Foster Help Needed At South Suburban Humane Society

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL - The end of summer is a particularly challenging time for animal shelters in Chicagoland. Emily Klehm, executive director of the South Suburban Humane Society, says the intake of animals is significantly high every year when the calendar turns to September.

In a six-day span at the end of August, the Chicago Heights shelter was brought 65 pets from nearby communities, including 21 strays. A passionate plea on social media described the steep challenge those busy days presented to employees and volunteers at the shelter.

After a highly successful donation campaign, Klehm says what the SSHS needs most now is volunteers to foster animals until their forever homes are found.

"We are very grateful at how people responded to our call for donations," she said. "We were able to raise more than $5,000 in just one weekend."

As generous as pet lovers have been with donating money, the problem of having enough space for the number of pets brought in remains.

"All of the shelters are in on this together, but you can't ask for help when they are also full," Klehm said.

Fostering pets from the SSHS is usually a commitment of 2-3 weeks and not longer than a month. An upcoming PetSmart week-long adoption event will help find homes for the pets and the shelter is active in seeking forever homes.

"Fostering is really the key to saving lives," Klehm said. "In particular, we are looking for families that do not have other dogs. We have a lot of dogs here who are not great with other dogs but wonderful with people."

The humane society will provide many of the tools needed like food, crates and blankets. Foster parents are just asked for the space and the time.

"We do not want to euthanize healthy, treatable dogs," Klehm said. "We want to board them, foster them and get them ready for adoption."

She says a longer term goal would be to find new ways to partner with other animal shelters in the region on combating the problem of breeding and working with a new director of animal control in Cook County for a more regional approach.

"We can't spay and neuter our way out of everything," Klehm said.

To help the South Suburban Humane Society by fostering a pet, email foster@southsuburbanhumane.org or call 708-755-7387.

Photo courtesy of the South Suburban Humane Society