Huntley shelter barkin' for help

Vinnie Meltzer, an installer with CustomCrete sands the cement floors Wednesday at Animal House Shelter in Huntley. New flooring to be installed at the shelter will help cut down on germs and disease for the animals. (Travis Haughton photo)

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HUNTLEY – Animal House Shelter Inc. has been in somewhat of a crisis state lately.

The no-kill Huntley shelter recently has had an influx of animals, most of which are badly injured or sick. And this week alone, seven pregnant dogs will be rescued and placed in temporary foster homes.

Couple that with recent improvement projects, and the shelter has found itself short-staffed. Volunteers have been working day and night to put in $50,000 in flooring for its dog runs to remain germ-free, but until that’s finished, the shelter has to halt its weekly dog rescues.

“It’s a lot of work pulling the runs out,” said Jacci Richards, fundraising and marketing director for the shelter. “The faster we do it, the faster we’re going to be able to start saving dogs again. We usually get two to three shipments of dogs a week.”

Because Animal House Shelter takes in so many sick animals others don’t want, the project is especially important. The epoxy flooring seals off any possible openings where germs or bacteria can enter.

Crown Polymers LLC of Huntley gave a large discount on the materials, while Custom Crete, also of Huntley, offered equipment and man-hours. Volunteers worked Wednesday to start grinding down the existing 3,800 square feet of flooring.

"When it comes to local community stuff, we try to help out," said Don Blummer, technical account manager for Crown Polymers.

While more volunteers are needed to finish the project in the next few weeks, several animals also are in need of help.

The shelter recently has been scrambling for money to cover medication and surgeries for some of its 100 cats and 150 dogs. The nonprofit organization’s monthly operating expenses, including medical care, total about $100,000, Richards said.

Sarah, a 6-month-old Lab-spaniel mix, is just one of the animals at the shelter who’s badly injured. Her former owner kicked her leg, breaking it in several places.

Sarah is unable to walk and takes only a few five-minute potty breaks each day.

“She was in a lot of pain when she was at Animal Control,” Richards said. “The vet recommends Sarah not be adopted for another month until we do another set of X-rays and see if she needs surgery. We’re kind of in one of those situations where we’re on hold, and there’s nothing we can really do but keep her as pain-free as possible.”

Meanwhile, 2-year-old Mandy, a domestic cat, was taken in as a stray more than four months ago. Volunteers didn’t know she was pregnant until she had five kittens shortly thereafter.

They were in for another surprise when she tested positive for feline leukemia, a life-threatening illness. Two of her kittens so far have tested positive, while the others have not.

Richards said staff at the shelter are trying to get the family better so they can be adopted soon.

“There is no cure for feline leukemia; it’s a death sentence for them,” Richards said. “But the right home would be able to give her the love she needs in the time she has left.”

OUTBOX: How to help

Animal House Shelter Inc. in Huntley always is looking for volunteers, foster homes, corporate sponsors, independent donations and, of course, people to adopt its many cats and dogs. To help, call 847-961-5541 or visit www.animalhouseshelter.com. The no-kill volunteer shelter, located at 13005 Ernesti Road, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.