Remember Clifford the Big Red Dog? The lovable giant who always found himself in a bit of mischief, but it worked out in the end? Did you always want him, but think to yourself:
• 20 ft tall dog is impractical for my lifestyle
• terrifying poop cleanup
• red is SO not my color
Then why not compromise and foster RAYMOND! He’s 90 lbs of lovable, eager to please, high-fiveable, ultra dog friendly big dog goodness who needs a savvy foster to continue his training, let him decompress in a home, and keep him safe till he’s ready for his forever fam! He’s insanely handsome, loves to learn, and hanging with him is always one of the best parts of the week for staff and volunteers.
Grey is SO much sleeker than red, anyway. If you’re ready for a compact Clifford, reach out to either Animal Heartline Humane Association, Chi-Town Pitties, or email DCAS Foster & Rescue Coordinator, Dina at dina.schubert@dupageco.org who will provide more information on how/where to apply to foster Raymond.
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Animal Heartline Humane Association is a foster based rescue group that is dedicated to finding homes for stray and unwanted pets. An amazing rescue, Animal Heartline has agreed to transfer Raymond into their program and offer continued training support until he finds his furever home. All they need is someone like YOU, willing to open their home to Raymond. Interested in fostering? Fill out a foster application today! |
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Chi-Town Pitties is another remarkable rescue group that DCAS is so thankful to have the opportunity to work with. Whenever there is a pittie (or other) in need Chi-Town Pitties does their best to rescue. Over the past year Chi-Town has been instrumental in finding homes for a number of DCAS dogs in need. Chi-Town Pitties is ready to step up for Raymond but is in need of a committed, experienced foster willing to keep up with Raymond's training and help prepare him for his furever home. Think it might be you? Fill out a foster application today!
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On Monday, February 18th, DuPage County Animal Services in collaboration with One Tail At A Time Rescue and Best Friends Animal Society, welcomed more than 70 executive directors, board members, decision-makers, professional dog trainers and veterinarians representing more than 30 rescues, shelters and businesses for an evening full of thought-provoking conversation centered on elevating best practices in animal welfare. Discussion topics included: rescue & sheltering, training and behavior, saving “behavior” animals, and affecting lasting change.
This first gathering was a big success and is the first of many to come. The goal of the these gatherings is to bring together animal welfare industry leaders in the spirit of unifying & advancing our industry to save our community’s at-risk animals in the most humane, and responsible way possible, and without sacrificing quality of life. We hope to continue to create opportunities where leaders can:
- promote force-free training & handling methods
- discuss and collectively agreeing on best practices
- share knowledge and resources
- brainstorm possible solutions to common challenges faced by members
- encourage and support one another
- take part in continuing education
We will also be developing future opportunities for volunteers, fosters and the general public to get involved. DCAS is proud to be a part of this community of passionate and dedicated individuals and look forward to working together to make advancements in animal welfare so that we are better equipped to save more lives.
ACTION ALERTS
DCAS and the DuPage County Legislative Committee have made banning the sale of commercially bred pets one of its 2019 Legislative Priorities. In addition to working at the state level to introduce legislation that would ban the retail sale of commercially bred animals, a few municipalities are leading the way to enact their own bans locally including:
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Downers Grove – the Village of Downers Grove is poised to vote on enacting a humane pet store ordinance at the March 5th Village Council Meeting. Downers Grove residents, please reach out to Mayor Tully and your Village Council members to thank them for their leadership and encourage their support of a humane pet store ordinance!
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Wheaton – the Wheaton City Council is set to consider a proposed ban on the retail sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits. Wheaton residents please reach out to Mayor Gresk and your city council members to respectfully ask them to support this ban.
 Thank you to North Royalton Police Department for their hilarious perspective on coyotes.
So let's get serious folks, human populations have encroached on coyote territory and as a result people are seeing coyotes out and about more often, especially now as January-March is the typical breeding season for coyotes. Naturally active in the daytime many coyotes adopt nocturnal lifestyles when living in urban environments, It is not uncommon to see coyotes crossing streets, running through fields, or even politely escorting people away from their dens where vulnerable youngsters play.
Coyotes are capable of coexisting with people and despite their possibly imposing appearance they do not pose a threat to humans. According to the Humane Society of the United States coyote attacks are rare and are often correlated with humans feeding wildlife. While coyotes do not pose a threat to humans they can be dangerous around our pets, particularly cats and small dogs. Use the tips below to keep your animals safe.
- Keep dogs on leashes at all times and pull them close to you if you sight a coyote
- If coyotes get too close, yell, wave your arms, or make loud noises to shoo them away but try to avoid unnecessary harassment as the coyotes may just be keeping an eye on you if they have a den nearby.
- If you're followed by a coyote, don't panic! They are likely "shadowing" you through their territory keeping an eye on you to make sure you are not going to disturb their den.
- Walk calmly away from coyotes, never run.
- Cats should always be kept inside for their safety
If you encounter a sick or injured coyote and live in incorporated DuPage County please contact your local police department for assistance, if in unincorporated DuPage contact Animal Services or the DuPage County Sheriff's Department.
Click on the links below to learn more about coyotes and how to discourage them from entering your yard.
DuPage Animal Services hosted a volunteer appreciation luncheon on February 16th to show our volunteers just how much we love and appreciate all of their hard work and compassion for the animals at the shelter. In 2018, volunteers donated 14,280 hours of their time to the shelter which represents a monetary value of $352, 573 (independent Sector values volunteer hours at $24.69 for 2018). That's 3,300 more volunteer hours than were logged in 2017, DCAS volunteers just keep getting better and better! Shelter staff is so thankful for all of the volunteers hard work and were so happy to show their appreciation! Volunteers were treated to a delicious meal and got to hear all about the exciting new changes that are coming to DCAS!
We could not do what we do for the animals in DuPage County without the dedication and compassionate care provided by our amazing volunteers!
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The 8th Annual DuPage Human Race is set for April 27th in Downers Grove. This is a family and dog-friendly fun run & walk. We hope you can join us to help raise money to help homeless pets. Participation is simple: Run, Walk, Fundraise or Donate. Race info http://bit.ly/DuPageAnimalFriends
You can make a difference in getting a lost pet home faster by helping us microchip and register the chip for a $20 donation!
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Summer is quickly approaching and DCAS staff and volunteers are gearing up to welcome kids back for the fun and exciting summer camps offered at the shelter. Each summer camp has a special theme designed to appeal to young animal lovers and environmental enthusiasts!
Keep your eye on the shelter's Humane Education page for information on summer camps that will be coming soon. Feel free to contact our Humane Education department at humane.education@dupageco.org with any questions!
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Students will benefit from participating in the DCAS internship program by gaining valuable experience in all aspects of animal sheltering from administrative to animal care. The internships at DCAS provide a beneficial tool in preparing college students for real-life work in an animal field. Internships can improve student understanding of career choices and increase chances of landing a job after graduation or moving forward into a graduate program. DCAS offers two paid internship tracks: Animal Care and Humane Education/Animal Control. Interns must be able to commit to a 37.5 hour work week including weekends and holidays for a period of 11 weeks beginning May 20th..
Click here for position descriptions and directions on how to apply.
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March 5th- Village of Downers Grove Vote on Humane Pet Store Ordinance at Village Council Meeting, 7pm
March 13th- Pages & Purrs Book Club meeting: learn more here.
March 16th- DCAS Internship Applications Due
March 22-24th- DCAS is proud to be the host site for the upcoming First Train Home 3-Day Chicago Foundational Shelter Workshop for animal welfare professionals. Click here for more details.
April 27th- The Human Race
TBD- Wheaton City Council Meeting on Humane Pet Store Ordinance- Stay tuned to DCAS social media for the latest information and action alerts.
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