Leading animal welfare advocate in Monroe County, Indiana
Offering a Nonprofit Veterinary Clinic, Pet Food Pantry, Street Outreach, Crisis Housing, Spay/Neuter Assistance, Education, and more
years in operation assisting animals in our community
pets provided care by our Street Outreach Team in 2025
pounds of food distributed in 2025
days of safe housing provided through crisis housing
in free veterinary care provided in 2025 to pets in need
in spay/neuter vouchers issued in 2025
2026 COMMUNITY PARTNERS
September 2026 Newsletter
Year-Round Flea & Tick Prevention
As temperatures drop, it’s easy to assume that fleas and ticks are no longer a concern for your pets. Unfortunately, that’s not true! Flea and tick prevention is important year-round, even during the colder months.
Fleas can survive comfortably indoors, where warm temperatures allow them to live and multiply throughout the winter. They can also hide in carpets, underneath furniture, and in other areas of the home. Outdoors, fleas and ticks can survive in protected areas such as leaf piles, wooded spaces, tall grass, decks, and garages. Ticks can remain active when temperatures reach around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that even in cooler weather there are still opportunities for your dog to encounter them.
Fleas and ticks are more than just a nuisance. Fleas can cause intense itching, skin infections, and flea allergy dermatitis, and they can transmit tapeworms. Ticks can transmit serious diseases, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Some of these diseases can also affect people, making parasite prevention an important part of protecting the entire family.
There are many flea and tick prevention options available, including collars, topical treatments, and oral medications. Different products work in different ways. Some repel ticks and prevent them from attaching, while others kill ticks after they attach. Your veterinarian can help you choose a product that is safe, effective, and appropriate for your pet and your budget.
This is the best way to protect your pet is to keep their parasite prevention going year-round. In addition to year-round flea and tick prevention, heartworm prevention is equally important, with options ranging from separate preventatives to convenient all-in-one products that protect against fleas, ticks, and heartworms.
National Pet Remembrance Month
by Andrew Krebbs
September is National Pet Remembrance Month. This observance feels especially personal to me this year. A few weeks ago, I lost Suki, my beloved 16-year-old Chihuahua-Yorkie. She was part of my life for 16 years, and I feel her absence deeply.
Our pets shape our routines, fill our homes with companionship, and stay beside us through some of life’s hardest moments. Losing them can leave an enormous emptiness. Every pet owner has experienced this loss or will face it someday. The pain and grief are real, deep, and deserving of care.
When that time comes, please be kind to yourself. There is no right way or timeline for grieving. Support is available if you need it. MCHA’s cremation partner, Pet Angels, provides MCHA clients with free access to a 24/7 pet-loss grief support line at 844-472-9588.
Finding a meaningful way to remember your pet can also bring comfort and healing. You might create a photo album, plant something in their honor, make a donation, or choose another tribute that reflects the life you shared. I will memorialize Suki on MCHA’s Remembrance Tree, where her name will join those of other beloved pets who left a lasting place in the hearts of their families.
Sharing photos and stories about a pet you have lost can also be therapeutic. It gives you a chance to remember the moments that made your relationship so special and to share those memories with people who understand.
I am always here and would gladly receive your favorite pet photos and stories. They may bring you comfort, and I know they will bring joy to me and the rest of the MCHA team. You can share them with us at mcha@monroehumane.org.
MCHA's 31st Annual Run for the Animals
Run for the Animals Returns!
Sunday, October 4
Registration Opens at 8 a.m. | Race Begins at 9:30 a.m.
Karst Farm Park
2450 S Endwright Rd, Bloomington, IN 47403
The 31st Annual Run for the Animals is in a month, and we are hoping to see you there! Run for the Animals is presented by The Dog House.
We’re excited to welcome Perfect Timing Race Management back to the Run for the Animals this year! Their team will once again handle course management and race timing, bringing their experience from events like Hoosiers Outrun Cancer and the Hoosier Half Marathon to help make race day run smoothly and provide participants with reliable, accurate results.
And the fun doesn’t stop when you cross the finish line! Following the awards ceremony, stick around for raffles and our beloved canine contests, including the fastest peanut butter licker and best costume. We also want to make sure you register early if you’d like one of this year’s Run for the Animals t-shirts. Last year, we ran out of shirts before the race even began, so advance registration is the best way to guarantee you receive one! Check out this year's shirt design below!
Whether you’re joining us to run, walk, cheer on participants, or spend the day with your four-legged friends, we can’t wait to see you at the 31st Annual Run for the Animals! Every dollar raised helps support MCHA’s programs and services for pets and people throughout our local community.
Learn more and register today at monroehumane.org/5k.
Remembrance Tree
Honor a Pet with MCHA's Remembrance Tree
Our pets may not be with us forever, but the love and memories they leave behind last a lifetime. This September, National Pet Remembrance Month is an opportunity to pause and remember the special animals who have been part of our families and made such a lasting impact on our lives.
At MCHA, the Pet Remembrance Tree provides a meaningful place to celebrate those memories. Honor a beloved pet, or recognize the pet of someone special to you, by adding a personalized “leaf” to the tree. Each leaf represents a cherished life and the unique bond between pets and the people who love them.
When you make a remembrance gift, you’re honoring a pet while helping other animals in our community. Your support makes MCHA’s lifesaving programs possible, ensuring that pets and families can continue to find the care, resources, and support they need.
Give a leaf in memory of a beloved companion and help keep their memory growing within our community.
Learn more about our Remembrace Tree at monroehumane.org/donate-remembrance-tree.
Pet CPR & First Aid Class
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Noon–5 p.m.
Location: Scout’s Honor, 611 W. 11th St., Bloomington
$100 per person
Limited to 10 participants
Scout’s Honor and Train Loyal Companions are hosting a Pet CPR and First Aid Class, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Monroe County Humane Association.
This five-hour class teaches CPR techniques, basic first aid, and health and wellness information for dogs and cats through instruction, demonstrations, and hands-on practice. It is ideal for pet owners, pet care professionals, volunteers, and anyone who regularly works with animals.
Each participant will receive a 40-page PetSaver® handbook and a two-year certification upon successful completion. The course does not include dental or senior pet care.
Pet Tech is an international training organization dedicated to CPR, first aid, and care for dogs and cats. Since 1997, Pet Tech has taught pet owners and professionals lifesaving skills that support pet safety and responsible care.
Early registration is encouraged. Register online now!
Upcoming Mobile Vaccine Clinic | Sunday, September 13
Sunday, September 13
1-3 p.m.
Monroe Fire Station 24
7606 E State Rd 45, Bloomington, IN 47408
On Sunday, September 13, 2026, MCHA will host a walk-in mobile vaccine clinic at Monroe Fire Station 24 (7606 E State Rd 45, Bloomington, IN 47408). MCHA’s dedicated veterinary team of volunteers and staff will be available from 1-3 p.m. with no appointment needed; all are welcome!
Our Mobile Vaccine Clinics offer a range of services, including legally mandated rabies vaccines for pets aged 12 weeks and older. Additionally, we provide nail trims, anal gland expressions, microchips, and preventive measures for fleas, ticks, and heartworm. While these clinics are intended for healthy dogs and cats, they are not a substitute for your pet’s annual wellness check-up with your primary veterinarian.
Subsidized pricing is available for clients who present proof of a government subsidy program or other proof of financial hardship.
MCHA Dog Walking Club | Saturday, September 26
Saturday, September 26
9 a.m.
Sample Gates
Join MCHA Dog Walking Club for a relaxed morning walk with fellow dog lovers and their pups. A local dog trainer will guide the group on a 30 to 60-minute walk and offer opportunities to practice leash manners and build your dog’s social skills.
MCHA Dog Walking Club is a welcoming, community-focused group for friendly dogs and their humans to get moving, socialize, and enjoy the outdoors together. Walks are held on the last Saturday of each month, with locations and trainers rotating throughout the season.
Friendly dogs and people of all experience levels are welcome. Please bring a leash, waste bags, and water for you and your dog.
Come for the walk. Stay for the community.
Registration is not required; this is an open and free event!
Message From MCHA's Executive Director
It feels good to finally be on the other side of the tornado repairs. After months of work, we have completed the major repairs across MCHA’s campus, and our new play yards are now in place for the animals in our care.
At the same time, we are looking ahead. We are actively working through the next steps for a new outreach and pet food pantry space that would give us more room to serve families and pets in our community. There is still plenty to work through, but we are excited about the possibilities and look forward to sharing more as those plans come together.
We are also excited to welcome Dalton Kehrt-Clouse as MCHA’s new Marketing & Development Coordinator. Dalton will help us strengthen how we share MCHA’s work, connect with supporters, and grow the resources that make our programs possible.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support MCHA by volunteering, donating, attending our events, sharing our work, and connecting others to our mission. Having so many people in our corner makes a real difference.
Get Involved – Volunteer
We need a few extra hands for this year’s Run for the Animals!
Volunteers can help with setup, tear down, check-in, the water station, and along the course to help direct and cheer on runners and walkers.
It takes a lot of people to make the event run smoothly, and every volunteer helps make the day better for everyone who comes out to support MCHA. If you’d like to be part of it, we’d love to have you join us.
Volunteering with us is not just about helping animals; it’s about creating a better community for all. Sign up today and be a part of the change you wish to see!
MAILING ADDRESS
P.O. Box 1334
Bloomington, Indiana 47402
ANIMAL CARE CAMPUS
791 S Fieldstone Blvd
Bloomington, Indiana 47403
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Tuesday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Closed
FOLLOW US
Monroe County Humane Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that relies on donations, sponsorships, and grants to fund all of our programs and services. EIN: 35-6064277
Monroe County Humane Association proudly collaborates, but is distinct from, the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter. For services such as adoption, lost/found pets, shelter hours, and animal control, feel free to reach out to our friends at the City of Bloomington Animal Care & Control at 812-349-3492. Together, we're caring for our community's animals.