The Animal Services Department of Winnebago County shut down its adoption services because of Governor J.B. Prtizker's order to stay at home. The adoption program -- not euthanasia -- is the main way animals leave the shelter. Though it’s closed to the public, the department continues to care for the animals who are still there. And its officers continue to respond to emergency calls, those where the health and safety of a person or an animal are threatened.
Brett Frazier is the administrator of animal services. He said they had an emergency call on Thursday night.
"We had a dog fall in a creek," he said, "so we went out and we rescued that dog and that dog came to us."
Frazier said other examples of emergencies include a dog who's running loose in a high traffic area, or an animal that's acting aggressively towards people or other pets.
He shared an example of a non-emergency:
"If you've got a situation," he said, "where your landlord said you can't have pets and you think you need to get rid of your cat, it will be really helpful to us if you talk with your landlord and say, 'Can I hold this cat here for a couple weeks -- until the shelter can take it?'"
Frazier said when the governor's order is lifted, there will be "a backlog of need and a backlog of animals. " He said that the public can help prepare for that.
"It takes an entire community," he said, "to save the lives and make a difference in the lives of animals." He continued, "Being aware and being helpful, and eventually volunteering and fostering and donating -- even just sharing social media posts is a help."
Frazier said people should continue to shelter in place with their pets. "We are all living through less than ideal circumstances," he said, "and we want to be really empathetic and sympathetic. Normally, we are able to do a lot more, but right now we really need people to take a critical look at their situation and think, 'Can this wait?' and if it can wait, it needs to wait."
Frazier also said, "If food affordability is an issue, we can help you bridge that gap."
Last year, Winnebago County facilitated more than 2000 animal adoptions. As a result, Frazier said their live release of cats and dogs improved to 84%. "Our euthanasia plummeted and a lot of that is because we were able to get pets into homes. So losing adoption as an option over the long term would be a disaster, not just for us, but for all animal shelters."
For more information about Animal Services Department of Winnebago County, visit their website.