Chicago Shelter Runs Out Of Adoptable Dogs For The First Time
CHICAGO, IL — Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) had no adoptable dogs over the weekend for the first time ever, likely due to the new coronavirus pandemic and adopters having more time to spend at home.
The CACC posted the announcement on their Facebook page April 5, thanking everyone who had adopted dogs over the past few weeks.
"We are amazed at the outpouring of people wanting to help during this time," the organization said in the post.
While there are still some dogs at CACC, they are not currently available for direct adoption because coronavirus restrictions from the city prevent the shelter from being able to perform spay and neuter surgeries before dogs can be adopted. In order to help dogs who are currently at CACC, people interested in adopting must apply with a rescue partner and be approved to foster and adopt through them.
It is important to note that those who are interested in working with a rescue partner to foster should be able to foster even after the shelter-in-place order has been lifted. Foster situations can last for months, and it can be difficult for rescue partners to find new foster homes when people can no longer commit, the shelter said.
In the post, the shelter offered some tips to people who are interested in the foster-to-adopt process. Most importantly, be patient when applying to foster, as most rescues are volunteer-run and have been flooded with applications over the past few weeks. Any applications that have been sent directly to CACC for fostering will not be responded to during this time, so the best course of action is to apply through a rescue partner.
"If you have adopted a dog, you are their forever home," the shelter said in the post. "Remember that dog's world revolves around you! Please be patient with them and give them time to decompress."
This article originally appeared on the Chicago Patch
