West Suburban Humane Society is a volunteer-based, non-profit, animal welfare organization. Founded in 1972, they began life as a lost and found pet referral service providing homeless animals with shelter in volunteer homes. By gathering information and compiling records they aimed to reunite as many lost pets as possible with their worried owners.
As support and demand grew for their services over the years, a permanent shelter was built in West Chicago alongside 3 other satellite shelters in nearby townships.
Over 600 animals are taken in and found new, loving forever families every year. At any one time, the shelter can house up to 25 dogs and 60 cats. Many animals are brought in by the public that have been abandoned, neglected, abused, injured, or orphaned. Others pets come from impound facilities, which may be suffering from overcrowding issues. As the shelter operates with a no-kill policy, there's no time limit on how long any one animal can stay in their care. Every animal will be given the love and medical attention they need before being rehomed. Some animals who have suffered severe trauma or neglect may need to be temporarily placed in caring foster homes until they're ready for adoption.
West Suburban Humane Society also strives to serve and educate the community through educational outreach programs promoting humane animal care.
West Suburban Humane Society works hard to match the right pet with the right owner. Their amazing staff is only too happy to assist in the adoption process, which is as follows:
Adoption fees at West Suburban Humane Society are as follows:
Through the “Adopt A Buddy” program, when you adopt any kitten or adult cat, you can adopt a second for half the listed fee! This offer is also valid for up to 6 months after the first adoption.
Your adoption fee covers spay/neuter surgery, flea and tick prevention, microchipping and registration, collar with ID tag, and deworming. Dogs will also receive heartworm testing and prevention and DALP-PV and bordetella vaccinations. Cats will receive a FVRCP vaccination, 2F test, and an ear-mite check and treatment (if necessary).
Some dogs will come with a free training session.
Our writing team is hard at work researching this shelter's adoption process and fees, so this page will be updated soon!
In the meantime, here's some nice-to-know info that applies to nearly every animal shelter, humane society, and rescue.
Because shelter dogs are full of love!
Is it because they know you saved them and love you harder for it?
I can't say for certain, but yes.
Jokes aside, there are three things all shelter dogs need to thrive in their new home:
Older shelter dogs, generally 1+ years old, may have experienced a lot of trauma, which often results in one of 8 common behavioral issues:
These issues are correctable! Your dog isn't broken, they're just damaged. You can fix them with enough love, patience, and a good training plan.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding good dog trainers can be hard. Like everything else, dog training is moving only. but there are great online dog trainers that are proven to work and can help get your new pup on the right path.
You can learn a lot about an animal welfare organization just by looking at their name.
Adoption processes vary drastically from organization to organization, but here are some general tips that apply in most instances. Note that we'll use the term "shelters" here for simplicity but it includes all types of rescue organizations.
If you have any questions about adopting an animal (what you'll need, what to expect, etc.) feel free to contact the PetLists team!
If you're looking to adopt a new dog, our Dog Adoption Guide is a must-read. It has everything you need to know about bringing a shelter dog home:
And we're adding new guides all the time.
