Darcie Kurtz
In April, Herd Strategies is celebrating National Volunteer Month by highlighting local volunteer organizations and opportunities, showcasing ways we can use our passions, values and skillsets to #giveback and lift up our communities. This week’s feature is Darcie Kurtz, executive director of Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside (FIDO), who has improved the lives of thousands of local, outdoor pets since founding the animal welfare nonprofit.
Darcie Kurtz has loved animals from a young age. During her college undergraduate and graduate years, she worked in various animal hospitals as a veterinary assistant. After obtaining a master’s degree in physiology from the IU School of Medicine in 1991, she worked in clinical research at the IU School of Medicine before obtaining a pharmacokinetic analyst position at Eli Lilly and Co., where she worked in clinical research for 15 years.
While at Lilly, Darcie realized that her real interests lay in animal welfare, prompting a change in careers. “When I was offered the position of kennel manager at Indianapolis Animal Care Services, I decided that was my opportunity to make the risky leap out of the field I went to school for and into the field of my real interest and heart,” she said.
In 2005, Darcie founded FIDO, Inc (Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside) to address the suffering of dogs living outside chained or penned in poor conditions. At that time, there was little awareness of the condition of these dogs. “Over the years, I had seen dogs chained in backyards throughout our city. They seemed sad and forgotten. Many were obviously suffering poor conditions. Yet, no other local animal welfare organizations seemed to be aware or concerned with the plight of these dogs. Most local animal groups were focused on homeless animals in shelters,” she shared. “I decided that I needed to do something to help these outside dogs. So we formed a small grassroots group of five volunteers that became FIDO.”
Darcie recognized the need for community outreach to find these dogs and offer information, dog supplies and services to support their owners. “We decided that anything we could do for these dogs would be a start. We began driving down alleys in neighborhoods with a lot of chained dogs. When we found a dog, we drove to the front door of the house and offered free dog food and supplies in a friendly, non-judgmental way. We found that most people would at least talk to us. Many welcomed our help with their dogs. And FIDO's outreach program was up and running,” she said. Darcie served as FIDO board president and active volunteer leader for many years.
Darcie shared that one of FIDO’s greatest achievements has been the passage of its proposed Indianapolis dog care and treatment ordinance to set better standards of care for outside dogs. “There were very few protections for outside dogs. Dogs could be kept outside at any temperature, with minimal shelter, on the end of a chain or in a tiny pen,” she said. “So, in 2013, FIDO spearheaded the proposal that limited tethering, set temperature limits, and required improved shelter and adequate kennel space.”
After two years of work with a local city councilor resulted in the passage of the ordinance in 2015, Darcie led a two-year local public awareness campaign — in both English and Spanish — to inform pet owners of the elevated standards for dog care in our community. Since then, the FIDO team has been providing direct support to local dog owners to help them comply with the ordinance. “This ordinance has set standards for improved care for thousands of dogs in our community and has been used as model legislation in other communities passing similar ordinances,” said Darcie.
Serving as FIDO’s first executive director since 2017, Darcie has grown FIDO from an all-volunteer organization to its current staffing of four full-time employees, three part-time employees and eight part-time contractors, in addition to 50 regular volunteers. She has led the FIDO team to expand the productivity of all FIDO programs to better meet the animal welfare needs of our community, resulting in a lasting impact. “Because FIDO has been working out in the neighborhoods of Indianapolis for almost 18 years now, there are fewer and fewer dogs living outside chained or penned. There has been a cultural shift away from using a chain as a common method of dog containment,” Darcie said.
FIDO’s programs work to remove barriers keeping dogs from living their happiest, healthiest lives. “When FIDO offers our help with resources like free spay/neuter and vaccinations, a secure fenced enclosure, warm dog houses, dog food and basic supplies, our clients often tell their neighbors, their friends, and their family how FIDO has helped them. Word of mouth in neighborhoods has generated a steady stream of calls to our helpline from new people reaching out for our help,” Darcie said. Since it requires that pets be spayed/neutered before receiving other FIDO services, FIDO removes all barriers to spay/neuter surgery by scheduling, funding and transporting dogs to its partner spay/neuter clinics. “Over the years, FIDO has ensured that many thousands of dogs were spayed or neutered who would have otherwise likely gone on to produce litters of puppies destined for our overcrowded animal shelter system, life as a stray, or life on the end of a chain.”
Darcie outlined the numerous ways in which volunteers are essential to FIDO’s work. “We always need volunteer assistants to team up with our case managers in the field. While sometimes our initial contact with outside dogs and their people is hard to experience, doing this is how we connect with the community and improve the lives of these dogs,” she emphasized. Volunteers can also transport dogs to and from surgery, assist with the distribution of dog supplies and staff the pet food pantry. “We hope that volunteers at FIDO, no matter their role, realize that their work plays an important part in the big, complicated picture of local animal welfare,” said Darcie.
Reflecting on her own volunteer work with FIDO, Darcie emphasized how fulfilling giving back can be. “As a volunteer, I have met so many wonderful people and gained so many great personal contacts. I met most of my personal friends through volunteerism in animal welfare,” she shared. “By volunteering in the area of my interests and where my heart is, I developed knowledge and skills that I could then use on my professional career path. Plus, there is a unique self-satisfaction from investing time and energy into an effort where there is no external reward, such as a paycheck, but instead the internal reward of making others' lives a little better through your hard work.”
To keep up with Darcie, follow her on Facebook and LinkedIn. Learn more about FIDO by following them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or by visiting their website. Click here to volunteer!
