MACOMB, IL – According to the Best Friends Animal Society, a dog or cat is killed in America's shelters every 90 seconds just because they don’t have a safe place to call home, but the McDonough County Animal Shelter, along with the local humane society and volunteers, work tirelessly to get the animals at the shelter into their forever homes.
While the McDonough County Animal Shelter isn't necessarily designated as a 'no kill shelter,' the staff and volunteers do everything in their power to rehabilitate sick animals that come their way, find dogs and cats their forever homes and work with numerous volunteers willing to serve as fosters.
Because of their work and dedication, the Best Friends Animal Society recently awarded the county shelter with a 90% save rate for 2024.
In a letter to the shelter from the society, it said: 'You have joined an elite group of organizations across the country who are leading the way to make us a no kill nation. This accomplishment represents so much more than a number.
It represents a culture of caring and compassion. It represents a dedicated staff, committed volunteers and motivated supporters.'
According to Dr. Karen Blakeley, owner of All Pets Veterinary Clinic in Macomb and the shelter's resident veterinarian, the definition of a no-kill shelter is 90 percent of the animals in its care are placed.
'McDonough county meets that rate. Yes, some animals are euthanized, but rarely (36 in 2024, 10 to date in 2025). Those who are humanely euthanized are typically dying and hopeless animals that any reasonable pet owner would bring to a vet for euthanasia, and this happens at every shelter,' Blakeley pointed out. 'For shelters that state they do not euthanize, they are either selectively taking in only healthy animals, letting animals die on their own, which can be very inhumane, or do not want to share the actual facts.
'It is true that years ago, more animals were euthanized at our local shelter. But times have changes and staff have changed,' she added.
'They have come a long way, so we give our thanks to our current staff Zach, Annetta, and Tristan.'
Zach Welch serves as the shelter's administrator.
He said that receiving this recognition further validates the work he, the staff and volunteers do every day to ensure the best possible outcomes for every animal that comes into the shelter.
'People often assume the worst when shelters have to euthanize; however, for myself and our shelter, this is the last possible option and it's never an easy decision to make or something we want,' Welch shared. 'I can't thank our volunteers, my staff, Dr. Blakeley and her staff at All Pets for their hard work and dedication.'
Currently there are 17 dogs and 28 cats at the shelter waiting for placement, with another six dogs and 25 cats being fostered in volunteers' homes. In addition, shelter staff are taking care of felines that were rescued in early May from an alleged animal hoarding situation.
'We are working to get more volunteers involved at the shelter to help us with the animals. We have a great group of volunteers who come every morning, without fail, to walk the dogs.
Our goal right now is to get a schedule planned so more people can get involved to help us during the afternoons so the dogs get out again,' he added. 'We are also doing more with letting people take the dogs out on the town and letting them interact with the community, which helps greatly with their promotion. We are always in need of foster homes too, so anyone who is interested in fostering, please reach out to the shelter. Lastly, please spay and neuter your pets to help control the pet population and to keep more animals out of shelters.'
When the shelter is full, Welch and his staff have to turn people away because there are only so many available kennels. The staff works to find a foster home, and if one can't be found, they do try to encourage the individuals to give the shelter time for an open kennel. Groups like the Macomb Community Cat Project also work to spay and neuter the community's 'cat colony' population to keep numbers in the shelter down, as well as educating the public on spay and neuter vouchers that are available to help defray the cost for alterations.
'Like most shelters, we are always going to be full of cats needing homes, but we do our best to take in what we can when we can,' Welch pointed out.
One such volunteer who regularly fosters shelter and other 'homeless' dogs is Lars Gossel of Gossel's Dog House. In what he dubs 'dog village' just north of his boarding facility in Good Hope, the animals he helps foster not only get lots of love and attention, they also get socialized with other canines, as well as working on their 'manners,' to help with adoptability. In addition, volunteers can bring a shelter dog out for some time away from the shelter, or to hang out with one of his fosters (currently he has six fosters in his 'village') to get them even more socialized. In addition, Gossel works with shelter staff to get dogs out and about in the community to meetand- greet people and get some personalized attention. Bonnie Smith-Skripps, president of the Humane Society of McDonough County, shared that her group works closely with shelter staff and volunteers to help place animals in foster homes, get out for meet-and-greets and more. A large portion of the society's annual budget goes to providing for medical care for shelter animals, and the organization depend on the public's support. She explained that the treatment of parvo and heartworms, as well as needed X-rays, limb amputation or eye/ear/ teeth surgery are critical to preparing the dogs and cats for adoption so they can be placed in a forever home.
'Our community should be incredibly proud of this recognition and be grateful for our shelter staff who are all so dedicated to helping the animals that find their way to the shelter,' she said.
'They actively partner with our organization to ensure good health and socialization for each animal who comes into the shelter. We are proud to work with them with the mutual goal that each and every adoptable cat and dog find a home where they will be loved and well-cared for. Zach has done a great job of building a more expansive network of foster caretakers and volunteers to support this effort. Not only do homeless animals need a new animal shelter in which to temporarily reside, but shelter staff and volunteers also deserve a better building in which to provide the quality care the animals need.'
