Animal Welfare League, ‘busting at the seams,’ hopes to expand

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The Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge will hold a Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser Feb. 10. | Supplied photo

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Updated: February 18, 2012 8:11AM

The Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge has experienced the effects of a down economy.

Unemployment and home foreclosures have forced many people to give up their pets, said Terri Sparks, marketing and public relations manager for the organization.

“We are busting at the seams,” Sparks said.

In some cases, people walk away from houses or apartments and leave their dogs and cats behind, she said. Many of those animals eventually find their way to the Animal Welfare League, 10305 Southwest Highway.

In fact, more than 7,000 animals were given up by their owners and brought to the shelter in 2011, Sparks said.

“As the economy was going down, (our population) was going up,” Sparks said.

An additional 8,800 strays were brought to the facility last year, she said.

“Everybody brings strays to us. It’s tough. We’re begging for food. We’re begging for supplies. The Animal Welfare League is our community’s only animal shelter that is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year to receive stray animals from our streets,” she said.

In addition to dogs and cats, the shelter is home to a variety of other animals, including rabbits, birds and even a potbellied pig, Sparks said.

The organization serves 53 communities in the Southland, Sparks said.

“If we weren’t here, these animals could be out on the streets of our community,” Sparks said. “As we enter a new year, we know that our intake numbers will only be increasing.”

Expansion is the long-term solution for the Animal Welfare League, Sparks said. The organization wants to add a second floor at a cost of about $4 million, Sparks said.

The Mardi Cause 4 Paws Gala will kick off the fundraising efforts, which will be held over the next two years. The event will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight Feb. 10 at 115 Bourbon Street, 3359 W. 115th St., Merrionette Park.

Tickets are $35 and $45 at the door and include food, beverages and live entertainment provided by Timing’s Everything, a Chicago band that performs music from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s as well as Top 40, pop, rock and country hits.

The event also will include adoptable animals, raffles, split-the-pot and silent auctions. Prizes will be awarded for the best male and female masquerade masks.

For information about the 21-and-over event, contact Sparks at (708) 636-8586, Ext. 268, or visit www.animalwelfareleague.com or facebook.com/MardiCause4Paws.

The Animal Welfare League relies solely on private donations. Services include adoptions, animal redemptions, animal-assisted therapy, humane education, volunteer program, cruelty investigations, a low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic and clinic services for those on a limited income.