FUR-EVER Family

Adding a furry family member (or two) into the fold isn’t a decision to be made lightly. When you’re ready to take the plunge, many families have found success adopting pets through local non-profit shelters. Here, some local families share their pet “gotcha” stories and why they chose to adopt through shelters.

MEET RYLEE AND MINTY Shelter: A.D.O.P.T.

in Naperville

It all began when Katie Hartsell of Aurora promised her daughter Allison a cat if she broke a bad habit. After previously adopting other pets at A.D.O.P.T. in Naperville, the family adopted Minty three years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She was so attached to Allison. They even went to remote learning classes together during the pandemic,” Hartsell says.

Like most shelters, A.D.O.P.T. asks the family and any existing pets to come in for a visit before bringing home a new pet. Rylee, a dog the Hartsells also got from A.D.O.P.T., hit it off with Minty.

In addition to Rylee and Minty, the Hartsell pet family also includes cats Preta and Pete. Each cat sleeps in a family member’s bedroom while Rylee sleeps in a crate.

One thing Hartsell likes about A.D.O.P.T. is that they work with families once the pets get home, such as helping lower income families afford spade/neuter services and offering money back when dogs complete obedience training.

MEET VIVIENNE (VIVI) AND TAFFY

Shelters: Starfish Animal Rescue in Batavia and A.D.O.P.T. in Naperville

For Bridget and Dave Colado of Oswego, the journey to becoming pet parents began even before they got married when they adopted their dog Vivi 14 years ago.

“We fell in love with Vivi, who was a sweet puppy, and we couldn’t wait to bring her home,” recalls Bridget Colado.

Bridget and Dave choose A.D.O.P.T. in Naperville to get Vivi because they wanted to adopt a puppy from a shelter. The process to adopt included interviews, references and a background check. Since the couple already had a cat, A.D.O.P.T. also reviewed the cat’s vet history.

“We originally wanted a small dog. However, because we planned on having children, they suggested going with a big dog since small dogs can be easily hurt, accidentally, by toddlers,” says Dave Colado.

As Vivi got older, the family wanted to adopt another dog. They found Taffy over a year ago on a Facebook post for Starfish Animal Rescue, which serves the Chicagoland area and has business locations in Batavia and Plainfield.

“Starfish doesn’t have a facility to look at dogs. All their dogs come from overcrowded kennels,” says Bridget Colado.

Dave Colado adds, “We set up a time to meet Taffy and introduce her to Vivi. The dogs got along well. Taffy fit right into our family like she was meant to be here.”

A Heart for Animals (West Dundee) 847-868-2432 | www.aheartforanimals.org

A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter (Naperville) 630-355-2299 | www.adoptpetshelter.org

Anderson Humane (Multiple locations) 847-697-2880 | www.ahconnects.org

Animal House Shelter (Huntley)

847-961-5541 | www.animalhouseshelter.com

Fur Keeps Animal Rescue (Barrington)

847-381-8458 | furkeepsanimalrescue.org

Hoof Woof & Meow Animal Rescue (Elgin) 847-836-7387 | www.hoofwoofmeow.org

Naperville Area Humane Society 630-420-8989 | www.naperhumane.org

Starfish Animal Rescue (Geneva)

708-967-5554 | www.starfishanimalrescue.com

Underdog Railway Rescue (Elmhurst) 630-863-5328 | www.fb.com/underdograilway

Wags to Wishes (Plainfield)

815-254-3110 | www.w2wrescue.com

Meet Rocky And Mango

Shelters: Wags to Wishes Animal Rescue in Plainfield and Underdog Railway Rescue in Elmhurst

After growing up in families that had dogs, Becky Kalule of Aurora and her husband George thought it would be nice to have a pet when they got married. First they adopted Teddy, then later, Sinji. Both were older dogs adopted from rescue shelters.

“We love adopting older dogs because they have their own personality,” says Kalule.

When Sinji died after getting hit by a car, the family adopted Rocky seven years ago as a friend for Teddy.

Rocky was one of the dogs they met during an event held by Underdog Railway Rescue. Later, they brought Teddy to the shelter to see if he was compatible with Rocky. A few years after Teddy passed away, a co-worker mentioned Wags to Wishes Animal Rescue where they found Mango last year.

“I believe in adopt, don’t shop. We’re very pro-adopting dogs. The people who work for non-profit shelters are amazing,” says Kalule.

Meet Bolt

Shelter: Humane Society of Waucpaca County in Wisconsin

Long before becoming a wife and mother, Jen Keller of Aurora hung out with her furry roommate Mattie, a border collie. When her gal pal passed away, it took some time before Keller was ready to adopt another pet.

Since her daughter Emmy was 5 at the time, Keller and her husband, Dave Lovercheck, knew they wanted to get a puppy. The family ended up adopting their border collie, Bolt.

“I was really depressed when Mattie passed. Adopting Bolt really helped me get over that hump. I instantly felt better adopting him,” Keller says.

Keller notes adopting from a shelter isn’t as rigorous as adopting from a breed rescue, which requires a home visit and interview.

“They could tell we were serious and had experience with that breed before,” she adds.

During the pandemic, Bolt kept Emmy company during remote learning and they played together during shelter-in-place orders.

“Bolt was a huge help to our family during the pandemic,” Keller says.