At DCAS we try hard every day to responsibly rehome as many animals as possible. But saving lives means more caregiving resources and longer lengths of stay. Animals arriving at our door are increasingly older, often require significant veterinary care or behavioral assistance, and having been turned away from other shelters, have no place else to go.
How do we save more lives? Foster and adoption saves valuable resources, spares animals from shelter stress, allows behavior issues to be addressed, and provides staff with a more accurate picture of an animal's true personality. Volunteers help us enrich the lives of shelter animals and help them cope with shelter stress.
Here’s is our lifesaving wish-list for 2020:
- Big Dog Fosters – to help us save the many large dogs that experience long stays and are prone to kennel stress
- Experienced Fosters – to help us provide behaviorally challenged dogs with the chance to show us the good dog we know they can be
- Skilled Dog Handler Volunteers – if you’re already certified or studying to become a certified dog trainer we need you!
- Weekday Volunteers – help us to provide our animals with enrichment and exercise EVERY day of the week
- Kitten Socializers – save unsocial wannabe kitten lives by spending quality socialization time together at home
Can we count on you to be the lifesaving difference in 2020? To learn more about fostering dogs or if you are a certified dog trainer looking for credit-earning volunteer opportunities, contact our Canine Coordinator at Caroline.Rzewnicki@dupageco.org. To learn more about socializing kittens, contact our Volunteer & Foster Coordinator at Dina.Schubert@dupageco.org. To view current weekday volunteer openings, visit our Volunteer Page.
 Click on the image of Jackson Galaxy to view DCAS staff and volunteers unpacking the Cat Pawsitive supply box
DuPage County Animal services is excited to announce that we have been accepted into the Jackson Glaxay Project’s Cat Pawsitive Program. The program is a positive reinforcement clicker training program designed to help combat the stress of sheltering and provide enrichment and training to help cats that do not show well and are at high-risk of shutting down in the shelter. The clicker training enriches the day to day life for cats in the shelter, builds new skills for cats as well as shelter staff and volunteers, promotes the human-cat bond, and helps improve adoptability!
 Click on the photo of Sofia & Raven for a quick video of them playing
"True friends aren't the ones who make your problems disappear. They are the ones who won't disappear when you're facing problems" ~Unknown
The definition of friendship has never been better exemplified than in Sofia and Raven. Sofia has a condition called Cerebellar Hypoplasia which makes her movement wobbly and uncoordinated. She will live a long and happy life but may struggle to keep up with other cats. It's a good thing she has Raven, her BFF who is always happy to play right by her side! And Raven, who came into the shelter as a shy girl, has found her courage since she has her pal Sofia backing her up!
These two gal pals are available for adoption and we would love it if they could go together but each can be adopted on their own with the purrfect family. Interested? Come by the shelter and meet them today!
For more information please visit: bit.ly/DCASadoptables
Our volunteer Casha Goodwin has created her original Valentine's Day Cards with all sales going to support DCAS animals! What better way to express your love for your favorite hoomans and help support our shelter animals.
Each printed card is only $4. Order the card that expresses your love and does some good! All cards are her original designs (blank inside to write your own personal message).
You can request your cards by Messenger to Casha Goodwin. (If you are not connected on FB, just send her an invite on Messenger.) Please indicate the "name" and number of the card, and quantity of each you want. They can be hand delivered at DCAS or mailed, (mailing cost is additional).
Thank you for your support!
**Note: Orders need to be placed by February 7th for cards. Portraits need to be ordered by January 18. Special order Pet Portrait cards are $30, limited orders accepted due to time needed to complete.**
Original Watercolor cards shown below. (Prints may vary slightly in color.)
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Meet Helen!
Helen is a staple figure in the DCAS adoption cat room. Our resident organizer, Helen maintains our cat interaction board that tracks which cats have received play/loving time each day. Thanks to Helen's careful notes each and every cat in the adoption room is sure to get their share of attention!
Not only does Helen dedicate her time each week to documenting the activity in the cat room, she also spends times getting to know each and every adoptable cat. While she's at the shelter you can find Helen sitting on the floor to coax a shy kitty out of their bed, snuggling our more outgoing lap cats, and providing much needed play time for the kittens!
Helen knows the likes, dislikes, and individual quirks of each cat in the adoption room and she is always happy to share her insights with potential adopters to ensure they find the cat that is the purrfect fit for their family!
We are so appreciative of Helen's tireless dedication to the cats of DCAS. Helen is unfailingly kind, dedicated, and generous with her time and affection! We are so proud to have her as a part of the DCAS volunteer team!
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We've all experienced it. Our sweet, wonderful, loving dogs turn into needy, sometimes destructive monsters when winter rolls around. Don't worry, you are not alone! Even professional dog trainers like DCAS lead S.T.A.R. and Orange Paw trainer Allie Bender experiences this struggle with her dog Oso.
Are they suffering from the same winter blues we experience? Well, sort of, winter can be tough for anyone who doesn't love the ice and snow. Dogs, just like humans, have biological needs that must be met, even in the cold, to keep them mentally and physically healthy. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that you can do!
You may have heard the term "enrichment" bounced around in the canine community. What is enrichment exactly? To put it simply, enrichment means that we have identified our dogs needs, both mental and physical, and have created an environment where those needs can be met in a psoitive, safe manner. What those needs are can only be determined by your pooch. Pay close attention to the behaviors that your dog truly enjoys expressing and select enrichment options that allow for those behaviors to be expressed.
There are so many great resources out there that provide suggestions for ways that dedicated owners can keep their dogs enriched once their indiviudal needs have been identifed. Victoria Stillwell offers many positive suggestions for ways to keep your dogs engaged on her website. Recognizing the need for a comprehenvie manual on canine enrichment, behavioral consultant for DCAS Allie Bender got together with her colleague Emily Strong and penned Canine Enrichment For The Real World, a wonderful resource to better understand your dog's mental and physical needs. It will open up a whole new world of engagement and enrichment for you and your canine friend that wil get you through the winter and the rest of the year!
**Click on the image of Bagel swimming (a great indoor activity!) at Natural Healing Whole Wellness for a video of him investigating a busy bucket, an easy way to make toys and treats fun for your pooch!**
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Our canine friends are not the only animals that benefit from daily environmental enrichment. Providing mental and physical enrichment is importnat for all species!
Adoptable rabbit Yara has been spending time in a foster home while she waits for her furever family and her foster mom has really stepped up her enrichment game to keep Yara active and happy while in her care. Click on the photo of Yara to watch her explore her impressive, multi-level enclosure!
For more information on Yara and the adoption process please visit: bit.ly/DCASadoptables
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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 2020 summer camps. 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 three paid internship tracks: Animal Care, Veterinary Technician, 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 11th.
Click here for position descriptions and directions on how to apply.
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