A shelter for the cats and dogs of Boone County

By Anne Eickstadt

SUBMITTED PHOTO Belvidere Daily Republican
One of the children who brought donations to the Boone County Animal Control facility last year was Christopher Donley of Poplar Grove.

Editor

Run by a small staff or four people, the Boone County Animal Services is a government owned and operated animal control facility, certified and inspected by the State of Illinois.

“We offer an outreach program especially for schools,” Roger Tresemer, Operations Supervisor said. “We do programs at Manchester, Caledonia, Capron, Meehan, Belvidere Central Middle School, Seth Whitman. We also do presentations for organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Keen Age Center, and nursing homes. We gear the program to the various age levels.

“We completed construction on this facility in September, 2016 and moved in on January 30, 2017. It will hold up to 15 dogs and 10 cats. We provide low cost spay/neuter services, pet food assistance for Boone County residents who are having hardships, and microchipping for any pet.

“We run two clinics a year just for microchipping. We charge a small fee of $15 to cover the basic costs of the chip. Our next clinic will be in the fall.

“We will have more animals soon. It is nice weather out, students will shortly be out of school, and, with everyone outside, they will see every loose pet and wandering animal. We try very hard to reunite pets with their owners.

“One time a dog was found at Shopko by one of their customers. Assuming it had been lost, they picked it up and brought it to us. The dog’s owner, a truck driver who had let the dog out while he shopped, called us to report the dog as missing. He had to be back on the road to finish his deliveries and could not come in to pick up the dog during our office hours. He lived out of state.

“We asked him when he would be anywhere in the area so we could come in for him. He told us he would be passing by at about 1 a.m. We told him to call when he was nearby and someone would be here to reunite him with his pet. Justin Unger, our Lead Field Officer, came in that night so he could reclaim his dog. We are very sympathetic to pet owners.

“We are funded solely by dog registrations, fines, and fees. We have tried to do fundraisers during nice weather in the past, but there always seems to be five or six other fundraisers going at the same time. On June 10 we will be going to the antique sale in Candlewick Lake, which is being held to benefit our animals.

“We work seven days a week regardless of weather. Even in bad weather, as farmers can tell you, the animals still need to be fed and cared for. Even if other government agencies shut down because of bad weather, we will wade through thigh deep snow if we need to in order to get here. Plus, we take any calls that come in regarding animals. If we need to, we will…

For complete article, pick up the May 30 BDR.