About Indiana-PAW
 Click here to see Indiana-PAW across the state. |
Indiana Proactive Animal Welfare, Inc. ("Indiana-PAW") is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, all-volunteer organization that relies upon donations from the public. Our mission is to use education and advocacy to reduce the number of companion animals who are euthanized in Indiana, and to cultivate in our community a sense of respect for the needs of those animals with whom we share our world. Click here to see our Articles of Incorporation with the state of Indiana. Click here to see our GuideStar Report.
Our Activities
Click here for an at-a-glance description of the daily activities Indiana-PAW engages in to accomplish it's mission of using education to reduce the number of animals who are euthanized in Indiana.Our Team
Indiana-PAW is managed by a Board of Directors and by the volunteer staff members below, all of whom dedicate between 10 and 70 hours a week to Indiana-PAW.- Amy Van Ostrand, Esq., Founder & Executive Director,
amy@indiana-paw.com
Amy is a full-time attorney, and practices law at the Indianapolis firm of Ladendorf & Ladendorf. She's also the Founder and Executive Director of Indiana-PAW, having been involved with animal rescue efforts all her adult life. Several years ago, Amy took a three-year sabbatical from her legal career, during which time she managed media relations for the Humane Society of Indianapolis and for the Humane Society for Hamilton County. Over the years, animal shelters in various states have offered Amy Executive Director positions - in each instance, she has declined so that she can continue to oversee Indiana-PAW, practice law, and stay in Indiana, the state she loves. Amy is a mom to a houseful of former shelter dogs and cats. To find out more about the personal event in Amy's life that put her on the path to founding Indiana-PAW, click here. - Julie Bouchard, Community Outreach Director,
julie@indiana-paw.com
Julie is an Operations Manager of an Indianapolis financial planning company. She and her husband are parents not only to triplet teenaged daughters (yes, you read that right), but also to two former shelter dogs who give their family more joy than they could've ever expected. And Julie's daughters are responsible for running our Purina Pro Club "Weight Circles" Program. - Megan Carroll, Volunteer Program & Transport Director,
megan@indiana-paw.com
Megan works at a small office in Indianapolis, and also stays busy selling Mary Kay products. She previously worked as an animal technician at the Humane Society for Hamilton County, and is adept in dealing with animal health and behavior issues. Megan is the proud mom to a Husky-mix named Lou, a former shelter dog, and also a rescued Bengal cat named Nikki. - Audrey Lenz-Abner, CFO & Fundraising Director,
audrey@indiana-paw.com
Audrey has a decade of animal welfare experience. She currently is working for a Carmel veterinary clinic and an Indianapolis pet photo studio and self pet wash center. Until recently, Audrey worked in the Humane Society of Indianapolis Development Department, helping plan the agency's largest fundraising events and manage direct mail appeals. Before that, she served as the Assistant Director of the St. Joseph Humane Society, handling fundraising, media relations, volunteers, and customer service staff. Audrey is mom to a dog and 3 cats. - Tracey Bruick, Foster Program Director,
tracey@indiana-paw.com
Tracey Bruick is a commercial real estate Property Manager for a New York-based, commercial real estate company with properties throughout the country. She and her daughter, Maya, have been fostering and volunteering for Indiana-PAW for more than a year, and have enjoyed meeting and giving these animals the love they need. A member of the Humane Society for Hamilton County, and the United States Humane Society, Tracey has been a long-time animal advocate. At home, their two cats, one frog, and newly adopted Great Pyrenees puppy (from a rescue group, of course) are always ready for the newest friend in need. - Derek Fakehany, Information Technology Director & Webmaster,
derek@indiana-paw.com
Derek holds a degree in aerospace engineering from UCLA. He's a solutions development engineer for a computer testing company with offices worldwide. He also designs and maintains websites, including this one. He's volunteered at animal shelters for many years, including several Indiana shelters, and is the proud dad to his shelter dogs and cats, and devotes more than 30 hours a week to Indiana-PAW. - Ash Lewin, Veterinary Technician Consultant,
ash@indiana-paw.com
Ash Lewin has worked in animal hospitals, animal shelters and with animal rescue groups for more than a decade. She worked as a veterinary technician at the Humane Society of Indianapolis from 2002 until 2005. Before that, she worked in several veterinary clinics in Nashville, Tennessee, as an ambulance driver for the Nashville Humane Association, and ran a ferret rescue group for several years. In addition, she's independently rescued and fostered more than 200 dogs, cats and small mammals. Now a Muncie resident, Ash is working on her undergraduate degree in English at Ball State University, where she also works for the biology and natural resources departments. Besides her beloved 6 cats, 3 dogs, rabbit and fish, she has acquired a colony of feral and semi-feral cats for whom she cares. In her spare time, she writes, paints, crochets and is involved in bicycle advocacy. - Tammy Fraser, Foster Parent Supervisor,
tammy@indiana-paw.com
Tammy holds an Associates degree in Computer Technology from Purdue University, and does consulting work from time to time. She is married and has three sons. She and her family have opened their home and provided life-saving foster care to more than 50 dogs in 2006 alone. Tammy's son Connor's love of animals and volunteering originally brought Tammy to Indiana-PAW. She and her family have also adopted 3 rescued dogs - Henry (from the Grant County Animal Shelter), Dominique (from Perfect Paws Pet Rescue), and Dixie (from Indy Great Pyrenees Rescue). - Carolyn Valachovic-Monroe, Education Director,
carolyn@indiana-paw.com
Carolyn works for a healthcare enterprise that provides programs and related services to individuals receiving Medicaid benefits. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Social Work and a Masters in Business Administration. She's also a mom to an 18 year old son, 12 year old daughter, four dogs, seven cats, and several small animals. Additionally, she manages a feral cat colony, and often provides lifesaving foster care through Indiana-PAW to animals at risk for euthanasia in overcrowded shelters and rescue groups. Carolyn is an avid animal lover, and has had pets all her life. - Leslie Cox, Board Member,
leslie@indiana-paw.com
Leslie has more than 20 years of animal welfare experience. She spent a decade working at the Humane Society of Indianapolis, serving at various points as Operations Manager, as Wellness Center Manager, as Foster Care Coordinator, and as a member of the Education Department. In 2003, she developed the Society's innovative "Reading Pals" child literacy program. Currently, Leslie works as a veterinary technician for VCA Eagle Park Animal Hospital in Zionsville. She's the proud mom to her rescue cats. - Angela Bickler, Northern Indiana Representative,
angela@indiana-paw.com
Angela, a Northern Indiana native, and young, energetic animal lover, works as a facilities coordinator for LaPetite Academy. She and her husband have three wonderful dogs who Angela says inspired her to want to start helping Indiana's homeless animals. Angela has also volunteered as a foster parent with both Northern Lights Sled Dog Rescue and IMPS through Indiana-PAW's Foster Roster. Her special interest in is pit bulls, who Angela recognizes as a misunderstood breed who deserve better treatment and understanding. Angela and her husband fostered Spot/Waylon, one of the dogs from our Rushville Project, playing a key role in saving his life. - Jenn Williamson, Southern Indiana Representative,
jenn@indiana-paw.com
Jenn is an avid animal lover with a passion for animal care and welfare. She lives in Southern Indiana with her husband, three children, three rescue dogs, two cats, and other small animals and reptiles. She works in an engineering firm and also volunteers as the Chairperson of the Family Readiness Group for her husbands National Guard unit. Jenn's love of animals came from her mother's willingness to take in the next stray. That attentiveness and care her mother exuded has followed Jenn to her present day journey to aid the public in animal education and assistance. Jenn joined Indiana-PAW's staff after serving as one of Indiana-PAW's most effective foster parents, having fostered Scotty, one of the dogs from our Rushville Project.
Our 4-Legged Ambassadors
Indiana-PAW is represented at our community events and educational programs by Waylon and Lexi, our four-legged ambassadors. They were both victims of neglect, unaltered, unvaccinated, homeless, and ultimately nearly euthanized. They found happy endings, and now they're using their lives, as part of Team Indiana-PAW, to make a difference for thousands of other homeless animals across Indiana. (Special thanks to Shawn Barney of Eagle Creek Photography for these wonderful photos of Waylon and Lexi.)- Waylon, Indiana-PAW Canine Ambassador,
waylon@indiana-paw.com
Waylon was a shy black and white Pit Bull whose teeth and hair were
falling out from years of neglect when he found himself at the Rushville Animal Shelter in July of 2007. Shelter staff notified Waylon's owner of six years that Waylon was at the shelter, but the man had no interest in retrieving him, and did not care that he would be euthanized. Luckily, Waylon was one of the 17 animals that were pulled from the shelter by Indiana-PAW. Waylon was neutered, vaccinated, had his bad teeth pulled, and went to live with Indiana-PAW foster mom Angela Bickler until he found his loving forever family with Gretchen and Jon in Indianapolis. Now Waylon enjoys sharing the laps of his parents, Jon and Gretchen, with two rescued Pit Bull mix sisters, Dixie LuLu and Ellie Mae, and his cat brother Cooter. When Waylon is not volunteering at Indiana-PAW events or underfoot of his mom, he loves to play with his siblings, run, fetch, and play with his toys. Even after all Waylon went through during the first 6 years of his life, his gentle, docile, and loving nature has always shown through. Waylon beat the odds: neglect, malnourishment, abandonment, breed stigmas, already being 6 years old, missing teeth, and a pellet in his chest. Waylon beat them all because of animal welfare advocates who believed in him, and two people who opened their home and hearts to him. Waylon and his family are excited about the opportunity to work with Indiana-PAW and help create other happy endings for dogs just like Waylon.
- Lexi, Indiana-PAW Feline Ambassador,
lexi@indiana-paw.com
Lexi was found as an orphaned grey kitten huddled up on the engine of a
car in a junk yard and taken to the Rushville Animal Shelter. She was not adopted after several weeks, and was scheduled to be euthanized. Luckily for Lexi, she was selected as one of the 17 animals that Indiana-PAW pulled from the shelter in July 2007. Lexi now spends her evenings curled up on a warm couch with a Lawrence family, with lots of brothers and sisters, including other cats, dogs, a rabbit, ferrets, a chinchilla, and a human sister and brother. She is very personable and funny, and her favorite "trick" is jumping into the bathtub when people are trying to take a bath! She also loves playing with her four-legged siblings, and sitting on the window sill watching the world outside. Lexi was one of the lucky ones - statistically, the majority of cats who arrive at animal shelters in Indiana are euthanized. Lexi looks forward to attending community outreach events and teaching citizens about the importance of caring for their pets.
