Indianapolis Animal Care Services announced Dec. 6 that they are out of space at their 2600 South Harding Street animal shelter, urging people in a post online to adopt pets.

Adopting a pet makes room for the next animal that comes into the shelter, officials said. Same-day adoptions are an option, according to the online post, and foster-to-adopt options are also available.

“That’s the truth. We are completely out of kennel space, and animals are continuing to come in,” the post read. “The only way we can save more lives is if pets leave the building today.”

The situation is particularly dire for dogs, according to an updated post on Facebook. There were 227 dogs in the shelter and 210 kennels, putting the shelter at 108% capacity. There were 61 cats and 91 feline kennels, putting capacity at 67%. Shelter officials said they try to operate at about 80% capacity to ensure they can provide quality care and be prepared for emergencies.

The post said that short-term fostering of animals still helps make room and space needed at the shelter.

Kelly LaRoche with the shelter told IndyStar that they are over capacity, “which unfortunately has become our normal operating state.”

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“At this point, we have no open kennels available for incoming animals,” LaRoche said. “When we say we urgently need adopters today, that is not an exaggeration. Without adoptions or fosters creating space, we have nowhere to safely house the animals still coming through our doors.”

LaRoche said they only put animals in the same kennel if they come to the shelter as a bonded pair or if they were previously living together. As long as their behaviors are calm and neither is sick, they can share one kennel.

Placing animals that don’t know each other together creates a risk of fighting and injury, according to LaRoche, as well as the possibility of spreading disease.

“We anticipate needing adopters and fosters not just today, but every day for the foreseeable future,” LaRoche said. “The pressure on space does not let up, and our intake as an open-admission municipal shelter does not stop.”

Here’s how you can help

If you have questions about adopting, you can email the shelter at adoptions@indycares.org.

You can find out more about individual animals at the shelter by checking out their posts on Facebook.

Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.

A quick-moving low pressure system could bring more snow to Indianapolis this weekend, the National Weather Service predicts.

A few flurries and patches of freezing rain are expected Saturday before noon. The rest of the day will be cloudy with a high of 34 degrees.

Overnight, temperatures will drop to 26 degrees. Snow will begin to fall in the early hours of Sunday morning, ending at around 10 a.m. before turning to a wintry mix.

Forecasters don’t expect much of the weekend’s snow to stick. Andrew White, an NWS meteorologist, said Indianapolis might see half an inch of accumulation on Sunday morning.

Sunday night will be bitterly cold, with a low of 14 degrees and wind chills near zero. A sunny Monday will only heat up to about 25 degrees, and wind chills will reduce that into the teens.

Indianapolis weather radar

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Weather info you need

🚨 Indiana Weather Alerts: Warnings, Watches and Advisories.

⚡ Indiana power outage map: How to check your status.

💻 Internet outages: How to track them.

🚫 What you should and shouldn’t do when the power is out.

🐶 Your neighbor left their pet outside. Who you should call.

Where to report power outages and downed lines

• AES Indiana customers: 317-261-8111
• Duke Energy customers: 1-800-343-3535

CLINTON COUNTY, Ind.–An Indianapolis man accused of shooting two Kirklin Town Marshals in Clinton County last month was arrested on Thursday.

In an update Friday afternoon, State Police said 29-year-old Jehrome Bowens was arrested and charged with attempted murder, battery by means of a deadly weapon, theft, and unlawful carrying of a handgun.

Bowens was released from a hospital in Indianapolis area hospital on Thursday and immediately taken to the Clinton County Jail.

The incident happened on November 18 when a Clinton County deputy conducted a traffic stop on State Road 29. The Kirklin Town Marshal’s Office assisted the deputy during the stop.

State Police say it was Bowens who fired a handgun at the officers and hit the two Kirklin marshals. One of the marshals had to be taken to a hospital. The other marshal was hit, but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, which prevented injury.

There were four adults and one child in a vehicle where the traffic stop happened. One adult was hit by gunfire and had to be taken to a hospital, but survived. Two other adults and the child were not injured.