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Animal Welfare League
Categories: Pets Animal Shelters Pets Veterinarians Pets Pet Stores Animal Shelters, Veterinarians, Pet Stores [Edit]
10305 Southwest Hwy(between 103rd St & Normandy Ave)
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415
(708) 636-8586
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 12 pm - 8 pm
Sat 11 am - 6 pm
Sun 11 am - 5 pm
Dana G. said: "The only children I will EVER have will be ones with paws, tails and fur. Not because they will be the offspring of the devil, but because real, human kids give me the creeps.. and they talk.. and they turn into teenagers.. ew. No.…" read more »
33 reviews for Animal Welfare League
33 reviews in English
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Review from Melanie K.
Chicago, IL
5/19/2012
I wanted to cry when we took my 8 year old step-daughter here to adopt her first kitten- not because of the place itself, but because it is so heartbreaking to see so many dogs, cats, kittens and puppies that are given up or abandoned. The place smells like a shelter- but how else is it supposed to smell considering the enormous amount of animals they have available for adoption and a small, but dedicated, staff to care for them all. The non-stop barking may intimidate even the most caring animal lover, but the shelter does its job, and when we were there, we were happy to see so many people adopting or waiting to adopt. I admire the efforts of those who work there- most of the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and we had no problem finding someone to show us the kittens they had available. Our daughter was a bit freaked out by all the barking and mewing , but calmed down when I explained that all of the doggies and kitties here were hoping to be noticed and adopted, and that they were crying for someone to bring them home. I also told her that although it may smell and be noisy, that this place was helping all the animals to find loving forever homes.
We did find an adorable little kitty that she fell in love with. I found about 50 adorable kitties and doggies that I fell in love with, too, but sadly, I know I can't adopt them all. They have small rooms where you can visit with the animals, as many as you need to, and when you find that perfect one, you get to wait in the waiting room while they get your papers and your new friend ready for their trip to your forever home. The wait can be kind of long, but that may have been because we were so excited to bring our tiny baby home with us. I recommend that if you want to adopt, you go to their website, download the adoption papers first, and fill them out before you get there- you'll get processed that much faster than if you just show up and have to fill the forms out there. Once we gave them our papers that were already filled out, they let us in the viewing rooms and once we found the perfect baby to bring home, we just had to wait while they reviewed the paperwork, got her ready to go, and then we paid the very moderate adoption fee plus a spay/neuter deposit (only because our kitten was too young). You can get the deposit back when you bring the kitten back to have her fixed, although we may just forego the deposit and have our personal vet spay her since we are about 35 miles away.
Overall, the place has a huge variety of adoptable dogs and cats and if you are looking to adopt, I would recommend it.
One word of warning- and this is for ALL pets adopted from shelters- your animal will most likely come down with some type of kennel cough, respiratory problem or other minor health issue after adoption- they do have an animal hospital/clinic for this. It is part of being in a shelter environment with so many other animals, so be prepared to bring your baby back for shots or antibiotics, and please make sure you do this to ensure you will have a wonderful pet and companion for long time. -
Review from Tonia O.
12/29/2011
Dr. Paul and staff saved my puppy's life. I adopted Sasha about 2 weeks ago and after a diagnoses of bronchitis her illness went into full-blown pneumonia require constant oxygen incubation. The took my little sweetheart in, cared for her, and a week later, after only having a 20% chance of living, she is healthy and a happy thriving puppy.
Now this place isn't perfect and this is just a review of the clinic. It smells in here. But I can't imagine how many hundreds of animals they have in care, so in retrospect, the smell probably isn't all that bad. My puppy was taken in right away since she was in critical condition, but I can see the intense amount of waiting that most people had to endure. However, this is very low cost. What I spent in one week with Sasha's care here, was more than triple at the emergency clinic I took her to the night she almost died.
I appreciate places like the Animal Welfare League that give animals a fighting chance. I am sad to read other reviews here where they forgot to give animals their proper vaccinations and resulting in their death. Its a terrible shame and hopefully that gets corrected and procedural things are done much more properly.
I like at least 35 miles away, so I won't be here often, but when my puppies are sick, I know I can count on the Animal Welfare League to give them the attention and care needed to recover.
Also, I read that this place gives out free animal food to families struggling to feed their pets...so this place, while non-profit...gives in more ways than one. -
Review from Linh L.
11/29/2011
The prices are cheap, hours are great, and if the staff is in a good mood, they will be very friendly with you which is the case... half of the time.
I can't complain about customer service. It's busy, smelly, and there are mean clients. Give them a break. What do you expect for a non profit organization? This is exactly what anyone should expect. -
Review from Emily W.
Chicago, IL
11/23/2011
This review is for when I bought my cat from here.
Pros:
Cheapest place to adopt pet, I got my 3 yr old cat for $36.50
Big selection (about 50 cats when I was there)
You can look at as many animals as you want in private rooms
Paper work was relatively easy
Cons:
Customer service- very slow and unorganized but not completely intolerable. You just have to be patient.
It smells like a shelter
No pictures allowed (you just have to be sneaky) -
Review from Candice M.
Chicago, IL
3/24/2012
The animal welfare league is completely overwhelmed and under funded...especially when there are so many ghetto pet owners who dump their pets on them randomly without notice and so many animals who are treated cruelly who end up in their facility that take a lot of their time away from other animals. So if you don't like the smell in there--which smells like a pet store, then you can go and volunteer your time and help socialize the animals and clean up, instead of complaining about imperfection. Really? They do amazing work for animals in this state.
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Review from Allison A.
Chicago, IL
8/14/2011
I have never used the clinic so this is strictly about the shelter.
I have adopted all of my pets from here. 2 cats and 1 dog. I've never had a bad experience here. Sure the staff isn't the friendliest, but being in a place listening to dogs barking all day wouldn't make me very pleasant either. They were helpful with all the questions I had during the adoption process.
The place is stinky. It's a shelter.It has way too many animals and not enough help. What do you expect?
They do have a large amount of medium-large breed dogs. Mostly American Staffs, at least when I was there.There are soooo many dogs so please adopt from them. -
Review from Emily Y.
9/11/2011
This is a review of the clnic (only).
I have mixed feelings on this place.
Pros:
- cheap as hell
- one of the only low-cost clinics that offers more than standard shots and spay neuter
- parking
Cons:
- wait is long
- line's out the door
- sometimes the vets don't actually have time to take your pet, especially if you get there in the afternoon
- they can't keep the pet overnight, so anything really in depth can't be squeezed in past noon.
- vets and vet techs are crazy overworked and don't really have time to give you their full attention
I'm a college student (revisited), so I'll jump through hoops on fire to be able to keep my pets healthy on a budget. Animal Welfare League has been clutch this past year for me and my guys. -
Review from Raquel W.
Alsip, IL
4/1/2011
I adopted my first dog (a pit bull mix) from the shelter in October 2010. I adore him! He was 5 months old when I brought him home and he loves everything from my cat to the neighbor's kids. I have a wonderful dog and always encourage people to check the shelter frequently when considering adopting an animal.
At the beginning of March 2011 I adopted a second dog, an 8 week old pit bull. The staff was great- the foster mom even offered us her cell phone number in case of emergency, or if we ever needed a puppy sitter.
I have had countless good experiences here between dealing with dog adoptions, dropping off donations, or using the animal clinic- which is often busy (but they still remember us when we come back). -
Review from Tobi L.
Chicago, IL
2/28/2011
I understand this place is low-cost, so I've always had low expectations. However, after an amazing experience today with a comparably-priced clinic that had to clean up AWL's mistakes, I realized that not having a ton of money doesn't mean you have to settle.
My fiancé and I rescued a stray cat from the alley behind my apartment in December. I took him to the Animal Welfare League to get him a thorough checkup since he'd been living on the streets. He had a pretty distended belly but otherwise was okay at the time - but the vet at AWL didn't do anything about the belly, and just gave him a quick once-over and said he looked okay. Our cat was given vaccinations and we were sent on our way.
About a month later, Roscoe spit up a roundworm, so we took him back to AWL (I know, I should have known better but I was trying to save money). He was also chewing at his skin. We saw a different vet this time, who treated Roscoe and my other cat, Luna, with Revolution for the roundworm and any possible fleas, plus an antibiotic for the chewed skin. Again, we were sent on our way. Not asked to follow up, not given any indication that the issues were anything but completely fixed.
Now, less that one month later, Roscoe has started chewing at his skin AGAIN. I gave up on AWL and went to Furnetic (which is actually right down the street from my house in Wicker Park, go figure) - go read my review there for more about my experience there.
Short story, though - I learned that the distended belly way back in December was probably a sign that Roscoe already had roundworm, which the first vet at AWL didn't even bother to check for or treat. I also learned that a flea treatment like Revolution should be administered for at least three months to prevent any fleas still hanging out in your house from re-infesting the cats. Since I never had either of these problems with any of the other cats I've had, I didn't know any of this. The vets at AWL didn't teach me any of this, they seemed to just want to get me out the door as quickly as possible.
My whole experience at Furnetic, which cost only slightly more than AWL, showed me that there are clinics out there who walk the walk when they say they care about animals. Don't think that saving money will make it worth going to AWL - it won't. -
Review from Bob D.
Chicago, IL
3/15/2010
This is a gut wrenching depressing time.
If this was any other kind of business I would drop the hammer down on them. They are a benevolent organization and I guess we should give points for trying.
If you are in the area and need a dog or cat, please check them out. There was a puppy, a retriever hound mix that was the cutest damn thing I ever saw. I was there for a kitten with my daughter. I was just hoping she would ask for the puppy, I would have been all over it. Unfortunately for me and the puppy, my kid is a sweetheart and stuck to the playbook.
She didn't get that bonding moment and was determined enough to keep on shopping.
I would hope the shelter reads these reviews and takes the proper actions.
There pricing was a bit more than other shelters we visited.
The smell is overpowering. The front desk is obnoxious. And after spending a few minutes there it is difficult to stay optimistic.
There are many great animals here and I urge you did give them a shot, but be sure to use an outside Vet. for a quick check up. -
Review from Courtney O.
Oak Forest, IL
7/5/2010 1 Check-in Here
Note: This is just a review of the shelter--not of the animal clinic.
I have three cats and two dogs, all of which are shelter or rescue adoptees. As much as it pains me to give a shelter one star, I feel I have no choice.
When we were looking for a third cat or second dog (we were open and flexible), I decided to stop by here just to see if I fell in love with any of the animals there. I don't know if I could've but walking through the rows and rows of dogs in filthy cages had me in tears before I even made it to the cats. Yes, there were a decent amount of pits, but even still...the cages were filthy, the dogs ALL looked as though they were praying for death, and the employees/volunteers seemed unaffected. I couldn't even speak as I was leaving--it was *that* bad. The front desk was chaos and it seemed as though no one had any real regard for the animals' welfare--just get in, fill out an application, get an animal or not or whatever, and get the @#$% out.
Horrible experience. I will never, never go back. There are far too many other reputable shelters in the area. -
Review from Morgan M.
Chicago, IL
7/7/2009
While I'm sure the workers here try to mean well at some point in their career for taking care of an overabundant amount of animals at a place that's rank, I am not impressed at this place. There is this one rude lady at the clinic desk that doesn't fail to scream and give attitude. Plus, the workers give off a "I wanna just get all of these animals in and out" attitude rather than acting really genuine about being there with them. They are also no where near as good at informing animal owners about how to care for a pet as a regular vet would be.
I knew not to expect to be in and out of this place, but I was there for four hours waiting for my dog to be helped (which, btw, took 10 minutes). It turns out that they just skipped over my name on the list even after I reminded them two hours in.
I also don't think that the vets are properly trained here. I know someone who took their MALE cat here to get neutered and they tried to spay him! What idiot does that. The incision got infected and the poor cat's (rest it's soul) intestine ended up falling out...sorry to be gross. This eventually caused him to die even after numerous amounts of treatment elsewhere. Be aware, and take your loving pet somewhere he/she deserves to get good treatment.Listed in: The big and little whigs
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Review from Stephanie H.
Chicago, IL
6/1/2011
I have mixed feelings about this shelter.
I'm a huge advocate for adopt over buy, very pro-animal welfare and well-being, etc. I've adopted two guinea pigs, a rabbit, and three cats from these guys. For the most part, the shelter is great.
I have a small issue with their inability to properly identify gender on small animals; it's hard, I get it, but for goodness sakes, DO NOT list an animal as female if you are not 100% sure that it IS a female! The two guinea pigs I adopted were listed as female. Guess what? They were housed with female pigs when I brought them home, until a vet trip set me right. THANKFULLY, no surprise babies came out of it. But this is a major no-no; if you aren't sure of the gender, say 'unknown,' because I cringe to think of somebody bringing home a 'female' as a friend to their verified female and ending up with surprise babies or, even worse, a dead momma, as pregnancy in guinea pigs is high risk.
So, yeah. A quick search online has many guides on determining a guinea pig's gender (the old 'Y versus i' trick), so you should be able to expect a shelter to do the same. Lesson here: double check your small animals, because a female on paper might be packing a little surprise down there.
Other than that, the shelter itself is okay. Wish the staff was more helpful people and less high school 'doing my required volunteer work' kids, but hey, all in all it's not too bad.
The clinic, on the other hand, is awful.
Last year, I adopted a rabbit, who was unfixed. True to the shelter's nature, they held him for a neuter for a few days before I could take him home. On the assigned pick-up-day, I brought my new bun home and after a day or so of isolation to adjust, I bonded him to my other two bunnies (who were fixed already). It was nearly two months later when I was trimming his nails that I saw two, big fleshy testaments of manhood glaring up at me. To the clinic's credit, they took him in again for neutering ...with a lot of unnecessary attitude. I'm sorry, maybe it was my fault somehow? Did I feed him some magical ball-growing food? Who knows. Afterwards, I brought him home and he was genuinely ball-less, much more calm and was finally using his litterbox. It would have been very nice to have that from the beginning, but mistakes happen. I'm still curious as to *what* they did during that mysterious first surgery, however.
Much more recently, I brought home a cat. She had been spayed, so her terrible lethargy, lack of eating and drinking and diarrhea was attributed to that, until about two days had passed and she was deteriorating into a severe cough, fever and dehydration. We brought her into the clinic (only because of their 'ten-day guarantee') and waited FIVE HOURS until somebody saw us, and their first suggestion was to get another cat. Wut? No way! Shouldn't a shelter have a much more responsibility-like approach to this? This is an animal, not a car, you don't do 'trades!'
After a really brief check-up (read: they took her temperature and not much else), they gave her IV fluids for a few minutes and sent us home with an antibiotic. Three more days pass and kitty isn't responding to the medication. I brought her to my vet, who wasn't surprised in the least that she had come from AWL. My vet actually did the right thing -- meaning instead of sticking a thermometer in her butt and deciding it was a cold, we ran bloodwork and tested her for feline panleukopenia (AKA feline distemper, related to the canine parvovirus) --which she apparently had all the red flag symptoms for. AWL didn't even offer bloodwork or testing at all. As a little FYI here: feline panleukopenia requires aggressive treatment and can be fatal without early detection. Thankfully that test returned negative, because if it were positive, I would probably have had a dead cat.
In any case, my cat was kept for treatment overnight at my vet (AWL did offer to keep her overnight for fluids, but nothing else: and I simply didn't trust them to leave her there.) After two weeks of more rigorous treatment, she was finally a healthy cat.
What the shelter does for the animals is a great service, but the clinic isn't worth the hassle. However, considering how ill my cat is after coming from this place, I do have to wonder about their methods of communicable disease control. I'm eternally grateful that I was the one to adopt her because I doubt anyone else would have spent all the time, money and headache to make her healthy again.
So please, please adopt your pets. But until the clinic cleans up, do your research and find a good vet before you bring your pet home. Treat this place as an absolute final and 'I literally cannot go anywhere else' option for vet care because I really cannot recommend them in good faith to anyone. As a side note, I've already compared the pricing of the clinic to that of my vet, and my vet wasn't much more expensive. -
Review from Janina Paula L.
Chicago, IL
6/4/2011
The first star is solely based on the fact that this organization at least attempts to help animals in need, despite the obvious lack of funding. Without that, I would have given this place a single star.
It is very obvious that this shelter does not have nearly enough funding. Their dire need of basic supplies is not even a question, hence the tons of signs all over the shelter displaying lists of possible items you can donate and the large donation box next to the front door. (So if you'd like to donate, check out their website and drop something off. I just grabbed a huge 45lb. bag of cat litter from Costco for $10).
When you walk in, it reeks of urine and feces, and not just from the dogs. The small animal room had rabbit poop all over the floor. Granted, it may have been due to one particular rabbit who was pacing back and forth in his cage and throwing newspaper/poop all over the place (I don't really see him getting adopted anytime soon). I would not have thought twice about it except there was poop in the lobby too and poop smeared from the entrance of the dog/cat area into the viewing hallway. It's not exactly the best impression when you walk in. Many of the dogs were swimming in their own urine and covered with their own feces. Some kennels didn't even have a dog in it...just a pile of poop This is concerning because you have no idea which dogs are actually housebroken...you don't even know if they take them out rountinely or just let them do their business in their cages. But hey, it's an extremely over burdened shelter and I'm the idiot that decided to wear flip flops...so one star for me and my lack of common sense/choice of wardrobe. Plus, a little poop never hurt anyone. Keeps you on your toes...
Yes, it was sad to see all those animals, especially dogs. It's loud and smelly and a very depressing place. It's a kill shelter right outside of a major metropolitan city.... so what do you expect.
Seeing as my current dog had just gotten past his puppy/adolescent years, I went in looking for a senior dog that still had some pep in its step but was basically a low maintenance snuggle buddy. I just wanted to give an old dog a good home for his/her golden years, but anything but a Chihuahua (just because I find them extremely annoying and I personally don't want a dog that get be eaten by any bird of prey) and a bully breed.
I've never trusted my dog training skills enough to be comfortable with adopting a pit bull or straffordshire terrier. But after seeing so many of them in this shelter and listening to all the experts say that these breeds are so stigmatized and that they are incredibly loyal and gentle by nature (the straffordshire terrier is actually nicknamed the Nanny Dog in Britain), I was starting to consider actually adopting one. But I have to have a trifecta, the dog had to not only be very dog-friendly, but also had to be cat and child friendly, seeing as I have a very dog-friendly cat and very young nieces and nephews.
I found a very sweet and quiet Straffordshire Terrier named Russ. But another major problem, one that supersedes the poop theme of the shelter, is the fact that very few of the animals had adequate information cards. Most of the cards literally told you breed, name, date brought to the shelter, and approximate age. Again, I just chalked it up to a ridiculous lack of funding and volunteers. I went home without a dog but still continued to think about Russ.
The next day, I decided to call the shelter. I didn't want to make a final decision without at least getting more information on the dog. I didn't want to close the door on adopting Russ solely because of his breed. I thought that would be extremely unfair of me. I just needed to know if he would most likely get along with my dog (which wasn't so crucial because you can bring in your dog anyway for an introduction). I needed to know if he would kill my cat or hurt little kids. So I called....
The lady that answered the phone took a minute to look up his information. She then said that all she can tell me is that he came in December of 2010 and that he was brought in by the police department. I was like,"You can't tell me if he's okay with cats or kids? You can't even tell me if he's food/toy aggressive? Or dog aggressive?" She said,"No. We have too many animals and not enough resources to evaluate every dog." I was blown away. I just figured that it was grossly irresponsible to even put a dog up for adoption without even evaluating its response to other dogs. I get that testing for kids and cats might be a littler harder...but they can't even tell you if the dog is DOG-FRIENDLY.
I could get over the poop and the long line...but NO responsible pet owner can or should adopt a dog they know NOTHING about. I'm still appalled. So they're okay with me adopting him, but he can possibly seriously hurt my dog/cat or any kids. Cool....where can I sign up?.....NOT! -
Review from Donna G.
Schererville, IN
1/15/2007
The AWL is a great organization that is truly passionate about the quality of life for animals. I've adopted a dog, and my sister adopted a wonderful dog from an AWL. Save a life, don't buy one.
http://www.animalwelfa...
http://www.awl-warsaw.... -
Review from Alex K.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 2/26/2011
We went back with my cat since he had another issue. They are amazing! Why are a people surprised by what they are getting at this price? They offered an option of treating our cat at home by ourselves so that we could save money. They gave us a couple of extra supplies.
They have been amazing!
I guess I have to break down this place for some our more picky pet owners - here is the thing - this place is like Cook County hospital vs. Northwestern hospital in Chicago.
Cook County takes everyone. Whether you can pay or not, weather you have something wrong with you, they will take you and most likely treat you.Doctor/nursing staff is minimal to help the most.
Northwestern hospital, is well, a lot better funded, and a lot prettier. It is in optimal location, and up until Lisa Madigan pointed out to hospitals that while they are corporations they get tax breaks as non-profits and should provide medical services to people who can't pay, they could refuse treatment if it wasn't an emergency and you couldn't pay. (I have been to both. )
What do you suppose this place do with all the animals they receive? Are you going to foster them in your house? Have you given them a donation? Are you a volunteer here? Why are you complaining? What have you done to help?
The waiting room had everyone from fancy dressed chiahuhuas and pugs, to large beautiful huskies and german shephards to people's possible not well trained outdoor dogs.
People come from all walks of life. I think they have like one vet doctor and many techs. A lot of techs are great, doctor there has been amazing and super knowledgable. Show up early....
The ladies at the front desk have never been mean to us. Probably because we have been nice to them. I don't think I will care if they misspell my cat's name...
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They are a kill shelter, and it's sucks BUT they don't get a pick of the litter like the well funded places in Chicago. You realise that when you call the nice people at Chicago rescues - both large and less large - they refer you to here and Animal Care andControl if they have no space for your animal or if you find one outside.
THEN they go to these places and pick the animals they can charge you $300 later to adopt. Before you condemn a place for being to not your liking - do some research.
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This is not Lincoln Park, this is not Gold Coast - you come here for Cheap medical care because you are broke and don't want your pet to die. If I can't go here, where exactly am I suppose to go?
If any of the one star givers can recommend a place that will beat their prices AND expertise of the doctor - I am all ears!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/23/2011
I am amused by all the one star reviews - I hate to tell you this but if you are at this place - you… Read more »
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Review from Jen N.
Chicago, IL
7/16/2009
This is a no-kill shelter with all types of animals, they also take in Pit Bulls- they do a good job trying to find all these animals homes. They deserve a good review just for that. Do they try to fit a lot of animals in? I sure hope so! It is better the animal gets a chance than just be put down in another shelter. The place looked fine when I was there and the volunteers were helpful. The adoption fees are not high, either, and every dog/cat is spayed or neutered before being adopted. They also use foster homes for pups and kittens that are very young.
They offer low-cost veterinary services to the public. Many people really need this service. Not just spay/neuters, but things like routine care and dental care for pets, which is really expensive at a regular vet.* We need more vet clinics like this, especially in this economy.
*There should probably be a separate listing for reviews of the clinic -
Review from Lisa H.
1/25/2009
We adopted our dog there in November and overall it was a great experience. We have a friend who has worked in vets offices for more then 20 years and she said her vet only recommends two shelters for dog and AWL is one of the them. Personally we didn't go through a rescue because it is too much paperwork and other crap to go through.
My husband and I went with our paperwork prefilled out and were able to go right in. We met one dog that wasn't for us and then we found our dog. We went to registration and paid for him and did some more paperwork. He needed to be neutered so we left him at the shelter on Sunday and picked him up on Tuesday.
Overall shelters make me uncomfortable, so many animals due to irresponsible breeding and pet owning. The dog part was very loud but what do you expect there are a lot of dogs in there. It also smelled but again, a lot of dogs. They were cleaning the cages as fast as possible for the entire 2 hours we were there. The volunteers were all working hard and certainly I would encourage anyone who is looking to volunteer and lives close to AWL to check it out.
Our dogs health is great we have had no problems with health issues since bringing him home. The shelter gave us all the information they had on our dog which is all they can do really. The fee you pay for the dogs is also well below average which is nice for people who don't want to spend a fortune, however if they charged more maybe they could bring in some additional staff to help out.
I would say that we had a great experience and will continue to support AWL as a charity in our family. I would recommend the place! -
Review from Stef F.
Downers Grove, IL
6/9/2009
I feel bad giving this place a bad review, but as far as Animal Shelters go, this place is awful.
When you walk in, there are people everywhere. They hand you a form to fill out, and basically in minutes accepted us and allowed us to view the animals.
Blegh. I thought I was going to vomit from the stench. It's f***ing awful. I've cleaned up plenty of throw-up and liquid poo in my lifetime, and this place takes the cake. It was so disgusting I attempted to hold my breath for as long as I could, and had to walk out of the dog room.
They are overrun with animals in filthy conditions. Bless them for attempting to adopt these animals out, but you feel sooooo bad staring at these animals in miserable conditions. The cats are shoved into cages on top of one another. Some dogs were stuck in cages so small, they could barely sit up. Every animal looks sad.
As for the dogs, if you're looking for a large breed, especially a pit bull-- Then BINGO, stop here and hold your breath. They had at least 20 pit bulls when I was there. They don't have very many small-medium size breeds at all.
Now, we went here based on the recommendation of a friend. They bought a dog from there, and are happy with him. He too is a pit bull, but a sweetheart. So now, don't get me wrong, I'm sure this place is worthwhile to check out. I just personally will never set foot in there again. The animals are in deplorable conditions.Listed in: Woof Meow Wow
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Review from diane j.
Tinley Park, IL
11/4/2011
I don't know how this place remains open. (shelter) It is truly and sadly like an animal hoarding situation. I adopted a dog here several years ago. I got the dog home, and something just didn't look right with his eye and his behavior-very listless. Finally, trusting my gut, I took him back in and explained that while this was my first dog, something was wrong him. I got a customary roll of the eyes and a condescending look. Turns out the dog had a 105 fever and several other life threatening conditions. This is a bad place.
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Review from Sally S.
Posen, IL
2/12/2011
Shelter only -- They are a KILL Shelter.. the shelter is over run -the animals are poorly taken care of. The animals sit in their feces, barely have food or water. All the animals they will take in from Painted Pastured will be killed. DO NOT GO HERE.... sad sad situation.
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Review from Mary Anne F.
Brookfield, IL
10/21/2011
I know this is a no kill shelter but that doesn't help animals if they are not being taken care of. My daughter adopted a 5 month old kitty on Monday. Wed. it died. She paid $100 for the cat & $300 for the emergency vet. The vet said that the cat was severly dehydrated & that it takes more than one day for that to happen & that it had an infection when she adopted it. It probably hadn't been drinking for days but no one noticed because they are understaffed. This is the third person I know of whose cat has died within a few days from this shelter. I think it would have been better off being euthanized than suffering. The people who adopt suffer too when the animal suddenly dies. Never again!
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Review from Natalie W.
Orland Park, IL
6/1/2011
Rescue animals from here ~ but immediately take them to an outside vet, and never bring them to this clinic! Ever. My story below:
On December 22, 2010, we adopted a kitten (born September 17, 2010) from the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge, IL, after a painfully long and unprofessional process ~ the manager being quite rude and abrupt and the facility being rather unkempt.
Based on the agreement, we were to bring our kitten back on March 12, 2011 for neutering in order to receive our $50.00 deposit back. And so, against our better judgment (based on the impolite nature of the management and filthiness of the facility), we brought our cat, Buddy, in to the clinic to be neutered. As a side note, dropping off and picking up an animal at this facility is a huge hassle ~ and not because of volumes of patients ~ but because the woman behind the counter at the clinic overlooks names on the sign-in list, calls patients out of order, and is generally unorganized. That aside, upon picking Buddy up from his neutering, we could not fail to notice his foul odor. He was odorless just the night before when we dropped him off - clean and without any discernible scent. However, after undergoing what should be a sterile procedure, he wreaked of a sour, pungent odor. One that was nearly impossible to rid him of.
Three weeks later, we took Buddy to our private veterinarian (he had been vomiting) who noticed Buddy was slightly jaundiced. We began a treatment of antibiotics for Buddy and paid close attention to his eating habits and coloration, which was increasingly yellow, while his appetite was diminishing rapidly. Throughout the subsequent weeks his weight dropped to the point where every vertebra in his spine could be felt, and he was eating little to nothing. We admitted him to Midwest Animal Clinic in Orland Park, on May 11, 2011, where he was treated with pain and antibiotic injections, was catheterized, given fluid therapy, etc. Over a thousand dollars later, his appetite returned somewhat, and he returned home on May 14, 2011. Throughout the following week, again his appetite deteriorated, and on May 23, 2011, Buddy was lethargic and totally anorexic. Sometime early on May 24, 2011, Buddy died.
After speaking to at least three individuals, I have heard similar stories about pets becoming sick shortly after visiting this Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare clinic. One such individual admitted her female kitten for spaying, and like Buddy, she died shortly after her spaying procedure.
Speaking with various veterinarians, it is suspected that Buddy may have picked up an infection of some sort at the Chicago Ridge facility. Now, I cannot prove this. However, based on the timeline of his consequent illness, and in light of the foul odor that coated his body from his stay at the Chicago Ridge clinic, the haphazard behavior of the facility's staff, and the overall lack of cleanliness at this facility, it is extremely likely Buddy's stay at the Chicago Ridge Animal Welfare clinic was the primary factor which led to his death. -
Review from claudia c.
Chicago, IL
11/17/2009
I got my dog there a couple years ago. However the stuff is inefficient. This girl, Kim is slower than a turtle. I am not sure if she does it on purpose or it is in her nature. The rest of the stuff is not great either. I feel bad for the dogs.
Anyway, this is a shelter who does kill dogs, so please please, adopt here, forget about the staff manners, SAVE A DOG LIFE -
Review from Steve S.
Oak Lawn, IL
9/2/2008
We've adopted both our cats from here. The staff is very overworked yet still helpful. A lot of high school volunteers trying to earn their service points. They are helpful but if you have an important question be careful you ask the right person.
The clinic is overworked and understaffed. -
Review from cher b.
Plainfield, IL
3/29/2007
This is a wonderful animal clinic. We bought our dog 4 years ago - he was 8 weeks old at the time - from this shelter. I truely believe Shelter dogs are typically healthier and move loveable, but that's just my opinion. Part of the adoption plan includes neutering/spading in the adoption charge.
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Review from Laner A.
Chicago, IL
10/12/2008
One star for being a no-kill facility, and one star for some staff members who are really dear and caring. They are very busy, so I give them credit for what they are able to do there.
I adopted 2 kittens from AWL recently. The shelter made me want to cry. Lots of kittens sharing cages that they just don't fit in - some of them were even sleeping in their litter boxes. I wanted to take them all home with me! The volunteers did not know much of anything about the animals (temperaments, male/female, etc.). The 2 kittens I adopted were examined by a vet and released to me. When I took them home they smelled dirty like the shelter, so I bathed them both. One of them had a lot of ringworm, so the AWL recommended that I bring it back so that they could isolate and treat it (that way my other kitten wouldn't get infected), then I could come back for it when it was well and adopt it again. I told them that the kitten shared a cage with at least 10 others so that they could inspect and treat those kittens, but it didn't seem like they were too concerned...Anyhow, I called every day and was finally told that it was too time consuming for them to find my kitten and that I should just pick another one....
After about 12 days (past the 10 days that AWL will treat them) my second kitten came down with what seemed like an upper respiratory tract infection, and was treated accordingly. My vet, who used to work at AWL, said that they even breed their own form of the herpes virus at AWL and that most of their cats have it, so I treated him for that, too. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly because he actually had FIP, a coronavirus that he contracted from coming in contact with feces in his cage at AWL.
In sum, while their intentions are good, their facilities are not cared for well enough and their cats are sick, or at least compromised. -
Review from Lawrence Y.
Chicago, IL
3/26/2009 1 photo
My roommate and I went down to AWL after having such a horrible experience at Anti Cruelty Society one weekend. I can tell you that AWL seems to be understaffed, for the amount of animals that come in/out and the amount of people there. My impression of the workers were that they were all stressed out and came off a bit bitchy. Needless to say though, they were helpful when it came down to it. We ended up adopting a Chihuahua mix. For their fee, it included spay/neuter, microchipping, leash & collar, various health tests, rabies shots, etc. and a 10 day health guarantee which made us feel comfortable in our adoption. We have been back several times since to find the right companion dog but we ended up adopting the second dog elsewhere. I would recommend this place, if you can get past the hectic management.
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Review from Eddie W.
Oak Lawn, IL
7/1/2009
I was not given any details on how to treat my dog after surgery. They almost caused a second one by not informing me of what to do.
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Review from Jessica G.
Oak Forest, IL
3/4/2011
If I could of put no stars I would have.
***I have never been to their clinic...so this is strictly related to the Shelter.***
1st off...there have been a few times I have found stray cats, brought them into this shelter and get treated poorly...made to feel like I was giving up my own animal, when in fact, I found these poor animals and just wanted to get them out of the cold, and could not bring them into my home b/c i was staying with family.
2nd....In sept of 2010 my fiance and I went to adopt a cat. We wanted to try to get a cat about a year old, but nothing older do to the fact that we had a puppy and thought it would be harder to introduce an older cat to a new animal. They told us the cat was 1 year old...and when asked to do a puppy introduction, we were told no, they dont do introductions with cats/dogs.
We brought the cat home and he was so scared. So we let the dog outside to see if the cat would feel better. The cat finally came out of his crate, laid down next to it and started spewing diarrhea from it's butt. I brought him in the bathroom where it was tile instead of carpet, put the litterbox in there with food and water. Left him alone for a half hour or so and there was poop everywhere in my bathroom and the poor kitty was still shaking and hard to even stand up. I called AWL and the lady said I had two options...bring him back or bring him to the vet. As I already knew that he was just deathly afraid of my dog, i just wanted to bring him back so another family could take him that didnt have any dogs. I asked the lady if we could adopt a kitten instead...easier for introduction to the pup we already have. When we arrived back at the shelter, the staff there treated us like crap. Literally made me bawl my eyes out, feeling like I did something wrong b/c i didnt want to keep the cat. He was gorgeous...but why torture him...he was obviously scared...he wasn't acting like that at the shelter before we adopted him. We ended up getting a kitten that was 5-6 months old. Found out after a few weeks of having him that he has ringworm. When I called AWL to let them know...b/c he was in a cage with 4-5 other kittens, they acted as though it was no big deal. PAWS in Tinley had shut down 2 weeks prior and were not adopting animals out due to an animal with Ringworm...and this place thought "Oh well, no big deal" UNBELIEVABLE. We also looked at the website and found through there that the original cat we had was 3 years old, not 1 years old. Which makes a whole lot of a difference when you are trying to introduce another animal to them.
Any other shelter I have been in, has been decently cleaned, animals are not scrunched in cages and the place does not reek of feces. AWL is horrible living conditions for these animals. Everyone talks crap about puppy mills...but what about this place...its the same thing...you have a black lab in a cage that he can barely stand in and keep his head up...puppies rolling around in feces and urine, cats/kittens with litterboxes so full they are overflowing...and yet no one is saying anything about that. I understand they are trying to "home" animals...but you need to know when to say enough is enough...there are other shelters, rescues, fosters, etc. This place is too over crowed and the staff act like they dont want to be there. Two thumbs down!! -
Review from Toby L.
Chicago, IL
2/26/2011
Upon further review. This place ain't as "cheap" on the prices and some think. Those x-rays and medicine will cost you just as much. Basically, Animal Welfare League of Chicago Ridge, isn't what it once was. The clinic is way too crowded (only one Vet back there?) and the prices have gone up. For some things, you could go to a regular Vet's office and pay the same (or less). That "cheap" fees stuff is out of date information.
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Review from jackie s.
Lisle, IL
7/7/2009
We went on a Sunday. There are 3 counters when you enter the place, one for the clinic, one for adoptions and one for owners giving up their pets (or people turning in strays). They weren't very crowded with people but Wow, The place is crowded with animals noisy, chaotic. IMHO that's only because so many irresponsible pet owners don't live up to their responsibilities...
I'm sure the folks working here would love to see fewer relinquished pets.
O.K. I will step off the soap box now.
The staff was fairly friendly. When we asked about a particular dog they let us take her into a small room to view her. We asked about the dog at the adoption desk. They said she is 1-2 years old, spayed and from a shelter in Kentucky.
We went home to think about adopting this dog.
The next day we wnet back to adopt her. This time the place was overflowing with people. At the adoption desk, one worker was speaking to a family using the young son as a translator because mom & dad didn't speak English. When asked by the worker if they wanted their potential dog to have puppies the couple, in unison, bobbed their heads up and down. The staff member told them that if they adopted a dog they would have to agree to have it spayed. I was very suprised that they were even allowed to go back to view the dogs. But then again, if they were denied they would just go somewhere else. I have to give them props for going to a shelter in the first place.
Anyway, when we went back to adopt our dog she was still available. But this time they told us she was from Indiana and was NOT spayed. The gave us the clinic's first available appointment which was about 3 weeks away. Because of the confusion I asked the clininc staff if they would double check to make sure the dog was not spayed. They took her in back and said she was not spayed.
The day before the spay appointment they called and cancelled saying they would call later to re schedule (it ended up, they wanted to push the app back another month!). I felt uncomfortable with the idea so scheduled the spay at my own vet.
Unfortunately, when the vet went inside to do the surgery she found the dog had already been spayed.
The bottom line is that AWL is so overwhelmed they can't keep anything straight. They don't know anything about the pets they adopt out. You would do just as well picking an animal off the street (I have done so and had great success with strays).
The dog we adopted is great and I think that AWL is well intended, but have realistic expectations when you visit. -
Review from Megan T.
Chicago, IL
2/11/2011
My boyfriend and I went to AWL yesterday unaware of the terrible conditions there. The smell is unbelievable as soon as you walk in the door. We filled out the application then went to look at the dogs. It was shocking to see how the animals were being kept. Many were sitting in their own feces or urine, one dog's kennel was completely smeared with feces from floor to ceiling. Most dogs didn't have toys in their kennel or something to keep them busy. Some dogs didn't even have water! We found a pit that we liked so we asked at the front desk if we could meet him. They took the dog out and led us into the "get acquainted" room which looked like something out of cook county corrections. The dog seemed very sweet and calm but when I asked about his personality and how he behaves around other dogs I was told the dogs do not get to socialize at all and some dogs don't even get to go outside because the volunteers get to "choose" which dogs they take out. At this point we really wanted to get this dog out of this hell hole so we returned to the front desk and immediately got attitude from one woman there. I'm guessing it is the "sandi" that others have brought up. She was Rude and abrasive to us for no reason at all and acted as though we were speaking an alien language whenever we spoke. She must've thought our lease was written in a different language too because she had to read it about ten times to comprehend it. Although we feel terrible for the animals at AWL, especially the dog we liked, we are uncomfortable adopting a dog that we know so little about and has not had any socialization with other dogs. I don't expect every shelter to be as nice as PAWS on clybourn but these people are not even trying.
