As populations soar and the demand for services provided by area pet shelters grows, some daily arrivals still merit special attention.
They come in emaciated, with broken limbs or sick from disease, but many of those animals are being nursed back to health thanks to veterinarians and shelter staff.
What’s more, these dogs, cats and other critters are finding their way into the hearts of people who foster and adopt them.
That’s what happened with Pumpkin, a 2-year-old goldendoodle who arrived in late September at South Suburban Humane Society so emaciated he was unable to stand up. But with time, veterinary care and lots of love from the staff, his weight doubled, he got stronger and a couple recently adopted him.
The shelter in Matteson, which has taken in roughly 2,058 dogs and 2,252 cats since January 2023, has a low-cost veterinary clinic for shelter pets as well as those from the community.
“Honestly (special needs) adoptions aren’t that challenging, especially something like an amputation … the dogs are really good at adapting,” said Alicia Peterson, director of Foster Programs at the humane society. “There are some that are a little more challenging, but I think people are always looking for something special, so that kind of helps their care, too.”
Peterson said it can be harder to find homes for senior pets with heart failure, but fostering sometimes leads to a success story.
“The foster will fall in love with them and end up keeping them,” she said.
Peterson often fosters these pets herself, including her current 4-month-old pit bull mix named Bunny, who came in with parvovirus and a deformed leg. Her experience with sick pets helps, as does her and access to resources at the shelter.
Pets with broken limbs are some of the most common special needs at the shelter, according to Megan Rola-Podczaski, the shelter’s chief operating officer who also is a certified veterinary technician. The limbs are stabilized with splints and if necessary, amputated, she said.
“We’re lucky to have that clinic that can help,” said Rola-Podczaski, who adopted two Chihuahua “tripods,” from South Suburban. “There’s a home for everybody.”
At the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge special needs pets are tended on site by veterinarian Leo Paul, who along with other shelter staff, has been known to adopt animals that have had a tough time finding homes.
In one case, a dog named Angel, who is about 10 years old, was found stuffed in a small cardboard box, malnourished with open, infected wounds. She received X-rays, testing, medical treatment and medication and has been on a slow mend, receiving “so much love and attention from everyone,” according to AWL officials.
Then there’s Guppy, a kitten abandoned in the shelter’s lobby who was having trouble walking because of a neurological problem. Though his leg had to be amputated, he’s now playful.
PAWS Tinley Park, a no-kill shelter that takes in more than 1,000 pets yearly, also does its share of helping pets with special needs.
Bradley Rahm, a longtime board member and volunteer, said not all have obvious problems when admitted. His current foster, a Shih Tzu-terrier mix named Craig, was found by a “good Samaritan” after being hit by a car. He was having trouble breathing and had damage to his lungs. With treatment, that’s improving.
“We try to get them as comfortable as possible, if we can,” said Rahm, adding the shelter receives veterinary help from Midwest Animal Hospital in Mokena.
Rahm said one of the shelter’s biggest problems is people who are unable to pay for their pets’ surgeries and simply let them go.
“It’s kind of hard to tell if they’re really a stray or someone just let them out, not realizing the more extensive damage that can happen to the animal,” he said. “If we don’t take them in and care for them, they’re going to end up probably out on the street and animals out on the street in pain, there’s a possibility of them biting someone who just wants to help.
“I think it’s important we take them in because that way we know the pet is going to get the care it needs,” said Rahm. “It’s not going to be in extensive periods of pain.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
