West Suburban Humane Society

Mission:

At West Suburban Humane Society, our mission is to work towards the day when all dogs and cats are loved and cared for and pet owners have access to essential resources so they may enjoy a fulfilling relationship with their pets. In doing so, we strive to:

Provide compassionate care for cats and dogs on their journey to compatible and loving homes.

Engage our community and serve as a resource for a variety of pet-related topics and challenges.

Team with volunteers of all abilities and strengths to build a robust network of support in our community.

Strengthen the human-animal bond through advocacy, humane education and promotion of animal welfare initiatives.

By working together, we can change the lives of the dogs and cats that have forever changed us.

WSHS' no-kill status:

The West Suburban Humane Society is a “no-kill” shelter. A “no-kill” shelter is typically defined by a save rate of 90%. West Suburban’s save rate is 98%. We never euthanize for space or time constraints. By “no-kill”, we mean that once we take an animal into our care, we treat that animal no differently than if it was one of our own pets. If our veterinarian determines that an animal in our care requires treatment for an injury or illness, we provide the necessary care to return that pet to a healthy, adoptable state. All animals are evaluated for health by local veterinarians and for behavior by trained shelter staff using standardized assessments. The only time we make the decision to euthanize is if an animal is suffering and has no expected quality of life or we feel the animal cannot be rehabilitated and is a danger to the public. We never make that decision lightly and utilize all options before taking that action.

WSHS fulfills its Mission through three activities: dog and cat adoptions, humane education and being a community resource for all pet owners.

Adoptions

1. WSHS typically matches about 600 animals with new homes each year and we make a lifelong commitment to each animal
2. Our current approval ratio is 98% - of the people who want one of our animals is approved to adopt from us.

Humane Education

1. WSHS offers the following programs:

• Six weeks of week-long, half day summer camp
• Several one day camps and special activities during the school year
• A "read to cats" program to improve reading skills in 2nd and 3rd graders
• Many birthday parties and tours for groups like scouting

Community Resource

In 2020, WSHS added to its Mission to focus more on how we help people as well as animals

1. WSHS set up a program where we give excess donated food to four local food pantries (as well as rescues which we’ve always done)
2. WSHS also published a handout, in both digital and hard copy format, of all of the resources we could find for pet owners in need with clickable links and basic information about the resources