Barn On Baseline/Dekalb Animal Shelter

 How do you help the animals in a shelter if the Director won't let you? 

How do the animals get the help they need when nobody cares?  Well we all care and are willing to do anything to improve the conditions at the shelter.

This is Bert who was adopted by Drew & Katy:

 

 

Bert weighed only 3 pounds when Drew and Katy adopted him in June 2018. He sat at Barn On Baseline dying in his cage. Bert is now on the way to recovery.  According to many volunteers I've spoken with, this is not an isolated incident.

 

 I was there on a 90 degree day in August for two hours.  The dogs were in the outside kennels barking the entire time with no water given to them. Nobody came to calm them down.

In September I went in to see if there were disclosures on the cages as required by state law. There was nothing. Roberta the shelter Director told me she didn't need to disclose because the Illinois Department Of Agriculture said this was perfectly fine. She does things her way. Is she above the law?

In October I went in and took pictures of the conditions. I saw approximately 80 cats stacked in cages similar to a puppy mill. From documentation from the Illinois Department Of Agriculture  every year there seems to be around 80 cats at the shelter after adopting out all cats for the year. The cats are in the cages all day and night. There is no cat play area. They only get out of the cage  if it's being cleaned, then they are put in the cage next door. How long have the cats been there? Are they in the small cages for weeks, months, years? They get no sunlight.  There were cats that were having trouble standing up.

Close up of stacked cages holding cats

         

           

Picture of Barn On Baseline taken by IDOA in 2012

Picture of a puppy mill

 

 

Junior at this place for over 995 days, is he still there?

 

This is Bella who has been at this shelter for two years.

 

 

This is Brittany who has been at this shelter for 3 years.

There was a chihuahua in a glass cage who was pretty much going crazy. He was barking, growling and turning in circles. He was standing in feces and urine.  A dog this hyper will go insane in a small cage.

All the other dogs were in outside kennels. There were approximately 25 medium sized dogs. The temperature was around 50 degrees and very windy. There was nothing in the cages except for one water bowl. There were leaves and dirt in the bowls. Some of the dogs were shivering standing on the concrete. The barking was deafening. Nobody came out to calm them down.

Most of the outside kennels had urine and feces in them.

Dog standing in urine and feces.

 

There was nobody at the kennel, just me. I never saw the volunteer again after walking in. There could have been many volunteers helping out, but the Director will not allow it.

 

Signs that a new Director is needed at a shelter:

The shelter is only open till 4:30 during the week. Saturday till noon and Sunday till 9:00 a.m. Oh and then it's open for one hour at night 6:00 - 7:00.

Animals are not advertised on social media. Social media has saved many lives.

The state disclosure law is being broken.

Board meetings are kept a secret.

Nobody can adopt a dog out unless the Director Roberta is there.

The Director does not believe in foster homes.

Adoption events are rarely, if ever done.

How are the animals supposed to find homes? Are the animals in a hoarding situation? 

A group of us have been trying to help the animals get out of the Barn. We've all been sharing them on social media. Many people want to join the board and make positive changes, but are not allowed.

 

The shelter needs a new Director who is open to making positive changes for the animals.

 

 

Ida McCarthy

Illinois Director

Companion Animal Protection Society

www.caps-web.org

ida@caps-web.org