Pet adoptions skyrocket at Indiana shelter

Dean Welch wasn’t thinking of getting another dog — not quite yet anyway. With his previous dog passing away just six months prior, he was taking some time before deciding on a new pet.

But then a friend sent him a video of a dog named Basil posted online by Jeffersonville Animal Shelter (JAS) in Indiana, a 10-mile drive from his home. One look at the video and Dean knew he had to meet this special pup.

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Basil had arrived at the shelter at 5 months old and had already been adopted and brought back because the combination of his large size and high energy just wasn’t a good fit for the adopters. He was popular with his caregivers, and his handsome features attracted many looks from potential adopters. But his tendency to jump up on people gave them pause.

In the past, before the no-kill philosophy became common, a dog like Basil might not have made it out of a shelter at all. But today, more shelters than ever — like JAS — have no-kill programs, and they work together with other organizations like Best Friends Animal Society to give each pet what they need to move out of the shelter. JAS wanted to save more lives, and Best Friends was there to lend a helping hand.

Kristie Ashcraft worked for 12 years at the Jeffersonville shelter before being named director last June. Fresh off attending the Best Friends National Conference, she was full of new ideas she wanted to try. It didn’t take her long, especially since she stayed in touch with Best Friends contacts from the conference.

“She hasn’t even been the director for a year yet, and she’s implemented tons of new concepts and programs,” says Tammy Jo Hallman, a Best Friends national shelter support specialist who’s been working with Kristie.

Best Friends provided JAS with funds to cover adoption fees, to improve the foster program, and for other activities. Kristie meets regularly with Tammy Jo and other Best Friends staff members for advice. A comfortable give-and-take with Tammy Jo makes her the perfect sounding board, Kristie says.

“I have lots of ideas, and Best Friends has been very helpful in giving us the tools to make things happen,” says Kristie. “In a municipal shelter, you get plenty of feedback from everyone, including the public, about what you’re doing wrong. Tammy Jo has been very encouraging and positive in helping us find the best ways to put our new ideas into practice.”

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The shelter had for months been working hard on improving its save rate. By January 2025, JAS reached no-kill by achieving a 93% save rate for dogs and cats. (The threshold for no-kill is 90%.)

Adoptions rose dramatically in 2024, with the shelter matching 415 more dogs with families than the previous year, a 307% increase. And cat adoptions rose by 567, a 161% increase.

“We’ve had good momentum in getting dogs and cats out of the shelter for some time now,” says Kristie. “We’ve had adoption promotions almost every month, which has helped with marketing. We’ve had more cat foster (volunteers) than ever before, and that has helped us keep our kittens healthy and adopted out. We have more volunteers involved with dog walking and Doggy Day Outs, and I think that has really helped get the word out on our dogs. And we are doing a better job of sharing pictures and videos of our adoptable animals.”

Doggy Day Out is another successful program affecting lifesaving. Locals can come in and take a dog for an all-day outing, an afternoon walk, or even a short stroll. On these outings, the dog gets more exposure to potential adopters, and sometimes the people taking them out fall in love and decide to bring them home. Getting to know a dog over time is a good way for potential adopters to decide whether an animal is right for them.

To further enhance the shelter’s overall development, Kristie signed up for a six-month Best Friends course called Lifesaving Data Fundamentals, which is offered in conjunction with Southern Utah University. The course helps shelters use data to determine which of their animals are most at risk, set priorities, and create a plan to help kickstart, measure, and continue lifesaving momentum.

“We’ve always done our best to get the best possible outcomes for our animals, but before this training, it sometimes felt like we were flying by the seat of our pants,” Kristie says. “Now we have a real process in place to track each animal’s progress and make adjustments along the way.”

Looking ahead in 2025, Kristie says she’d like to see the number of dogs coming into the shelter decline because of new programs in place.

“We speak to the people about their animals and offer solutions that will enable them to keep their animals rather than surrender them,” she says. “We have a pet resource center and partner with a local food bank. We’re hoping ... eventually do things like hold training classes, administer vaccines, and pass out spay/neuter vouchers.”

Coming up on seven months since Dean adopted Basil, their mutual admiration society is stronger than ever.

“I call him the Basinator now,” says Dean through his frequent, chortling laugh. The pup now tips the scale at 80 pounds of exuberant joy.

“He’s been happy ever since I got him home,” Dean says. “Sometimes I’ll try and take a nap during the day, but he won’t let me. He wants to play. He loves playing. I’ve got more toys on the floor for him than a child would have. He has this one rubber chicken squeaky toy that he always keeps tabs on.”

In the evenings, the two buddies sit beside each other on the couch, and in a rare quiet moment, Basil will rest his paw gently on Dean’s arm.

Says Dean: “I love him to pieces.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.