Pet Adoption | Brownsburg Animal Clinic

Misty Eyes Animal Center's administration building in front and to the right and its Kitty City cat shelter to the rear and left.

Celebrating Misty Eyes Animal Center’s Kitty City

Community Service, Pet Adoption, Veterinary Medicine / Dr. Brady

Exterior, Misty Eyes Animal Center's Kitty City shelter for cats — *Exterior, Misty Eyes Animal Center’s recently-completed Kitty City shelter for cats*

This year, in observance of Shelter Appreciation Week, we celebrate the upcoming opening of Misty Eyes Animal Center’s brand new cat shelter—Kitty City—and Brownsburg Animal Clinic’s longstanding relationship with Misty Eyes in their work as a rescue organization.

Misty Eyes was founded in October 2011 by Cherie Fox and Renee Harlor as a not-for-profit, all-volunteer, foster-based animal rescue operation. At the time, Cherie Fox was a client of Brownsburg Animal Clinic.

As the new rescue organization took shape, clinic owner Timea Brady, DVM, and one of her associates then, Matt Cantrell, DVM, took special interest in the new “rescue mission” their client was creating.

“Dr. Brady was my personal pets’ veterinarian well before I founded Misty Eyes,” Fox recalled. “I already just loved and respected Dr. Brady and her staff.

“We started Misty Eyes out pretty slow as we needed to build our foster base and raise the funds to actually take care of the animals that would come to us. However we did pick up much quicker than even I anticipated after Dr. Cantrell joined our Board of Directors and helped facilitate our relations with the county-run animal shelter.”

Previously, the Hendricks County Animal Shelter had not allowed rescue organizations to come in and pull animals from the shelter to place in foster care and offer for adoption through rescue channels.

“After Dr. Cantrell helped us gain access—once we were in at the shelter—things really started moving,” said Fox. “And the support from the community was huge.”

From the outset, Dr. Brady offered Misty Eyes the clinic’s veterinary services for the dogs and cats in foster care at discounted rates—a community service Brownsburg Animal Clinic continues to this day. The clinic has also sponsored booths at Misty Eyes fund-raising events.

These days, Misty Eyes has about 200 animals in its network of approved foster homes requiring about 5% of the clinic’s services.

“Sometimes it can be a challenge balancing the needs of our Misty Eyes patients with those of our pet-owning clients,” said Dr. Brady. “We usually see them as drop-offs to fit in between scheduled appointments or work up over lunch. Most of the Misty Eyes medical cases are pretty complex, and it can make for long, tiring days trying to figure them out.

“A lot of the cases they bring to us are senior pets that maybe haven’t had the best care during their lifetimes,” Dr. Brady continued. “It’s rewarding to be able to help them overcome their issues, like skin problems and dental diseases, and work with Misty Eyes to give them a second lease on life in new forever homes.”

Dr. Brady recalled treating a rescued dog from Misty Eyes whose owner deliberately tied her to his bumper and dragged her down the road. “She had terrible road rash, but her fosters were great. We did tons of bandage changes and warm water therapy and she did overcome her injuries. Despite the obvious trauma, she never stopped trusting us and was such a gentle soul.

“Another especially memorable patient came to us as a skin-and-bones case with parasites and some fractured vertebrae in his back. With some pain meds, deworming and good care, he was adopted and became a happy, normal dog.

“It’s so rewarding to play a role in rescuing these animals.”

“Dr. Brady and her staff have been a part of the Misty Eyes journey from the very beginning,” said Fox. “Without her, we would not have been capable of saving as many lives as we have saved.

“The veterinarians and staff who work for her have all joined the efforts to go above and beyond for the animals that have come to us with medical needs. They don’t hesitate to take on some of our most challenging medical cases.

“Some have even taken our special needs pets into their own homes to monitor and care for them until their conditions stabilized. That level of support has allowed us to double our efforts to take in homeless pets with severe medical needs.”

To show their appreciation for Brownsburg Animal Clinic’s continuing support, Misty Eyes recognizes the clinic as a sponsor of all signature special events. Most recently, they dedicated a suite in their newly-constructed cat shelter to Brownsburg Animal Clinic.

The Challenges of Shelter Medicine

Veterinarians in private practice have always served homeless animals in shelters and foster care. It is only within the past decade that shelter medicine has been formally recognized within veterinary medicine as a defined area of specialized teaching, research and practice.

In 2014, the American Veterinary Medical Association formally recognized shelter medicine as a veterinary specialty, acknowledging that veterinarians who work with or for shelters need special knowledge and skills to care for sheltered pets.

“We don’t consider ourselves shelter medicine specialists,” said Dr. Brady, “but in working with Misty Eyes over the years, we’ve broadened our knowledge of general medicine and surgery to include herd health,” said Dr. Brady. “That means an even greater emphasis on areas like epidemiology, preventive medicine and infectious disease control.”

Among the challenges veterinarians face in caring for patients from shelters and rescue organizations, sheltered and rescued animals often have no available medical records or known health histories.

They may have been neglected or abused, and because of their exposure to many other animals—especially in closed, communal settings—may be at much higher risk for infectious diseases than family pets.

Many sheltered and rescued animals have been abandoned or surrendered for adoption because of behavior problems, so veterinarians working with shelters and rescue organizations are called on to offer extra expertise in behavior modification aimed at resolving issues and helping make the animals more likely to succeed in adoptive homes.

Although not as much of a factor among fostered animals, animals living in shelters may also present behavioral issues stemming from the stresses that come with confinement and living with large groups of animals.

‘Client Communications Can Be A Bit Tricky’

In caring for family pets, the Brownsburg Animal Clinic team communicates directly with owners who are the decision-makers in determining the patient’s course of treatment.

With fostered patients from Misty Eyes, the team interacts with with about 70 active foster caregivers who are living with the animals in their homes and bringing them in for treatment as well as designated contacts at Misty Eyes who choose treatment options and authorize payment for veterinary care.

“Communications about rescued animals can be a bit tricky compared with communications with individual pet owner-clients,” said Dr. Brady. “In terms of client communication, we’re called on to do double duty—counseling with the foster caregiver who brings in the patient and who will carry out any home care and also with the Misty Eyes staff who are the decision-makers.

“We rely a lot on our techs to help the fosters understand what’s going on, explain how to care for the animal once they get back home, and answer any medical questions they may have. Meanwhile, our doctors usually email our primary Misty Eyes contact—a longtime volunteer and board VP, Jennifer McCarty—to report on exam and test results and discuss our diagnoses and recommended treatment options.

“We always call Jennifer and get her authorization ahead of time if we believe a relatively expensive test is called for, but we know we can go ahead with routine lab work without needing to clear it first.

“We are fortunate that as a no-kill rescue, Misty Eyes allows us to do testing and treatment other rescues and shelters might not have the funds for. We do try to keep their bottom line in mind, but honestly, we do the same for all our patients.”

Based on her emailed and telephone interactions with clinic veterinarians and technicians and the agreed-upon treatment, McCarty contacts the patients’ foster caregivers to go over findings and next steps.

“If there’s any further questioning or disagreement with the decisions that have been made—and that happens occasionally with some fosters—we depend on Jennifer to resolve those,” Dr. Brady said.

“Ultimately, Misty Eyes owns the animals and is footing the bills, so unless the fosters want to contribute to the medical fund to cover additional services they feel are necessary, they usually end up deferring to Misty Eyes’ judgment and trusting the process that has saved so many animals over so many years.”

How Kitty City Will Impact Veterinary Care

As Kitty City becomes home to as many as 50 cats and kittens at a time, Dr. Brady anticipates a few differences between caring for the sheltered pets and the fostered ones from Misty Eyes.

“We expect working with our fostered patients to go on as usual, but in some ways our patients from Kitty City will be easier to keep track of, with all the caregiving and communication about them coming directly from the Misty Eyes staff.

Interior, Misty Eyes Animal Center's Kitty City shelter for cats — *Interior, Kitty City shelter for cats*

“We will also undoubtedly see greater consistency of care for our Kitty City patients than with patients living in foster homes. While they’re all dedicated, committed animal lovers who’ve gone through a stringent application and training process, some foster caregivers know more about animals and their medical care and are able to communicate with us better than others. Their home environments may vary considerably, too, in terms of exposure to communicable diseases—things like kennel cough, ringworm, intestinal parasites and fleas. In some situations, we may see the fostered animals and the caregiver’s personal pets infecting each other.

“In addition to being very thoughtfully designed to provide as home-like an atmosphere as possible, Kitty City will be a much more consistently controlled environment.”

‘Love, Dedication and Care’

During 2023, Misty Eyes took in 737 homeless animals. With room to accommodate 50 cats in its “stress-free luxury suites,” Kitty City will enable Misty Eyes to save more than 400 cats each year.

In the next building phases on its 3.2-acre property in Avon, Misty Eyes plans to construct Canine Country to shelter dogs, followed by an education and training center and a garden area with walking paths.

“Misty Eyes would not be as big and strong as we are today without the support of Brownsburg Animal Clinic,” said Fox. “The love, dedication and care our pets have received at Brownsburg Animal Clinic have not only given so many pets a second chance at a wonderful life but have put we humans who have to deal with the worst cases of neglect or abuse of these poor animals at ease, knowing they are being treated and cared for by the best team.

“I really can’t sing their praises enough.”

To Find Out More

Visit the Misty Eyes Animal Center website and Facebook page.

See also our post, “Fosters provide the love. Misty Eyes provides the rest.” for much more information about Misty Eyes Animal Center operations and volunteer opportunities.

Celebrating Misty Eyes Animal Center’s Kitty City Read More »

Black Labrador Retriever with graying muzzle

ASPCA’s Adopt a Senior Pet Month

Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^® has designated November as Adopt a Senior Pet Month. The Brownsburg Animal Clinic team joins the ASPCA^® in encouraging you to consider welcoming an older dog or cat into your household.

Kittens and puppies are cute! But adopting an older pet has advantages.

Adult dogs and cats need less monitoring and training than puppies and kittens do.
Many senior pets up for adoption are already house-trained.
Senior pets tend to be less destructive than younger ones.
Senior pets are already mature and fully-grown, so you know what to expect in terms of size and temperament from the beginning.
Opening your home and heart to a senior pet is a nice thing to do.

Senior pets are the least likely to be adopted from shelters. Your decision to adopt a senior dog or cat offers obvious benefits to the pet, allowing them to enjoy their remaining years in the comfort of a loving home.

To help you make a better-informed decision about adopting an older pet—and to help any of our clients provide better care for aging pets—we’re linking to a video from the American Veterinary Medical Association titled, “Elderly Pets and Your Veterinarian.” In less than six minutes, the video provides a good overview of health concerns of older pets.

Finding Your Senior Pet

To find the right senior pet for you, we encourage you to visit Misty Eyes Animal Center and the Hendricks County Animal Shelter.

If you’re interested in adopting a dog of a specific breed, visit the American Kennel Club’s Rescue Network. Visit the Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue website to find surrendered and abandoned purebred cats available for adoption.

ASPCA’s Adopt a Senior Pet Month Read More »

Group of approximately 40 Misty Eyes Animal Center volunteers

‘Fosters provide the love. Misty Eyes provides the rest.’

Community Service, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

June is National Foster a Pet Month, set aside to recognize the contributions foster caregivers make to animal welfare by providing temporary homes for rescued pets while freeing space in shelters.

Based in Avon, Misty Eyes Animal Center is an all-volunteer organization that relies on a network of nearly 100 foster homes—mostly in Hendricks County and western Marion County—to care for rescued animals from throughout our community, region and state.

Cherie Fox and Renee Harlor founded Misty Eyes in October 2011. Last year, the group rescued 737 animals.

Currently about 70 volunteers are actively fostering one or more pets rescued by Misty Eyes. Another 22 or so qualified foster caregivers are “on pause” right now, taking a break from fostering for a variety of reasons. Most will resume fostering as soon as they’re ready to take in the next animal.

There are an additional 90 Misty Eyes volunteers helping with a variety of essential tasks to rescue, manage and place animals and maintain the organization’s expanding facility at 616 South County Road 800 E.

Brownsburg Animal Clinic has been a longtime supporter of Misty Eyes Animal Center, participating in special events and offering discounted fees for the rescued animals’ veterinary care.

“Brownsburg Animal Clinic has been with us from the beginning,” said co-founder Fox. “In our time working together, we’ve grown to trust them to give us sound advice and excellent care to every animal we bring in for treatment.

“We couldn’t do all we do for our rescues without that relationship.”

There’s No Place Like Home

Even the best-run animal shelters can be lonely, stressful environments for displaced dogs and cats.

The individual attention rescued animals receive in foster care gives them an opportunity to relax in a home environment, recover from any illnesses or surgeries, relate one-on-one to loving caregivers and other pets and learn the life skills they need to succeed in adoptive homes.

Foster caregivers get to know the animals as they help them adapt to home life. The information they provide about the fostered pets’ emerging personalities helps adoption counselors match them with potential adopters.

Jennifer McCarty, now a Misty Eyes vice president, has volunteered with the organization almost from the beginning.

“I’ve been a volunteer for the past 11 years,” said McCarty, “and I’ve been fostering the whole time. At this point, I don’t know how many dogs and cats I’ve fostered. I know it’s a lot. Maybe hundreds.”

McCarty said the need for more foster caregivers is constant.

“Shelters are more packed than ever right now, and Misty Eyes always needs more foster homes,” she said. “Having more approved foster homes available means we can take in more dogs and cats and puppies and kittens when they need us most.

“For some of them, the foster home can make the difference between life and death.”

The Rescued Pets

The animals Misty Eyes rescues are strays, owner-surrendered pets and homeless pregnant animals’ puppies and kittens. Some come directly to Misty Eyes and others are “pulled” from overcrowded shelters.

“There’s always a steady stream of animals,” McCarty said, “and we stay at capacity based on what our approved foster homes are able to take in.”

Misty Eyes retains control and guardianship of fostered pets, providing food, supplies, toys and veterinary care. According to the Misty Eyes web page on fostering, “Fosters provide the love. Misty Eyes provides the rest.”

“We have an area at our center in Avon where our fosters come to pick up supplies—food, collars, leashes, crates—anything they need,” said McCarty. “If an animal needs prescription food or some other special equipment or supply, we order that in and have it ready for the foster to pick up.”

The length of time a pet remains in a Misty Eyes foster home varies.

“The typical animal that comes in with no major medical problems, I’d say stays with us a month or less,” McCarty said. “A pregnant cat stays at least three months.

“Animals with temporary medical or behavioral concerns won’t be advertised as available until they’re ready for adoption,” she added.

Occasionally, animals have problems that can’t be resolved well enough to offer them for placement in permanent homes.

“We’re not an animal sanctuary,” McCarty explained, “so we don’t deliberately bring in animals that can’t ultimately be adopted.

“But from time to time, we’ll take in an animal with a medical or behavior problem we didn’t realize was there. It turns out they’re not adoptable and will need to continue indefinitely in foster care.”

As examples, McCarty cites a dog with a heart condition who lived with a Misty Eyes foster caregiver for seven years. Another dog who “doesn’t like other animals” has proved difficult to place. “She’s been with Misty Eyes almost as long as I have, but we haven’t found the right home for her. She’s lived happily with her foster family for so long now, she’s probably there for life.”

What It Takes To Foster

To qualify to foster, McCarty said, “You need to love animals and be willing to care for them responsibly, as if they were your own.”

Becoming a foster caregiver for Misty Eyes begins with completing a detailed online application form.

The screening questions are thoughtful and thorough, reflecting expectations clearly and demonstrating just how seriously the organization takes its role and responsibilities as guardians of the animals in its care.

In addition to asking questions about multiple aspects of potential home life for a fostered pet, the foster application offers a checklist the applicant can use to list experience caring for senior dogs and cats, untrained dogs, injured animals, puppies, kittens and pregnant dogs or cats.

Applicants are also asked to indicate the types of dogs and cats they are willing to foster according to gender, size, age and special needs such as heartworm treatment, surgery recovery, blindness, deafness and pregnancy.

The application concludes with a comprehensive series of specific requirements to which the aspiring foster caregiver is asked to agree, one by one. Among the requirements:

The applicant affirms they have never been charged with or convicted of animal cruelty.
They agree to keep the pet indefinitely, with no guarantee of how long they will be asked to foster.
They agree to “provide a safe, comfortable and healthy environment for their foster pet(s).” This section of the agreement further stipulates, “Our foster dogs should be indoor dogs, and should be exercised and socialized in such a way as to create a positive, well-tempered dog. Foster cats are always to be indoor cats for their safety. Both cats and dogs should be fed healthy food, which will be provided to you, and given appropriate access to water.”
Applicants agree “to work with Misty Eyes for medical treatment of the foster pet.” Misty Eyes pays for fostered pets’ medical care, requiring foster caregivers to seek veterinary care only from approved veterinarians, and only after giving prior notice to Misty Eyes “to ensure finances and treatment options are appropriately aligned.”
Prospective foster caregivers agree to help Misty Eyes promote the adoption of their fostered pets by bringing them to adoption events and to the adoption center in Avon to meet prospective adopters.
Foster caregivers agree to treat the animals they foster as if they were their own pets, ably handling all routine care and any pet-related issues that come up. “As a foster family, you should operate within the fostering guidelines set forth by Misty Eyes, and while you do not own the pet, you should treat the pet as if it were yours.”
Foster caregivers agree “to provide regular updates on the status and progress of the foster pet(s), and to inform us immediately of any health issues or behavior problems.” Misty Eyes ultimately determines how to respond to reported issues and problems.

The foster application continues with a brief description of the centralized screening process Misty Eyes uses to handle applications from individuals and families interested in adopting a pet. If the adoptive applicant passes their initial screening and appears to be a potential match for a particular fostered pet, the Misty Eyes adoption team notifies the foster caregiver and arranges “meet and greets” between the prospective adopter and the fostered pet.

Misty Eyes encourages foster caregivers to recommend potential adopters interested in giving a foster pet a permanent home, stating, “If you have a friend, family member, neighbor or acquaintance who may be interested in adopting the pet, please direct them to complete an online adoption application to start the approval process. We always welcome the foster family’s recommendations, if they know the potential adopter.”

Jennifer McCarty said some foster caregivers eventually themselves adopt an animal in their care, “but not a high percentage.” In her 11 years of fostering hundreds of animals, she is just now preparing to adopt her third fostered dog.

To address those situations, the foster application contains a clause advising prospective foster caregivers to “Notify us immediately if you would like to adopt your foster pet. Once external applications have been received and processing has begun, the foster family cannot be given preference.”

Further requirements detailed in the foster application include never turning the pet over to anyone not connected with Misty Eyes, keeping dogs on-leash outside enclosed areas, keeping a Martingale collar with a Misty Eyes tag on dogs at all times, and working with dogs on basic obedience commands and house manners. If needed, Misty Eyes will arrange basic obedience training for fostered dogs.

The application concludes with a detailed liability release and waiver.

Application Follow-Up

If the foster application is approved, the Misty Eyes foster team follows up with a phone call and a home visit.

“The foster team explains how the foster program works, answers any questions and looks around the home for any safety concerns—like a gap in a fence—that need to be fixed before we place an animal,” McCarty said.

“Our team members also get to know the foster’s pets and start thinking about what pets we might match with them.”

From time to time, pets need to be relocated from one foster home to another.

“We do our best to make good matches, but occasionally we have to move a pet,” McCarty said. “Sometimes it takes a few dogs or cats to go through and figure out what works well in that particular home.”

Some caregivers develop specialties in caring for pets with particular needs. “Certain fosters are wonderful with pregnant cats or bottle-feeder kittens,” said McCarty. “Others do great fostering puppies, and we have fosters who are great with senior dogs.

“We do have fosters who definitely have their niche, for sure.”

Is Fostering For You?

Misty Eyes recruits new foster caregivers primarily through word-of-mouth from current caregivers and occasional notices on Facebook. However you hear about the opportunity to foster, if you are seriously interested in serving as a foster caregiver to animals in need, Misty Eyes will welcome your foster application.

McCarty said many animal lovers mistakenly hesitate to apply, believing they can’t foster pets if they have a full-time job or have pets of their own. “If we required that, we’d have very few foster homes,” she said, adding she herself has her own pets and a job in addition to her fostering and other volunteer work for Misty Eyes.

A good way to get started, once your application is approved and the home visit is done, is to be a “vacation foster” who fills in for foster caregivers who need to be away from home temporarily.

“Vacation fostering is great way to get started for somebody who’s not quite ready to take on a commitment to be a full-time foster. Their help is super-valuable, and we need them”

As fostering gets underway, the Misty Eyes foster support team contacts the caregivers at scheduled intervals to make sure things are going smoothly with the pet. “We also have online update forms the fosters can use to keep in touch,” added McCarty.

Foster caregivers can participate in online workshops covering animal care basics as well as behavior training. Misty Eyes will schedule one-on-one coaching sessions with a trainer as needed to help fosters teach basic commands and resolve behavior problems.

In addition to its public Facebook page, Misty Eyes maintains private Facebook groups for fosters and volunteers to exchange information and build community.

Letting Go

Many beginning caregivers worry they will form such strong attachments to the pets they foster that they’ll have trouble letting them go to their adoptive homes.

“Some are harder to let go of than others,” admitted McCarty. “You can feel stronger attachments to the first or second ones you’ve fostered or the ones who’ve been with you longer. But it does get easier.

“You just have to focus on the next animal that needs you and know in your heart, from the beginning, they’re going to move on. You’re that bridge to get them from where they are to where they need to be.

“It also helps to think about how happy this animal will make someone else.”

As an example, McCarty told the story of “the chihuahua that got away.”

“I wanted her so bad, but I didn’t keep her. I let her go. She was adopted by a lady whose husband later had a stroke. The dog went with her every day to see him and lay on his bed with him, all day long, until he died.

“The husband needed the dog to comfort him as he was dying, and the lady needed that dog’s companionship and unconditional love after her husband died, more than ever. It feels good to know the part I played in caring for that dog and how much she ended up meaning to her adoptive family.”

McCarty continued, “For me, fostering has been life-changing—not just for the animals, but for myself as well. Wanting to help these animals has become such a big and important part of my life, and some of these animals really have changed me as a person.

“Besides teaching me so much medical and behavior training knowledge, they’ve given me a purpose, for sure. Animal rescue has definitely become part of my identity.”

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable—or not quite ready—to foster a rescued pet, you can still support the work of Misty Eyes Animal Center in a number of vitally important ways.

Volunteer. On their website’s Volunteer page, you’ll find details of current openings for volunteers to help with community outreach, special events and staffing the center’s office and welcome desk. Links to application forms for adult and junior volunteers are on the page.

Donate supplies. To donate most-needed supplies, visit the Wish List page. There you’ll find lists of supplies needed for animals, along with building maintenance and office supplies for the center. There are also links to online wish lists at Amazon and Chewy.

Donate money. On the Misty Eyes website’s Donate page, you’ll find options to make a one-time gift, a recurring monthly gift or a tribute or memorial gift. Scroll down to see options for corporate sponsorships and naming opportunities for shelter construction projects on the Misty Eyes campus.

Adopt a pet. If you’re interested in adopting a rescued pet, visit the Adoption Process page. There you’ll find out how Misty Eyes places pets in the best-suited adoptive homes, along with links to an adoption application form and photos of available pets.

‘Fosters provide the love. Misty Eyes provides the rest.’ Read More »

Shelter Pets Have Their Day

Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

April 30 is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day—a day set aside to remind us of the thousands of homeless pets waiting in shelters for new homes of their very own.

Right now, hundreds of adoptable dogs and cats are waiting for homes right here in Hendricks County.

Practically speaking, adopting a shelter pet takes more than a single day. Only after you progress from the decision to adopt to bringing your shelter pet home will you start building a loving relationship that will, ideally, last your new pet’s remaining lifetime.

For the happiest results, we recommend giving yourself time to commit to the idea of adopting a shelter pet, start gathering the supplies and equipment you’ll need, prepare your home to be a safe, pet-proof environment and finally, search online and visit a shelter to find the pet who’s the best fit.

Area Shelter Pets Available Now

When the time comes to choose your pet, we recommend the Hendricks County Animal Shelter in Danville and Misty Eyes Animal Center in Avon as two nearby sources of well-cared-for, adoptable dogs and cats.

Both organizations feature photos of available pets, along with recently adopted pets and their new families, on their Facebook pages. Visit the Hendricks County Shelter page and the Misty Eyes page to see a sampling of pets who currently need loving permanent homes.

Visit the Misty Eyes website for more photographs of currently available pets.

On both Facebook pages, you may find additional posts with photos and notes about medical treatment and training selected shelter pets are receiving to resolve health problems and improve their chances of lasting success in their new homes.

You’ll also find stories of how these pets came to be shelter pets. Many were strays. Some were surrendered by owners who could no longer care for them. Others were transferred from overcrowded shelters to save their lives.

There may also be notes about the types of households where they will most likely be comfortable—perhaps as an only pet or as one who’ll prefer living with other pet companions.

Both organizations require applications from prospective adopters and do their very best to place pets in loving households where they will have the best opportunities to thrive. Frequently, there will be a meet-up with any current household pets required to make sure everyone is likely to get along once you get your new pet home.

How to Adopt a Shelter Pet of Your Own

Visit the Misty Eyes Animal Center website for detailed information on how you can adopt one of the pets in their care as your own.

For much more information about the Hendricks County shelter, including a summary of shelter statistics and details of their adoption process, see our post, “A County Shelter We Can Be Proud Of.”

Shelter Pets Have Their Day Read More »

Pets as Christmas Gifts

Cats, Dogs, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

Each year, with the best and most generous of intentions, people give pets as Christmas gifts. But if you search for “pets as Christmas gifts” on Google or Bing, you’ll find more warnings than support of the idea.

At Brownsburg Animal Clinic, we dedicate ourselves to promoting and supporting successful pet ownership. We believe at any time of year, giving a pet as a gift to another person—particularly as a surprise—can potentially turn out to be bad for the people and pets involved. We also believe, with proper consideration and preparation, giving a pet as a gift can result in a happy, mutually-satisfying relationship for the life of the pet.

And research backs us up.

One study published in the journal Animals examined whether receiving an animal as a gift had an impact on the owner’s love for or attachment to the pet and found no significant difference in attachment to pets between gift recipients and people who had acquired their pets themselves. Some owners feel an even greater attachment to the pet received as a gift because a loved one was the giver. Surprise gifts of animals were acceptable to 75% of those who had received them and some said the surprise itself strengthened their attachment.

Other studies have looked at whether cats and dogs received as gifts are more likely to be surrendered to a shelter than those acquired in other ways. Contrary to what you might expect, it turns out animals given as gifts have a significantly lower risk of ending up in a shelter than dogs and cats purchased or acquired by the owners.

In light of these facts, why do so many people warn against pets as Christmas gifts? Here are the major reasons:

Bringing a companion animal into a household creates a major responsibility for the lifetime of the pet, which could be 10 to 15 or more years for a dog or cat. Caring for a pet takes time, money and commitment. Only the primary caregiver can decide if he or she is willing and able to take on the responsibility for a pet.
Matching the right pet to the household and lifestyle of the owner(s) requires thoughtful consideration. Pets vary in their needs for time, space and attention, exercise and training. Making a sound, thoughtful choice is key to the longterm success of the relationship, and only the prospective owner can say what his or her true requirements and preferences are.
Children who receive pets as Christmas gifts may not be ready, willing nor able to take responsibility for the animal’s care. Older children may take on much of the care, but the adults in the household should expect to be the primary caregivers.
Holidays can be hectic, and there are often additional household hazards, such as ornaments, electrical cords, potentially harmful plants and foods, to endanger a pet. Bringing an animal into the household at such a busy time of year places unnecessary stress on the pet and can make the adjustment more difficult than it would be at more “normal” times of the year.

We agree these are all critically important considerations. But we believe, with some creativity and common sense, the gift of a pet can work. Here’s how:

As appealing as the image of a kitten or puppy under a Christmas tree can be, we strongly prefer the idea of representing the pet with a stuffed animal.
New pets need lots of gear–food, food bowls, collars and leashes, beds, carriers, crates and healthful, safe treats. All these can be waiting under the tree in anticipation of the new pet.
Matching the pet to the household and owner requires some thoughtful consideration and can benefit from research. Another great holiday gift, instead of the pet itself, is a book about choosing a pet.
Finally, once the new owner has considered and clarified the type of pet he or she will most enjoy and appreciate, we strongly encourage giving the pet the gift of a great new home by acquiring it from a shelter or rescue organization.

At Brownsburg Animal Clinic, every one of us is dedicated to enriching and supporting our clients’ relationships with their pets. We consider all our animal companions to be gifts, providing us unconditional love and enriching our lives with their playfulness and winning ways. If you are the giver or a receiver of a pet this Christmas, we will be happy to support you in making the relationship a success.

Pets as Christmas Gifts Read More »

Celebrating National Mutt Day

Dogs, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

Brownsburg Animal Clinic invites you to join us in celebrating National Mutt Day—December 2—to appreciate, honor and celebrate mixed-breed dogs.

Just what is a mutt?

It’s not a purebred dog, which results from selective mating of only registered stock of the same breed. The American Kennel Club currently registers 200 separate dog breeds. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale—the World Canine Organization or FCI—recognizes 356 breeds worldwide.

It’s not a hybrid dog, which results from the deliberate mating of two purebred dogs from different breeds with the goal of reproducing the most desirable characteristics of each breed in the resulting offspring.

A mixed-breed dog or mutt is born of two dogs that are not from the same breed—or perhaps not from any one particular breed themselves. Usually, a mutt’s ancestry is unknown. Mutts come in all sizes, shapes and colors.

Some of our favorite patients are mutts!

Are Mutts Healthier Than Purebred Dogs?

It is widely believed that mutts are healthier and live longer than purebred dogs, but many of our purebred patients are living long, healthy lives while some of the mutts we care for have seemingly more than their share of health problems.

To determine if mixed-breed dogs are indeed healthier than purebred dogs, a study published in 2013 used medical records of more than 27,000 dogs treated at the veterinary clinic at UC Davis, comparing the incidence of 24 genetic disorders in mixed-breed versus purebred dogs.

The researchers found the incidence of 10 of the 24 genetic disorders was significantly greater in purebred dogs. The incidence of one disorder—ruptured cranial cruciate ligament—was greater in mixed-breed dogs. For the other 13 disorders compared, the researchers found no difference in incidence between mixed-breed and purebred dogs.

So yes, mixed-breed dogs have been shown to be at lower risk than purebreds for some genetic disorders. But for many, there’s no significant difference.

A summary of the study is posted on the Institute of Canine Biology website.

Should Your Next Dog Be a Mutt?

The choice of your next pet is a very personal one, and there is no right or wrong answer. But if you’re open to adopting a mixed-breed dog, you’ll find they generally have all the makings of fine companions and family pets, just as the purebreds and hybrids do.

You’ll also find mutts are more readily available than purebred dogs. About 80% of shelter dogs are mutts.

While the costs of care and feeding purebreds, hybrids and mutts are similar, the up-front cost of acquiring a mixed-breed dog is typically lower than the hundreds or even thousands you’ll pay for a purebred or hybrid dog.

Best of all, your mutt will be one-of-a-kind.

How Will You and Your Mutt Celebrate?

If you are already the proud owner of a mixed-breed dog, we hope you’ll make every day a special day for your mutt.

Some extra pats on the head and tosses of the Frisbee, a longer-than-usual walk, a ride in the car that could include a trip to the drive-through—anything you know your mutt loves (within reason!) will be a great way to celebrate twice-yearly National Mutt Day year-round.

Celebrating National Mutt Day Read More »

Corgi emerging from a pile of autumn leaves

Adopt-A-Dog Month®

Dogs, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

October is American Humane’s yearly “Adopt-a-Dog Month®.”

For some of the very best reasons to adopt a dog this month, we encourage you to revisit our recent post, “Is Owning a Dog Good for Your Health?” in which we explored the many scientifically-backed benefits of dog ownership.

For more general information on dog ownership—especially if you will be a first-time dog-owner—we encourage you to read “Is a Dog Right for You?” posted on American Humane’s website.

Here’s a top-10 list of the benefits of dog ownership, presented in a 3:33 video from Animalwised, founded overseas in 2015 to educate people about all sorts of animal-related topics.

Where to Find Adoptable Dogs

If you are thinking of adding a dog to your household, we hope you’ll consider adopting a rescued dog from the Hendricks County Animal Shelter or Misty Eyes Animal Center.

See our post about our county shelter in which we interviewed LaDonna Hughes, chief animal control officer and Hendricks County Animal Shelter manager, and Cherie Fox, co-founder, board president and director of animal operations for Misty Eyes.

Visit the animal shelter’s Facebook page or Misty Eyes Animal Center’s Adoptable Animals page to see a sampling of animals available for adoption. (Scroll down to see Misty Eyes’s adoptable dogs.)

To meet available shelter dogs in person, visit The Hendricks County Animal Shelter in Danville at 250 East Campus Boulevard. The phone number is (317) 745-9250. The shelter is open to the public six days a week.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursdays 12 noon to 6 p.m.
Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The shelter is closed on Sundays and holidays and in inclement weather.

Misty Eyes Animal Center is at 616 Country Road 800 in Avon. While its facilities are under construction, all available dogs are living in foster homes. As explained on the “Adoption Process” page on the Misty Eyes website, selected pets can be seen in person at the center on weekends. If you are interested in meeting a particular dog pictured online in person at the center, call (317) 858-8022 to arrange an appointment.

If you are looking to rescue a dog of a particular breed, we recommend the American Kennel Club’s Rescue Network. Nearly all national breed clubs maintain regional rescue operations staffed by volunteers dedicated to the good of their breed.

We’re Here for You and Your Newly-Adopted Dog

As far as the Brownsburg Animal Clinic team is concerned, any month is a good month to adopt a shelter or rescue dog, provided you are fully prepared and committed to be a responsible dog owner.

See our post, “Are You a Responsible Dog Owner?” for details of what responsible dog ownership entails.

Typically, shelter and rescue dogs have been vaccinated, spayed or neutered, tested and if necessary, treated for parasites, and microchipped before being released to their adoptive homes. Once you’ve adopted your dog, we recommend scheduling a wellness exam with us at your earliest convenience so we can confirm your dog’s good health and establish a custom veterinary care plan for this new addition to your family.

With your newly-adopted dog established as our patient, you can count on us to be here for both of you, providing the comprehensive primary medical care you need to promote a long, healthy, happy life.

Adopt-A-Dog Month® Read More »

Celebrate Adopt-A-Cat Month

Cats, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

Every June, American Humane observes Adopt-A-Cat Month®, timed to coincide with peak “kitten season.” Many of those kittens end up in shelters where they join adult cats waiting to be adopted.

Where to Find an Adoptable Cat

We recommend the Hendricks County Animal Shelter and Misty Eyes Animal Center as excellent sources of healthy, adoptable cats and kittens.

The Hendricks County Animal Shelter is in Danville at 250 East Campus Boulevard. The phone number is (317) 745-9250.

For much more information about the county shelter, see our post, “‘A County Shelter We Can Be Proud Of.’”

To see a sampling of cats (and dogs) available for adoption, visit the shelter’s Facebook page.

Misty Eyes Animal Center is at 616 Country Road 800 in Avon. The phone number is (317) 858-8022.

Misty Eyes is currently putting the finishing touches on Kitty City, a spacious new building that can house as many as 400 cats.

Selected pets available for adoption now at Misty Eyes are posted on their website.

Both organizations are open to the public during visiting hours, allowing you to meet and greet adoptable animals in person.

For First-Time Cat Owners

American Humane has an excellent 10-point “Cat Adoption Checklist” we strongly recommend—especially to first-time cat owners.

To Introduce a New Cat to Other Cats in the Household

If you already have one or more cats at home, we encourage you to read American Humane’s “Introducing Cats to Cats.”

The article offers detailed step-by-step instructions for selecting and bringing a new cat or kitten into your current cat’s home.

To Introduce a New Cat to Dogs in the Household

Required reading for dog owners planning to introduce a new cat or kitten to the household is American Humane’s “Introducing Dogs to Cats.” This detailed article offers sound advice on matching cats and dogs, step-by-step instructions to facilitate the introduction process and warning signs that the proposed relationship may not work out after all.

Other Ways You Can Celebrate

Even if you’re not prepared to adopt a cat right now, you can celebrate Adopt-A-Cat Month® by donating food and supplies to the Hendricks County Animal Shelter or Misty Eyes Animal Center. It’s best to call first to find out what’s needed most.

Both organizations depend on volunteers, so if you’re an animal lover looking to make a difference in the lives of pets waiting for their permanent homes, call to ask about volunteer opportunities.

Celebrate Adopt-A-Cat Month Read More »

Cat inside shelter cage reaching for a man's fingers outside the cage

‘A County Shelter We Can Be Proud Of’

General Interest, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

Brownsburg Animal Clinic joins the Humane Society of the United States in celebrating National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week November 6 through 12.

In particular, we honor our own Hendricks County Animal Shelter for its many years of dedicated service to our county.

“I’m really proud of our shelter,” said Cherie Fox, co-founder, board president and director of animal operations for Misty Eyes Animal Center, an all-volunteer rescue organization based in Avon that collaborates with shelters to save lives and place pets in loving homes.

“The Hendricks County Animal Shelter is a government-run shelter,” said Fox, “but it’s not a 1950s dog pound any more. They are doing a remarkable job. It’s a county shelter we can be proud of.”

LaDonna Hughes is chief animal control officer and Hendricks County Animal Shelter manager. She’s been in charge of running the shelter since mid-2013.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Hughes, “but I still hear the word ‘pound’ a lot. We get called the dogcatcher. There’s so much more to what we do than catching dogs.”

Besides capturing and providing a safe haven for stray animals county-wide, our county shelter takes in pets from owners who can no longer care for them and makes homeless pets available for adoption. The Hendricks County Animal Shelter is also charged with investigating abuse and neglect cases and following up on reports of injured animals. They are responsible not only for domestic pets but livestock and wildlife, too.

Shelter Facts and Figures

There is currently no organization officially charged with tabulating statistics for animal shelter operations in the United States. The following nationwide figures are estimates from several sources.

As of 2021, there were more than 3,500 animal shelters.
About 6.3 million companion animals are taken into shelters each year, including about 3.1 million dogs and 3.2 million cats. Of those, about a quarter are pets surrendered to the shelter by their owners. About half are captured as strays.
The average shelter admits more than 1,100 animals a year.
About 10% of shelter animals have been spayed or neutered.
About 25% of dogs in shelters are purebreds.
About 810,000 stray animals taken into shelters, including 710,000 dogs and 100,000 cats, are reunited with their owners.
About 4.1 million shelter animals, including 2 million dogs and 2.1 million cats, are placed in new homes each year.
Indiana shelters house 2.11% of the nation’s shelter animals and account for 2.07% of shelter adoptions.
About 920,000 animals are euthanized each year, including 390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats.
About 65% of dogs entering shelters are adopted and 13% are euthanized.
About 66% of shelter cats are adopted and 17% are euthanized.

The Hendricks County Animal Shelter

Our county’s animal shelter is in Danville at 250 East Campus Boulevard. The phone number is (317) 745-9250. The shelter is open to the public six days a week.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursdays 12 noon to 6 p.m.
Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The shelter is closed on Sundays and holidays and in inclement weather.

Local Statistics

During 2021, the Hendricks County Animal Shelter took in 1,490 animals. Of those, 455 were placed in adoptive homes.

Rescue organizations pulled 338 animals from the shelter in 2021, including about 300 rats and small animals confiscated in two hoarding and neglect cases handled by the county last year.

The euthanasia rate in 2021 was 6%. Only severely ill and dangerously aggressive animals were euthanized.

“I am pretty proud of that 6% euthanasia rate,” said Hughes. “There was a time about 10 years ago, when our rate of euthanasias was 77% of our total admissions.”

Admissions to the Shelter

The shelter has 34 dog kennels and 60 cat cages to accommodate animals admitted to the shelter.

Animals come to the shelter as strays or from owners who can no longer care for them. Owners who want to surrender their pets to the shelter may be referred to a rescue organization or put on a waiting list until space is available.

The intake process involves a basic medical examination and essential health care.

“We check them over the best we can,” said Hughes. “We give them core vaccines and start them on flea and tick preventives. We test for heartworms and start them on preventives or treat them if they test positive.”

The shelter has to hold animals taken in as strays for three business days before making them available for adoption so that owners have a chance to claim them. “We take their picture and put up a shelter alert on our Facebook page in hopes of finding the owner,” said Hughes.

Animals surrendered by their owners may be placed for adoption 24 hours after being admitted to the shelter.

“People still ask, ‘Are you going to kill it after three days?’” said Hughes. “We get that a lot.

“If they’re adoptable, they will be cared for and kept safe either here or with a rescue organization until they’re adopted. We don’t set deadlines on these animals, and we don’t euthanize for space. Only if an animal is dangerously aggressive or too ill for treatment, will we euthanize.”

To Adopt a Shelter Pet

Some pets available for adoption from the Hendricks County Animal Shelter are listed on Petfinder.com.

You can also see available pets as well as recently-adopted pets and their new families on the shelter’s Facebook page.

For your convenience, the shelter makes the adoption application available online for you to complete and bring with you when you visit the shelter.

“We’re open to the public six days a week, and we invite anyone looking to adopt a dog or cat to stop by for a visit to see all the pets available now for adoption,” said Hughes.

“Sometimes we have multiple applications for the same animal. We go through those and try to get the best fit, based on the applicant’s situation and their interactions with the animal. For some, we might suggest a better fit—maybe encourage them to go home and do some research to find a breed that might be better-suited to their activity level and lifestyle.

“We always do our best to place each animal into the best possible adoptive home.”

Current adoption fees, set to help defray the costs of vaccines, spaying or neutering and any needed medical treatment, are $70 for adult dogs, $150 for puppies, $20 for adult cats and $70 for kittens.

To Donate to the Shelter

The shelter welcomes donated supplies. While needs change over time, some supplies are always welcome. “Right now, the most helpful donation would be regular chlorine bleach,” said Hughes. “We can always use any kind of dog food as long as it doesn’t contain red food dye, and any kind of cat and kitten food. We also need clay litter.”

Tax-deductible cash donations to the Hendricks County Animal Shelter can be made to the Hendricks County Friends of the Shelter, a 501(c)(3) organization.

“All the money given to Friends of the Shelter goes directly into a medical fund for the animals,” noted Hughes.

To Volunteer

The shelter welcomes volunteers to help care for and play with the animals, clean cages, launder blankets and towels, do clerical work and staff special events.

To volunteer at the shelter, you must be 18 years old or older or at least 16 years old and accompanied by a parent. You must complete a Volunteer Application Form and attend a volunteer orientation session before starting to work.

“Right now, I would most love to have more volunteers in here walking the dogs,” said Hughes. “We walk them all in the morning, but sometimes we can’t get to all of them in the evenings.”

If you are interested in providing a temporary foster home for a pet, the shelter will connect you with a partner rescue group in our area, such as Misty Eyes.

Other Ways You Can Help

“We have a huge pet overpopulation problem and the pandemic has intensified it,” said Fox.

“In central Indiana we have five low-cost spay and neuter clinics that had to shut down for months at the outset of the pandemic. That left us with thousands of animals that haven’t been fixed and thousands of unwanted litters. Despite everything we’d done to get ourselves ahead with spays and neuters, the pandemic set us back about 10 or 15 years.”

“I agree 100 percent,” said Hughes. “We’ve been over capacity for a good year now.”

You can do your part to help reduce the pet overpopulation problem by spaying or neutering your own pet.

You can also minimize the chances your pet will be taken in as a stray at the shelter by taking these simple steps:

Do not allow your pet to run loose.
Keep a collar with identification tags on your pet at all times.
Have an identification chip implanted in your pet.

In Appreciation

We at Brownsburg Animal Clinic appreciate the vital role the Hendricks County Animal Shelter plays in looking out for the welfare of all the animals in our county.

We applaud the progress the shelter has made in recent years to reduce the euthanasia rate to 6%—a direct result of their commitment to find homes for every adoptable pet, whether through direct placement from the shelter or through a rescue organization such as Misty Eyes.

We hope you will consider supporting the shelter and the dogs and cats waiting there to be adopted into their new homes.

‘A County Shelter We Can Be Proud Of’ Read More »

Choosing Your Next Dog

Dogs, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

Channing Tatum’s new movie “Dog” features the popular actor co-starring with a Belgian Malinois (pronounced MAL-in-wah) named Lulu, portrayed onscreen by three different dogs.

If the movie’s a hit, the Brownsburg Animal Clinic team won’t be at all surprised in the coming months to see an uptick in the number of Belgian Malinois among our new patients.

We know Mals can be great pets, but we also know they could potentially be “too much dog” for many of our clients. Whether or not these “Dog”-inspired adoptions will work out well for the dogs and families involved depends on how good a fit this intelligent, high-energy herding breed is with the clients’ households and lifestyles as well as on the temperaments of the individual owners and their dogs.

Before you go looking for a Lulu of your own—or a Lassie (Collie), a Toto (Cairn Terrier), a Marley (Labrador Retriever), a Beethoven (St. Bernard), a Rin Tin Tin (German Shepherd Dog) or any other breed that strikes your fancy—we strongly encourage you to do plenty of research on the breed you’re considering before bringing home a puppy!

Researching the Breeds

A Google search for “choosing a dog” produces approximately 179,000,000 results, with some pages far more authoritative and informative than others. We suggest the American Kennel Club website as a great place to begin learning about established dog breeds. There you’ll find reliable information about each of the 197 breeds currently recognized by the AKC.

For example, if you leave the theater after seeing “Dog” convinced your next dog must be a Belgian Malinois, your first stop on the internet should be the Belgian Malinois breed page on the AKC website. There you’ll find a summary of key breed characteristics that should alert you to the realities as well as the rewards of ownership of a typical Belgian Malinois.

Midway down the page, you’ll find a link to the American Belgian Malinois Club website. The first heading on the homepage says, “This is NOT Your Typical Pet Dog,” and after briefly summarizing the breed’s assets, the first paragraph in that section concludes, “But, the Malinois is NOT for everyone.”

In the page footer, you’ll find links to related pages of interest, including a firsthand account by a Belgian Malinois owner, “Is the Belgian Malinois a Good Fit for You?”

Suppose after reading these pages you realize, despite your enthusiasm for the three well-bred, professionally-trained dogs you enjoyed watching play Lulu for two hours on the big screen, in real life a Belgian Malinois in your home 24/7/365 for the next 14 to 16 years will almost certainly require more time and attention than you can realistically expect to offer.

As a next step, you might enjoy visiting the AKC’s online Dog Breed Selector. After answering a series of simple questions, the selector tool will recommend several breeds for your consideration. Chances are you can find a more suitable breed to consider for yourself and your family. Browse their breed pages to see if the recommended breeds might be a better match for you and your household.

Also on the AKC site, we encourage you to read “What Dog is Right for Me? How to Choose the Perfect Breed.” Then browse more breed pages. Watch dog shows online or on TV. Better yet, visit shows in person and talk to the breeders and exhibitors (after they’ve finished showing for the day).

A Look at the Bigger Picture

For even more practical advice on choosing a pet dog, offered from the veterinary perspective, see “Selecting a Pet Dog” on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s website. To get the most from this page, answer all the questions presented as thoroughly and honestly as you can.

Let Us Help

Finally, in addition to online research, we encourage you to talk to us before you finalize your decision to acquire a dog of an unfamiliar, potentially challenging breed.

We’ve devoted our careers to caring for pets and their owners, and we have observed relationships between a variety of clients with a variety of breeds. We’re happy to share what we know about what it’s like to own and care for all sorts of purebred dogs.

We see many clients who are happily devoted to their mixed-breed dogs and recommend you also consider adopting a mixed-breed dog from Misty Eyes Animal Center in Avon or some other reputable rescue organization.

As always, as your veterinarian, our primary mission is to support you in your relationship with whatever dog you choose. We wish you and all our clients the happiest of endings to all your pet adoption stories.

Choosing Your Next Dog Read More »

Adopt a Cat

Cats, Pet Adoption / Dr. Brady

The American Humane Association has declared June Adopt a Cat Month, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals encourages you to adopt a shelter cat during June.

The checklist on the AHA’s web site offers some great advice for first-time cat owners.

For a very basic overview of cat behavior, check out the AVMA’s video, Cat Behavior 101.

To find a cat who needs a home, we encourage you to visit Misty Eyes Animal Center at 640 East Main Street here in Brownsburg, or visit their web site to see photographs of cats available for adoption.

Adopt a Cat Read More »