FIDO is a non-profit, animal advocacy organization formed in 2005 that works with dog owners to improve the quality of life for their outside dogswith a focus on dogs living isolated on the end of a chain. FIDO partners with Indianapolis residents to find alternatives to continuous chaining as a method of dog containment while promoting the Indianapolis Dog Care & Treatment ordinances. One of our goals is to make it easier and more convenient for owners to bring their dogs inside the home to be part of the family.  

Our areas of focus are the marginalized, under-served neighborhoods of Indianapolis. The citizens we meet often just need information and access to available resources to provide a more humane level of care. Many of the dogs we help have never been to a veterinarian and spend most of their lives outside.

Outreach and sharing humane education is a large part of the work we do at FIDO. We offer supplies and services to residents who are interested in working with us to improve their dogs’ quality of life. FIDO partners with other organizations to provide spay/neuter assistance, which we require, for the dogs we serve. Our services are provided for free or at a nominal fee.

We Support Concerned Dog Owners

Many dog owners work alongside us to improve their companion’s quality of life. We offer fenced enclosures, fencing repairs, inside training crates, dog houses, straw bedding, flea and fly treatment, collars, and leashes. We also assist with free or low-cost spay/neuter for all dogs we serve. Often, after partnering with concerned dog owners and offering supplies and services, they no longer need our help going forward in caring for their dogs.

We Partner with Indianapolis Animal Care Services

Although FIDO has no law-­enforcement authority, we work with Indianapolis Animal Care Services (IACS), the government agency responsible for enforcement of animal laws and ordinances in the city. Through this partnership, IACS officers refer dog owners to FIDO who have been found to be in violation of local care and treatment ordinances or leash laws. We meet with the owners and find solutions for providing humane, secure containment for their dogs, and then offer the assistance and supplies needed to implement these solutions. Officers also refer owners to FIDO who may not be in violation of any animal laws but are seeking opportunities to improve the care they provide for their dogs.

In turn, FIDO refers cases to IACS officers when the agency may need to intervene to ensure that a minimum level of care is provided for neglected dogs. We also contact IACS when we are notified that animals are abandoned or abused.

We Partner with Other Animal Organizations

FIDO cooperates with many other local, nonprofit animal­-welfare groups to improve the quality of life for dogs, to help provide spay/neuter services to dog owners, and to find new homes for adoptable dogs that are found loose on the street or have been surrendered to FIDO. Our main partners are the FACE Low-­Cost Animal Clinic, Indyhumane and West Michigan Street Veterinary Clinic.

Darcie Kurtz, Executive Director 

Darcie has been actively involved in animal welfare initiatives in Indianapolis for over 20 years. In 2005, she founded FIDO to address the suffering of chained and neglected outside dogs in Indianapolis. She served as FIDO board president and active volunteer leader for many years.

In 2010, Darcie was offered the position of Deputy Director of Kennel Operations at Indianapolis Animal Care Services. During Darcie’s tenure she worked to implement best-practices with regard to animal care and to increase the live release rate. In 2012, Darcie joined the FACE Animal Clinic as the Director of Outreach and Medical Services.

In late 2017, Darcie was hired as FIDO’s first Executive Director. She is responsible for day-to-day management of FIDO’s programs, revenue and expenses, procurement of supplies/services, grant funding, individual donor cultivation, and staff oversight. Darcie has worked to grow the FIDO programs to increasingly meet the animal welfare needs of the Indianapolis community.

Darcie always has a house-full of dogs and currently shares her home with Elwood the sweet Shepherd mix, Russell the timid Jack Russell terrier, Jefferson the wild beagle/Chihuahua mix and Raisinette, the nervous Pit bull/Labrador mix.

Ariana Fite, Volunteer & Operations Coordinator

Ariana joined FIDO in June 2022 as our Operations Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator.

With her positions with FIDO, Ariana is helping with almost every program we do. She’s doing Outreach and Home Visits, helping with almost every Spay/Neuter transport, and trying to increase our volunteer numbers. Her favorite part of FIDO so far is seeing our clients complete positive changes in their dog’s lives once we educate and assist them.

Ariana has fostered dogs before and taken in strays until she was able to vet them and find them rescue. She currently shares her home with her own dogs, Pagenaud the Labrador/Rottweiler mix, Vettel the German Shepherd, her roommate’s dog Mogwai the Brussels Griffon/Chihuahua mix, Dario the long-haired Tabby, and Cricket the axolotl.

Steve Roebling, Fence Project Leader

Steve became FIDO’s Fence Project Leader in the spring of 2022. He also works for Community Health Network and has been there for over 41 years. He and his wife Pam have been married for 38+ years.

He has volunteered with several animal welfare organizations over the years, including Friends for Paws, Johnson County Animal Shelter, Animal Protection League, Countryside, Ambassador’s for God’s Creatures, and FIDO. He and Pam have also fostered many dogs in their home.

In spite of already working a full-time job, he wanted to be a part of FIDO to help make a difference for dogs in our community.