Please take a moment to review the responsibilities of MACS as a municipal shelter and Animal Control agency, and our Comment Policy.

***Please note: By “liking” “following” or otherwise interacting with our Facebook page, you are agreeing to the below Comment Policy.***

Information:

Muncie Animal Care and Services (MACS) is a Department of the City of Muncie government, and is a no-kill animal shelter and Animal Control agency. Per City Ordinance 90.02, MACS is legally responsible for the impounding of dogs and cats found to be running at large, impounding fierce and dangerous dogs, and encouraging an adoption program of stray dogs and cats and a spay/neuter program aimed at reducing the stray dog and cat population. We are also tasked with enforcing the animal care standards in the City’s Animal Ordinances (Chapter 90).

MACS is a complaint-driven Department, and is responsible for responding to all animal complaints from the public. We receive thousands of animal complaints/concerns each month that we investigate and resolve by following the City’s Animal Ordinances (Chapter 90). All of the animals in our care come from investigations of public complaints. The majority of animals we take in have been found by residents and brought to us, called in by residents and we pick them up, or, from the sad but all too common cases of neglect, abandonment and cruelty. Due to the massive amount of stray and abused animals we take in – we took in 2,311 in 2020 - we are not able to take in owner surrenders. We do our best to provide owners looking for assistance with resources such as trainers, low-cost clinics, and private rescues.

We are obligated by Ordinance 23-17 to hold all stray animals that have a tag/microchip for 4 business days, and all stray animals that do not have a tag/microchip for 3 business days, to give their owners time to reclaim them. All animals are given vaccines on intake to help prevent sickness from exposure to other stray animals that often have never been vaccinated before, or, have been vaccinated infrequently and are at risk of disease. After the holding period, all adoptable animals are spayed/neutered before being entered into our Adoption Program. We do not have a Veterinarian on staff, so we often have to wait to schedule with participating clinics. The vaccines, spay/neuter, medical care and labor are not free to us, and therefore we do charge a $35 reclaim fee, and adoption fees. With that being said, MACS “made” only $62,021 in 2020 from adoption fees, reclaim fees and donations, and spent over $800,000 in operational costs; we are far from a money-making operation. MACS staff works day and night to care for the lost, homeless and abused animals of this community. They choose to sacrifice weekends, nights, and holidays with their families to care for the animals the community has largely turned its back on. They volunteer their private time to care for, promote and network the animals, all with the goal of alleviating animal suffering.

With this in mind, please see the following Comment Policy.

 

Comment Policy:

Please understand that the purpose of our Facebook page is for us to post stray animals in hopes of finding their owners, and to promote adoptable animals or animals looking for a foster, and events. We encourage you to ask questions and share comments, but please understand that our Facebook page is ran 100% by staff volunteering their private time and should not be used for urgent matters or reporting of animal control problems. During business hours, animal problems should be addressed to our Office at 747-4851. Please note that we have two phone lines and two Office Clerks daily, and we receive an average of 200 calls per day - you may need to leave a message if both lines are tied up. We respond as promptly as we can. For urgent or after hours matters, Animal Control can be reached 24/7 by calling police dispatch at 747-4838. For emergencies, call 911 as always.

Please note that our Facebook page is a family-friendly page with the purpose of reuniting lost pets with their owners, and promoting adoptable animals and events. Inappropriate comments, misinformation and harassment will not be tolerated, as it takes away from the animals and hard-working staff.

We will remove comments that include the following:

  • Obscene, profane, rude, sexual or vulgar language or images
  • Personal attacks or offensive terms that target specific individuals or groups
  • Threats or defamatory statements
  • Violent, hateful or racist language
  • Advocacy for any illegal activity
  • Off-topic or repetitive posts (spam)
  • Outdated, inaccurate, false or misleading information
  • Promotion or opposition to political organizations, campaigns, candidates, or pending legislative action
  • Personal information, including but not limited to addresses and telephone numbers
  • Advertisements or solicitations of any kind
  • Infringement on copyrights or trademarks

We do not discriminate against any views but reserve the right to remove posts that violate the above policies or that are deemed inappropriate. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Repeated or malicious violations of our comment policy may cause the author to be blocked from the Muncie Animal Care and Services’ Facebook page. By “liking” “following” or otherwise interacting with our Facebook page, you are agreeing to the above comment policy.

For further information about MACS, or to submit a comment about anything other than the purpose of our Facebook page, please visit the City of Muncie’s website.

In addition, should you (the end user) be formally charged with a criminal offense or be arrested in connection with a criminal offense, your image and identifying information along with details of the offense may be displayed on our page.

(Updated 1/24/2021).