U.S. Congressman Puts Heat On Animal Welfare League

CHICAGO, RIDGE, IL -- In the wake of a recent DEA raid, a U.S. congressman has joined other elected officials in raising some troubling concerns about the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge. The Chicago Ridge animal shelter has been hammered with allegations of inhumane conditions and unethical practices. At the urging of animal advocates, Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-03) has penned a letter to state agencies, asking if the leadership could be compelled to quit or be replaced. The congressman also copied several other federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Earlier this week, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced it had closed its 2-month investigation into Animal Welfare League, after images and videos of dogs and cats kept in horrifying conditions surfaced, unleashing a public backlash against the shelter’s executive director and board president, Linda Estrada, and the shelter’s board of directors. After “five unannounced inspections” and a review of past inspection reports, the investigation determined there were no violations of the Animal Welfare Act or the Humane Care Act. Raymond Poe, director of the state agricultural department, further stated that the department’s determination is within the purview of the acts and “does not extend to the provisions of the law that may be enforced by other state or federal agencies.”

Witnesses who filed complaints over claims of pigeon feces in a room with sick dogs, animals dying unattended in cages, and unrestrained euthanasia practices, said no one from the state’s agricultural department contacted them during their investigation. Most of the inspection reports in the past five years are by the same inspector and the shelter had advance notice that he was coming.

Shannon Gaglione, a former volunteer who was banned from Animal Welfare League because she had posted negative comments about the shelter’s unsanitary conditions on her personal Facebook page, said she filed a complaint with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Gaglione mentioned a 10-month-old shepherd-mix named Aflak, who was pulled from the shelter by Wags 2 Wishes Pet Rescue in Plainfield last fall because he had pneumonia in the hopes of nursing him back to health. After the dog died, the Wags 2 Wishes paid for an advanced necropsy from the University of Illinois. The necropsy showed the dog had three different strains of E. coli in his lungs, consistent with bacteria found in rodent and pigeon droppings.

“I filed a complaint in December about Aflak before the inspector’s visit on Dec. 8, 2017,” Gaglione said. “No one contacted us. They didn’t contact the dog rescue group, either.”

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation is also said to be looking into Animal Welfare League. IDFPR has neither confirmed nor denied the investigation.

In his letter to Poe and Secretary Bryan Schneider of the IDFPR, Lipinski asked state officials for reassurances that sufficient oversight will continue to be conducted of AWL. He also asked for an assessment of conditions, staff and management training and certification.

“What is the standard of care at AWL?”
“Is there a vet on the premises?”
“When was AWL last inspected?”
“What checklist or conditions/standards [does the Dept. of Agriculture] check for?
“How has AWL performed on recent inspections or certification reviews?”

Lipinski also wanted to know under what circumstances the shelter’s license or certification could be revoked: “It is vital that we assure a hygienic and safe environment exits at all animal shelters and clinics that operate in our community … Based on media reports and personal accounts, it does not appear that such standards have been upheld at the Animal Welfare League[.]”