Governor Braun Declares Indiana Loves Shelter Pets Week September 7-13

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Best Friends PR Team prteam@bestfriends.org
Best Friends Animal Society and Governor’s Proclamation Aim to Save the Lives of All Healthy and Treatable Pets in Shelters

Governor Mike Braun has proclaimed September 7-13 as Indiana Loves Shelter Pets Week, a critical initiative aimed at saving the lives of homeless pets across the state this year. With this proclamation, Indiana joins 18 other states in an effort to unify and mobilize the public to help get dogs and cats out of shelters and into loving homes. Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to save the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the country no-kill*, welcomes this pivotal step in Indiana's pet lifesaving efforts. 

“Governor Braun’s declaration is a significant milestone for Indiana’s homeless pets,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “We commend Governor Braun for leading this initiative that encourages Indiana residents to get involved in pet lifesaving in their own communities.” 

Data from Best Friends indicates that in 2024, nearly two out of three U.S. shelters saved 90% or more of the pets in their care, which is the commonly accepted benchmark for no kill, and hundreds more are within reach of that goal. Of those that have not yet reached this benchmark, nearly half are less than 100 pets away from the milestone. In Indiana, 64 of the state’s 113 animal shelters saved at least 90% of pets in their care in 2024, and 27 shelters had less than 100 pets to save to get there.  

Indiana is making substantial progress in pet lifesaving, but requires a collaborative approach among community members, elected officials, and animal welfare organizations to save the lives of all healthy, treatable pets in the state’s shelters.  

“In 2024, Indiana saved 83% of pets in shelters across the state, in line with the national average,” said Castle. “However, 9,300 dogs and cats still died simply because they didn’t have a safe place to call home. One of the best ways Indiana's residents can make a difference is by giving pets in shelters loving homes. When people choose to adopt a pet from a local shelter or rescue rather than purchase from a breeder or pet store, they’re saving a life.”  

In addition to adopting from local shelters and rescues, Indiana residents can support the state's homeless pets by fostering dogs and cats in need, spaying or neutering their pets, volunteering, donating, sharing adoptable pets on social media, and supporting effective lifesaving programs. 

To learn more about Best Friends and donate, visit bestfriends.org.  

*No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols. 

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 5,500 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.