It Takes a Village (ITV) will assume management of the Daviess County Animal Shelter on April 1, implementing a “managed intake” system for animal surrenders. CEO Amanda Green said misinformation is circulating and wants to set the record straight.
She said ITV will not refuse all walk-in surrenders but will instead schedule appointments to better manage space and resources. She emphasized that while the process will be more structured, no animal in urgent need will be turned away.
“The shelter currently operates under an open intake system, and we will be shifting to a managed intake system,” Green said. “That means we will schedule appointments for most surrenders, but it does not mean we won’t take an animal if someone needs to surrender immediately.”
ITV asks that owners needing to surrender an animal visit itvrescue.org and fill out a Surrender Request form that can be found under the “Contact/Get Help” tab. (You can also access the form here.)
Green said the transition is necessary to ensure the shelter never euthanizes animals due to lack of space.
“We will never euthanize for space,” she said. “If an animal is severely ill or has a poor quality of life, that’s a different discussion, but space will not be a factor.”
Green said ITV follows a similar process at its Evansville location, aiming to balance organization and accessibility.
“This is what we implement at our Evansville facility,” she said. “We just try to schedule surrenders to make sure we have space when people bring them in. The last thing we want is for people to dump their animals at the facility or abandon them elsewhere.”
Some community members have raised concerns about the policy, particularly regarding stray animals. Green clarified that anyone who finds a stray should contact animal control, as that is who will handle intake and transport the animal to the shelter.
“If you find a stray, the first step should be calling animal control,” she said. “They will bring the animal to us, and we’ll do what we can to reunite them with their owner or find them a home.”
Surrenders will be handled on a case-by-case basis, prioritizing urgent situations.
“We’ll work with everyone,” Green said. “If someone knows they’re moving in two months and can keep their pet until then, we can schedule accordingly. If it’s an immediate need, we will accommodate that.”
Despite the policy change, ITV acknowledges that some people may still abandon animals at the shelter.
“We have seen this before — boxes of kittens left overnight or dogs tied to the front door,” she said. “When that happens, we quarantine them for safety reasons and assess whether they belong to someone before placing them in foster care or adoption.”
Green also briefly addressed what she said was broader misinformation surrounding the transition of the shelter’s management to ITV, stating that she intends to formally announce additional plans soon that she thinks people will like.
Green said she appreciates the community’s passion for the shelter and aims to ensure a smooth transition.
“There has been a lot of misinformation, which is frustrating,” she said. “But I want to be clear – we are here to work with the community and do what’s best for the animals.”
Click here to see pets available for adoption from the Daviess County Animal Shelter.
