‘ALL HANDS ON DECK’
Animal Welfare League rescues 54 Chihuahuas from apartment in Chicago
The number of Chihuahuas at the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge on any given day doesn’t usually exceed one or two, but that number swelled recently after the shelter took in 54 from a South Side family.
That number is now up to 58, after two of the new arrivals had pups. Two more Chihuahuas that came in are pregnant.
Staff at the shelter said it wasn’t a simple case of hoarding or neglect, and most of the dogs are healthy. The mother and son who kept the dogs in their two-bedroom apartment in Chicago’s McKinley Park neighborhood appeared to love the dogs and cooperated with the Animal Welfare League.
“Obviously these people loved these animals,” said Chris Higens, president of the AWL board. “I think it got away from them.”
Higens said trouble for the family started during the pandemic.
“They got in over their heads,” she said. “During quarantine, as they began to multiply, they fell in love with the animals and they just kept growing and growing.”
After taking control of the dogs, AWL officials left two of them with the family with the stipulation that they both were males. The agency also offered to neuter them for free.
Now the challenge falls on the shelter and staff. The dogs are from 5 weeks to about 5 years old, with the majority ages 2 or 3.
The situation unfolded April 4, when AWL received a call from a relative of the family. A driver from the shelter went with two investigators and a vet technician to collect the animals.
The shelter veterinarian, Dr. Leo Paul, has been assessing the condition of all the dogs. He and his
“Obviously these people loved these animals. I think it got away from them.”
staff vaccinated the dogs, dewormed them and scheduled spay and neuter procedures for those old enough.
“Anything that was critical, he noticed right away,” Higens said.
That included one dog with a serious eye infection, that is being treated with antibiotics. The eye will have to be removed, she said, but staff said the dog can be expected to lead a normal life. Two of the dogs appear to have neurological problems, stumbling in their cages, though they still are affectionate. Staff hope the special needs pets can still find loving homes.
All have been under quarantine
for 10-14 days since their arrival.
It’s been a major undertaking, according to Alex Sowa, the AWL’s supervisor of kennels.
“We’re used to having all kinds of animals, but this was a lot at once,” Sowa said. “It’s nothing that can scare us. It takes a lot of people to team up and get stuff ready. So all hands on deck.”
They had to be sure there were enough cages ready, enough food, including wet food for puppies, that all paper work was done and the veterinarian was kept up to date on their conditions.
“You have to be extra careful with the mothers and babies,” Sowa said, noting the moms are protective of their puppies.
Though Sowa said the ordeal could have been prevented by neutering and spaying the dogs, she added they were in better condition than animals from other intake situations.
“They’ve been treated fairly nicely, they’re social,
not aggressive,” Sowa said. “That’s usually not the case.”
Higens said they were feeling the weight of the rapid influx of so many dogs. The shelter cares for 400 pets (including cats, dogs and small animals, like guinea pigs and rabbits) in Chicago Ridge and 100 more at its facility in Chicago.
“It’s a burden. We have to feed them daily,” Higens said. “Some will be in our possession for a long time until they can be spayed or neutered. Financially it hit us because of the added food and vaccines.”
She said the agency’s website at animalwelfareleague.com/animals/ adoptable-animals/ will be updated when the dogs become available for adoption.
“Please don’t forget we not only have Chihuahuas,” Higens said. “We have plenty of other dogs in need.”
— Chris Higens, president of the AWL board