A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter Adds Brand-New Medical Center Building

Naperville’s independent, privately-funded, nonprofit no-kill animal shelter, Animals Deserving Of Proper Treatment; otherwise known as A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter has been facilitating good health care and good homes for animals for more than 30 years.

In recent years, however, needs have drastically increased, as a consequence of the pandemic – millions of homes got pets in 2020 as WFH became prevalent, unfortunately just as kennels, veterinarians, trainers, and the like were scaling back services or even closing altogether. And this year those pets are being surrendered to shelters or abandoned at an alarming rate due to those services becoming less available plus the return to in-person workplaces and rising costs in general.

A.D.O.P.T. has been answering this call since 1989, when the shelter was founded, and this year is thrilled to share that not only was it able to complete major renovations and improvements to its facility, but now is starting construction on a brand-new medical & surgical center in order to provide health care for its animals in transition.

Currently, the shelter’s entire operation – including reception area, animal-intake, adoption “meet & greet” rooms, procedure/surgery room, recovery room, and office space – is contained in the single 5500-square-foot building located at 420 Industrial Drive (near North Aurora Road just west of Rt. 59).

Construction is well underway, just to the west of the existing building, of a standalone Medical Center Clinic where medical and surgical procedures, from simple vaccinations and general wellness procedures to spay/neuter and more complex surgeries, can occur separately from the “houseful” of pets sheltering at A.D.O.P.T.

The new 2,000-square-foot Medical Center Clinic will have two exam rooms, an x-ray room, a surgical suite for multiple concurrent surgeries, a recovery area, a work area for staff, a reception area, and office space for personnel. A.D.O.P.T. welcomes resumes and referrals, as they are in the beginning process of hiring vet techs, surgeons, and additional staff.

Chris Stirn-Yelle, Executive Director of A.D.O.P.T., started with the organization in 2009 as a vet tech, and evolved the medical department from solely conducting shelter animals’ treatment to outreach with rescue partners and low-income families seeking services.

“The lack of veterinary care has influenced our desire to open this Medical Center Clinic; we hope to assist families and rescue groups as well as to lighten the load for local veterinarians who are already overwhelmed by the demand for care for pets,” notes Stirn-Yelle; “Our hope is to provide basic wellness so that our veterinary partners can focus on sick- and emergent care.”

As construction is expected to be completed in November, A.D.O.P.T. will be offering a Sneak Peek of the Medical Center Clinic in December for its members and major supporters. Everyone is sure to love the updated and expanded Community Rooms, Outdoor Playspaces, and all renovations to the original facility, but also to get to see in-person the impressive medical facility that is being established to serve the community via this new Medical Center Clinic. Full completion is expected to be celebrated with a Ribbon Cutting in January 2023.

Medical Center Clinic naming opportunities are open now for a limited time; to discuss that and other donation opportunities, contact Executive Director Chris Yelle at chris@adoptpetshelter.org and (630)355-2299 x 235.

Learn more about A.D.O.P.T. and how you can assist the mission by visiting www.adoptpetshelter.org or by calling A.D.O.P.T. at (630)355-2299.

ABOUT A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter:

A.D.O.P.T. is a private, no-kill, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that has found homes for over 20,000 pets. A.D.O.P.T. provides a temporary, loving home for dogs and cats that no longer have a family of their own, for a variety of reasons ranging from abandonment, to rescue from an abusive situation, to owner surrender because they no longer can or want to take care of them. A.D.O.P.T. shelters and cares for animals that are loving, family pets who are desperately awaiting their forever homes.

A.D.O.P.T. was founded in 1989 by a group of generous volunteers determined to find homes for animals in need. Over the decades, the A.D.O.P.T. objective has remained the same: to place animals into permanent, caring homes and advance the humane treatment of animals through education. A.D.O.P.T. is located at 420 Industrial Drive, just off North Aurora Road west of Route 59.