to issues that were raised. No official decisions or policy changes were made.

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Perry County resident James Carter used the forum to ask panelists about rabies vaccinations — specifically the feasibility of vet tech being able to administer them to make it easier and quicker to get animals vaccinated.