2021 a record year at Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control

FORT WAYNE, Indiana (WANE) – Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control (FWACC) celebrates and reflects on its accomplishments in 2021. The city agency released the data it compiled for the year on Wednesday.

FWACC continued to expand its support program to improve the quality of life for the citizens and animals of the Fort Wayne community. In January, a split between the volunteer and hospitality coordinator positions occurred, creating two different positions. This allowed the hospitality coordinator as well as the hospitality team to focus only on and develop the hospitality program.

The foster care program expanded to 125 additional foster homes and saved 1,547 animals; the previous record was 1,200 in 2020. The shelter was able to save 180 newborn kittens thanks to the community.

The increase in the foster program has resulted in an increase in adoptions. The adoption program recorded a record 3,115 pets able to find their forever homes.

In an effort to build a better community, the shelter has expanded its educational programs for children. Instead of two weeks of summer camp, six weeks are now offered. In addition, one-day fall, winter and school break camps have been created.

Animal Care and Control Statistics 2021:

• 10,686 animals (1,042 are wild animals) came to the refuge. That’s 27 animals a day.
• 1,908 animals are returned to their owners.
• 1,589 animals were returned to the shelter by their owners.
• 1,047 animals transferred to shelters / other shelters
• 918 community cats returned to the colonies
• 3,115 adopted animals
• 1,551 animals sent to foster homes
• 200 active host families
• 11,377 volunteer hours
• 291 active volunteers
• 2,472 animals euthanized at the owner’s request and for medical or behavioral reasons
• $ 10,000 grant from The Kitten Lady – Orphan Kitten Club to support the hosting program
• Orphan Kitten Club individual grant of $ 1,500 to save Cece, a kitten in need of surgery on both eyes
• Best Friends Animal Society grant of $ 25,000 to cover the cost of additional rescue personnel and supplies for the hospitality program.

2021 Community Outreach Data and Highlights:

• Animal control officers responded to 19,123 calls for service
• Animal control officers responded to 1,822 calls of suspected cruelty and neglect of animals
• Eight offsite adoption places for adoptable cats that allowed for more space in the shelter
• The FWACC has become a partner of the Orphan Kitten Club
• 780 children participated in the shelter’s human education programs
• FWACC staff witness a meeting between a dog missing for eight years and its owners thanks to a microchip
• 34.87% of pet owners who made an appointment to return their pet decided to keep their pet or relocate it outside of the shelter after receiving services under the FWACC pet retention