This is a tough place to review since it's not a "typical" service, but I really admire the work CACC does despite being overcrowded and stretched thin. They're doing their best for the animals, and I hope sharing my experience helps anyone considering adopting. We ended up with the sweetest little cat that we absolutely love! We first visited on a Thursday around 4 pm. After waiting about 10 minutes, we filled out a form about what kind of pet we were looking for. About 25 minutes later, a volunteer walked us through the facility. It's clear they're over capacity, there were animals even in the hallways and in the cat rooms the cats are kept in wall cages. You don't get much time to interact, so it's tricky to gauge temperament. We chose a cat we thought seemed sweet. She still needed to be spayed and microchipped, so we couldn't take her home that day. They couldn't give a clear timeline, but by Monday we got the call that her surgery was done. We picked her up Tuesday, which took about an hour of waiting. Adoption fees were completely waived (normally $65, which is already very reasonable), and the cost of her surgery and microchip were covered. Once home, she did come down with a URI, so we had to visit the vet and get her some meds, but she's doing well now. Overall, CACC is a great place to adopt from if you're patient and want to give an animal a second chance. The process isn't super streamlined, but the staff and volunteers clearly care, and you'll be helping an animal in need read more

Animal Care and Control - New kitty - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Extremely RUDE front desk attendants. Drove over an hour from the northside. Inquired about adopting a small dog. There are at 15 "available small dogs" on the website. Without even looking at me explained you cannot adopt any small dog from CCAC. Shelters are called and those dogs are held for them. Well of course, shelters charge $300-$500. So even tho these dogs were still there, they have to move to a shelter and find someone else? All a money game. City of Chgo, I should have known. The WORST part was as I was looking at other dogs, the same girl from front desk came looking for me and said "I heard you been talking about me!" Omg it felt like I was in HS. No, I haven't been talking about you to anyone! Asked her to send someone to show me another dog. Waited 15 min. No one came. She obviously didn't ask anyone to come help me. That was not allowing another dog to find a home. Shame on them!!! Dogs don't look very healthy, and half of them are trying to tear into you thru the cage. They need a much better staff! Sad environment all around and wouldn't recommend. (Unfortunately) read more

While staying with a relative on the south side, my daughter and I encountered a very friendly, feral cat, who we fed regularly. Whenever we opened the back door to let our dog out, she would run in to the enclosed porch to look for a dark place to chill. We would escort her out and she would always come back. The next week we noticed whenever we let our dog out, she would always run under the house. One morning when my daughter was out back with our dog, she excitedly came back in and said there were 6 kittens under the house. Ahhhhh!!!! We took care of them for a couple of weeks but knew we couldn't keep them. I found a PAWS location but was referred to animal care and control. When I got there, there were a few people in line. A very brusque and unfriendly security guard immediately took my id and handed me a form to fill out. The wait was long and people had questions for the guard who was behind a locked door, but she quickly and rudely blew them off . This made everyone very angry and uncomfortable. I was told it was a "no kill" facility, but once I got inside, I became uncomfortable. Staff was very no-nonsense and there was a dude in a hazmat suit walking around pushing what looked like a laundry cart. What did that mean? I really don't know. They took the cats, gave them a couple of shots and put them in a cardboard box and sent me on my way. I left feeling kind of sad. And when I talked to a friend later, she informed me they were a "high kill" shelter and when I told her one of the staff members said it was "no kill" she laughed at me. I don't know. read more

I'd never been to CACC before, but I saw a cat on the website that I was interested in, so I decided to stop by the shelter to see if it was still available for adoption. We completed the adoption application and told the staff member or volunteer, Zach, that we were interested in a specific orange kitten. We had provided the intake number assigned to the cat that was posted on the CACC website on the application and showed it to Zach. The cat didn't have a name on the website, so Zach said he didn't know if the cat was still on-site or if he'd been sent to an adoption partner. Zach said most of the kittens are sent out immediately, but there was a slight chance that this kitten could still be at the shelter. Zach said he'd walk us around to see if there were any cats that piqued our interest. The shelter is expansive, but the rooms where the cats are housed are small and cramped. The rooms also smell really bad. I'm sure the staff and volunteers do their best to keep the rooms clean, but the smell is incredibly strong and off-putting. All the cats we saw were adult cats. There were no kittens on the adoption floor whatsoever. Zach was trying his best to sell the adult cats, but we were there for that specific kitten. Before we left, Zach said we could check with the front desk to find out if the kitten we had been interested in was still there at the shelter, so we asked the heavyset Latina seated in front of the computer screen. She just said that the cat was there, but it had been adopted. We didn't believe that was true for one minute, but we didn't argue. She probably just said that because she knew it was a statement that couldn't be refuted. The CACC website still says the kitten is available at the shelter for adoption several hours later. I'm sure shelter staff/volunteers are well-intentioned, but there's a disconnect amongst them that does a disservice to potential adopters and the animals waiting to be adopted. No one should ever go to the shelter and leave feeling as though they wasted their time. Because when that happens, that means the animals suffer. A kitten could have been adopted today and had a loving home. But that didn't happen because the personnel didn't know whether or not the cat was still there or not. In retrospect, I'm glad the kitten we were interested in wasn't there. If shelter personnel can't even accurately track the animals that come in and out of the shelter, then that makes me question everything that occurs there. The medical care could be subpar as well; there's no way of knowing what you could be bringing into your home. I already have a healthy cat, so I wouldn't want to do anything to potentially harm him and/or create an unnecessary vet bill. I'll stick with adopting from suburban shelters instead. read more

I used to volunteer at ACC walking dogs. Made a visit on the last day of "Clear the Shelters" when the adoption fee is waived, to adopt a cat and donate clean towels for cat cages. I searched their website for older cats and ones that were there the longest and had a list of about 8. Three had already been adopted. I was excited to spot "Apache"s name on a card on the wall in the second or third room we visited. He was one whose photo I had saved on my phone but his age was unknown. But we decided to adopt him anyway since he looked so sad and scared in the back of his cage. ACC has made updates and the exterior grounds are well-maintained, but sadly the animal cat cage areas are over crowded and need improvement. Although, the cages were being cleaned while we were there, so many of the litter boxes were overflowing with poo and there was a strong smell of wet urine in the kitten cages. I don't know how often they clean, but I doubt it is every day. Cleanliness is so important to cats so this definitely needs improvement. Some cats were obviously ill and we were told there is only one vet. That is unacceptable for over 300 cats and I don't know how many dogs. They need more staff. We waited 1-1/2 hours from opening at noon for the only cat volunteer that day to arrive. She was helpful but rushed since many people were waiting. I specifically wanted to adopt a cat there to get at least one animal out of ACC since the conditions are not as good as some other shelters. The city needs to provide more funding. We are happy that we are adopting Apache, but now are waiting to pick him up once he is neutered this week. I hope it is soon. Also I do recommend people adopt animals there to help the neediest cats and dogs. The front desk staff was helpful. read more

Animal Care and Control - Apache -- soon to be coming to his new home with us - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was my first time adopting from CACC. I couldn't recommend this place more. The facility is run by volunteers but they are some of the sweetest and most accommodating people, doing the best with what they have. India and Christian helped me with my adoption of Daredevil, both of them went out of their way to help me and were kind throughout the whole process. Though he was shy at the shelter and overlooked, he's come out of his shell since. Please consider adoption (or volunteering) at CACC! read more

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A few years ago we adopted a 4 month old kitten, because our 6 month old single kitten clearly needed kitten company. The place was very busy, the staff were wonderful. Sybil the cat is doing well, she currently lives with us in Italy. read more

Adoption procedure was clear, with help every step of the way. My wonderful guide, Meera, patiently led me through the cats, was kind and gentle with them (and me!) I brought home a beautiful, healthy adult calico and she is settling in quickly and calmly. I would have gone that day no matter what, but they were having an adoption fair and there was no fee. Couldn't be happier! read more

HORRIBLE service from the security guard, ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL needs to hire someone different, she is beyond rude and she lets other cut line, I have proof and took pictures of the incident! I will be escalating this because NO ONE deserves to be treated like this, please open investigation on this women, she is also taking pictures of peoples ID for no reason? She is asking for identification and taking pictures with her persona phone. Please report this women! read more

Animal Care and Control - Shady security guard, PLEASE REPORT - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Hello, to whom it may concern. Today we went into CACC to see UZI a dog we had saw last week. We enjoyed our time with her but she is also sick and needed to cleared then once cleared she will get spayed. So we decided to come back today the 21 to see her. And us being dog lovers we decided to add two others as we have zero commitment with uZI and WHO KNOWS maybe we'd adopt more then one dog. Anyways whoever this lady is should NOT be allowed to volunteer here not longer. Before seeing us she was rude to another family who came in who also wanted to see a dog. As she proceeded to skip them and work with us she reviewed our sheet and stopped us midway down the hall to say "I'm sorry I just find it weird you have a dog on hold and you want to see two more" excuse me? Who the hell are you to say something like that lady and also who are you to limit the love we'd like to share with these lovely animals? Please someone contact me and notify me this has been addressed I've already save Zeus FKA Anthony. This woman does not belong here volunteering. See video for reference. Unfortunately I did not catch the beginning as I was not expecting such intrusion and abrasiveness. read more

Animal Care and Control - this woman is not here for the furries she is here to finish her community service hours for the crimes she has committed. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Please read this entire post as I know it's long. I came here looking for cats and came across one that was bonded to another. I decided to take both in with the assumption that both were healthy, as that is what they told me when viewing them. They still had to be neutered and they told me it was a long list and to expect a call to pick them up within 4-7 days. They called me the NEXT day saying they were ready and that they do not hold them to observe their behavior after surgery but they were reported to be healthy. I picked them up and the same night it was very clear they were sick with a URI. One was congested while the other was throwing up blood and refusing to eat. When calling the shelter and inquiring they said there's nothing they can do and pointed out if I wanted to surrender them again, I could. I made the heartfelt decision to surrender them back as I did not expect to drop so much money on sick vet fees immediately after receiving them and being told they were perfectly healthy. The surrender process was HORRIBLE. We got there right at open and about 7-8 people were in front of me. They made us wait outside while it was snowing in 20 degree weather for 2 AND A HALF HOURS!!!!! Only for the intake process to take us all of 3 minutes. The intake person was making extremely careless jokes and then went straight into asking if we wanted to kill them. I said they were not sick enough to be put on the kill list and just needed standard medicine. They made it seem like they would look at them and check it out however after checking the website they removed the two cats which means they probably killed them anyways I am heartbroken by this tragedy and the poor animals that come here looking for their forever home and medical help only to be treated like complete garbage. Please look elsewhere for animals: bring your surrenders elsewhere. It's not worth it. read more

Nice and clean! Great staff! Very affordable to adopt! Went on a Saturday. Didn't have to wait too long!

An unfriendly stray pitbull terrier that looks like it's been involved in dog fighting has been coming on our property for months. Called several times for them to come pick it up. First time they allegedly drove past TWO-WEEKS LATER & reported that "the animal was no longer there." The last time was yesterday when the dog came on the property again & wouldn't go away. The police showed up within 10 minutes in-order to wait until animal control came. I distracted the dog by tossing it treats. This lasted for TWO & A HALF HOURS with animal control not showing up. Eventually I went back inside since I wouldn't feed the dog anymore as it of course would eventually vomit. The dog ended up finally leaving with the police car trailing behind it. 3 hours later I get a call from this place asking if the animal is still here??? It took you 5-1/2 hours to respond to a call about a stray pitbull that was barking aggressively in the background of the call??? They decided to come by anyway. 20 minutes later I see the van driving around the property on the cameras. About an hour after that I see on the neighbors app someone put an alert out saying that there was a stray white & brown pitbull on their property about 2 miles away from us. I assumed it was the same pitbull since these people don't want to do their jobs. Later that night the cameras & motion detectors go off...the PITBULL IS BACK AGAIN! It has come back multiple times after that since now it's expecting to find food. It digs up things, poops in the yard, knocks over stuff, scares the other animals & barks constantly throughout the day/night from wherever it hides when it's not looking for food. It looks like I'm gonna have to spend at least $130 on a trap cage just to capture the dog & hold it until these people come. This is ridiculous. read more

DO NOT DO BUSINESS HERE. Zero stars if I could. I adopted her Sunday 8/18/24 and had to put her to sleep 2 days later. She didn't eat or drink water, because she had Feline panleukopenia virus. They gave me a sheet telling me she was examined. This pain is indescribable. She was perfect. Sweet forever dreams my little Nova. read more

Extremely rude and unprofessional people. I bring a cat there that was run over by a car and extremely hurt and they yelled at me and told me to get out I needed an appointment. So I was suppose to know this was gonna happen? They wouldn't even give me a box or anything to hold the poor baby they let him just slowly die outside in my arms. Absolutely do not go to them horrible and disrespectful people. That lady at the front the fake security guard was so rude it was disgusting. If she doesn't care about these animals or want anything to do with them then find a new fake security job. Stop eating those Doritos and actually do your job. Acting like that small sip of water was gonna wash all that down. Yea okay biggie cheese muffin read more

Extremely rude customer service. I came ready and able to adopt and left after the poor encounter I had with the female volunteer showing cats. I went in to adopt a cat and was skipped in line by the volunteer showing the animals. When I approached her to let her know she had skipped me she proceeded to ask me for my paperwork and compare the numbers of the person she had skipped me with; my number & time completed on my application came first. She did not apologize but proceeded to talk down to me while I was looking at the cats. She informed me that only the cats w/ a pink slip are available for adoption, so I was looking at a cat info card with a pink slip inside. She proceeded to yell at me and ask what I was doing. When I said I was looking at the info card because the pink slip was there she proceeded to rudely tell me the cat was already adopted. No apology yet again. She proceeded to be disrespectful to me and only treated the family she had skipped me with, with kindness. I walked out as I will not be supporting an establishment like this. Please train your volunteers in customer service and how to respect others. read more

I lost my dog on Wednesday night and like any other pet owner was worried sick. I visited ACC the following day and arrived at the time lost dog tours started. They informed me that they no longer offer those and you must set appointment. (I called prior and no answer so it could have saved us a trip). I left and followed their instructions to set an appointment. The response back was unsympathetic and rude. They said they don't offer that anymore and I can check online at photos posted. I understand the employees there may handle a lot of worried dog parent but I was in no way rude or demanding. It would be nice if the employees there can offer more insight on how things are done at ACC. I hope I never have to experience this again as ACC was not helpful. For anyone else in search of their pet good luck and stay positive. read more

Had a dog that i was struggling to take care of and was told to bring him here because the person who told me said they did that and they found a better home and brought him here then 2 weeks past i realized i really wanted him and was able to get some to watch him for a lil only to find out in only 2weeks he was put down this the worst place for any animal to they don't really care about the animals at this place its just a regular job for them obviously read more

Sadly CACC only gets 2 stars because of the lack of communication via FB and accessibility over the phone. I tried several times within a 72 period to get a short list of female dogs who could be compatible with my pets who were next to be euthanized but no one cared enough to create a list. It was frustrating because I even sent them names of dogs I believed met my criteria but the staff didn't care. Sadly my best guess is many staffers are just killing time or earning community service hours and with all the great volunteers I saw on online videos it didn't translate to customer service. All I needed was a little courtesy and care but the proof was in the Facebook correspondence which included a thumbs up response after I messaged that they lost a customer. I felt ignored by several Facebook admin after being promised such list. I was initially told a list would be created which included female dogs who would be euthanized soon that fit my family's criteria. Instead of empowering staff by allowing employees who don't care to be FB administration they should have include paid staff only to manage their account and not staff unable to communicate well. Sadly I decided to take my business elsewhere to adopt in Aurora, IL at the Aurora Animal Care Control which includes amazing and knowledgeable volunteers. Lastly, the city of Chicago earned these two stars because of housing many animals, all the positive reviews, fans and encouraging Youtube videos. So it's sad to leave this 2 star review but well deserved. read more

I've been a big fan of CACC over the years. I got my first dog there in 1994, and my second in 2002. I went there yesterday looking for a buddy for my dog. The woman at the desk was very nice - told me adoptions this weekend were free, so if I fell for a dog, I should come back Saturday or Sunday. She also wanted to give me a list of other local shelters; I declined, since I'm pretty familiar with the shelters, but it was nice that she offered. Took a look at the dogs, and two absolutely suckered me. One, though, didn't like other dogs (I really like that that info is posted on the cages), and the other was said to not be a big fan of physical contact. (OK for me, but my dog likes to play kind of rough, so that won't work.) On the way out, the woman at the desk suggested I look at Petharbor, make some choices there, and then come back over the weekend. I may just do that. The other nice thing about CACC is, you can't beat the price. On non-free days, their adoption fee is $65 (unchanged since at least 1994). Yes, most of the dogs are bully breeds, but bully dogs get a bad rap. A lot of them, the worst thing they'll do is lick you to death. read more

I couldn't recommend this place more! I went 4 times and finally adopt my little girl yesterday. The energy here is so positive, very motivated to help us adopt. The dogs are very well treat. I would come back here again. read more

Animal Care and Control - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Four Years ago (five in May), there was a flyer floating about the neighborhood for "Dogs on Damen" Adoption fair. Coincidentally, I had been begging for a dog for about two years; I was thinking of a smaller lap-dog such as a pug. My guy was thinking of a larger dog, more like a German Shepard. Compromise was reached only when we agreed 1. To select an older (not a puppy) dog if at all possible 2. To attend Dogs on Damen to look at the animals to see if any "chose" us. I was shocked at the volume of animals looking for a home. I was also surprised at the numbers of purebred pets: A litter of apricot pugs were present- yet none seemed interested in me (this was amazing... I had smuggled a pork-chop bone in my handbag for canine olfactory incentive!). Guy saw a prodigiously enormous German Shepard- indifferent to him and any pets he offered. We had resigned to exit. As I reached the gate and turned around, Guy was no longer present?! Bewildered, I wandered the parking lot, wound 'round the tents... lo and behold: He is crouched on the ground, his arms wrapped around the skinny, scarred, shivering form of a dog. And not just any dog, but a substantially-framed Rottweiler. I approach cautiously, a recently-docked tail (just a wee, oscillating stump) wags hesitantly, ears fold back. Two sets of big, pleading, watery eyes (One human, one canine) are staring up at me "Do you want to- walk with her? Do You want to talk about her?" You can't say no to such a desperate, loving image as this. I am doomed. It was love. And like any love, a heck of a lot of work: The rep. told us she was 1 year old. We took her to our vet (the exceptional Dr. Milaknis) he confirmed what we already suspected (and had no objections to) that she was closer to four years old, and had been rescued from dogfighting by the look of her scars. The fee was minimal. The research done on our application was phenomenal and thorough. The eager helpfulness of the shelter rep. welcome on all subjects: food, leashes, even introducing Princess to my elderly cat. So a compromise it was: A big, fat Rottie who wears pink and likes Starbucks! Princess is my baby and my best friend, and while this city service has it's faults- I can't really be too hard on them, highly recommending them if you are in search of a animal companion of your own! read more

Animal Care and Control - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

DONT GO HERESlow service. It took forever just to sign up to even get the chance to look at dogs to adopt. The process is weird, you have to go through an online list of dogs available and request to see them.... i'd much rather go into a shelter that allows me to walk around. ALSO... it's very apparent that they sell their dogs of various breeds to either rescues or just elsewhere because there were no other breeds other than pit bulls. I love pitties but if I only wanted to see them, I'd go to a pittie rescue. read more

I just adopted my amazing new pup a few days ago and the experience was bittersweet, but let me explain. Prepare for your heart to break a little when you see all of the animals peering up at you through bars saying "pick me!". My boyfriend and I spent the entire day there trying to pick a dog to adopt. The volunteers get 6 stars because they were so amazingly helpful and I give them so much credit for doing all that they do for the animals there. They were extremely knowledgeable and genuinely wanted to help. After going, I really favor adopting an animal from CACC because of the fact that these animals are given "time limits". Don't let them live in a cage just to wait to be euthanized. It was an eye opening experience and we ended up adopting our little bundle of joy, Ollie! And although it was sad being there, it was extremely rewarding knowing that we saved a life = ) read more

Animal Care and Control - My beautiful Ollie! Adopted 10/7/12 - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My sister was a volunteer here back in 2003 and she somehow convinced me to get a dog. I lived in a condo and wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but it kills me to admit that in this case, my sister was right. She lead me into the adoption area and I was overwhelmed immediately. There were hundreds of cages of poor barking homeless dogs. The selection was overwhelming and I had no idea what I breed I even wanted. My sister, being my sister, had some strong ideas. She lead me to a geriatric Rottweiler who was old enough to be near death. Then she found a Great Dane who was so hyper that all four of his feet left the ground when he jumped up to greet us. Since I lived in an 800 square foot place, he didn't seem like a good fit. Finally, I saw one dog who wasn't barking. He was a weird looking little Labrador mutt and I knew from the second I saw him that he was my dog. Animal Care and Control kept him overnight to neuter him and then he was mine. That little dog has brought so much to my life and I am grateful to this place for introducing us. He's definitely my buddy, and the best $60 I ever spent. I can't imagine getting a dog from anywhere else. read more

Animal Care and Control - Best $60 I ever spent. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have to give ACC five stars because I love my dog SO much. We looked around at a lot of shelters and just didn't find the right dog until we stumbled upon our lovable little pup at the pound. It was a very easy process to adopt her (almost TOO easy). It took maybe 20 minutes of waiting after filling out an application and then, basically, someone told us we were approved and minutes later we were out the door with her. As happy as I was about that...I was also a little concerned. Shouldn't there have been more screening involved? But anyway, it all worked out in our case. She did, however, have kennel cough and an ear infection. I think when we took her to the vet right after adopting her, the bill was somewhere around $250 for everything she needed. But, the adoption fee at ACC is only $65 (which includes spay/neuter, city dog license and shots) so it was really no big deal. But I guess this place will always have a special place in my heart because it's where we found our dog, and I absolutely love the shit out of her! read more

Animal Care and Control - The love of my life, Penelope! Adopted from Chicago Animal Care and Control in 8/07. - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've heard that they don't have enough volunteers to get every dog outside everyday :( We adopted both of our puppies from here. We had checked out PAWS and a few other shelters but we just didn't find a good fit for us. Someone at Paws suggested that we go to Chicago animal care and control (they actually get a lot of their pets from them) We fell in love with Mollie right away! (Perfect little angel at the shelter who is now a terrorist in our home. We think she tricked us just to get out of there, but we still love her just the same.) We filled out a form, sat down and talked to one of their staff and picked her up the next day! Sometimes they can go straight home with you but she had to be spayed. It was so easy, cheap ($60), and rewarding that we went back a couple weeks later and adopted Elliot. The staff was great in waiting for us to bring back Mollie to let the two dogs meet and play in their outside space. read more

Animal Care and Control - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The volunteers at this place get 5 stars. There are not enough of them, but the ones that are there are completely helpful. The establishment gets 1 star because it's so sad... Dogs bathing in their feces because they can't go out often enough. Two months ago, I bought my boyfriend's birthday present (3 months early)... A Catahoula Leopard Cur / Lab mix. Despite the fact that my Welsh Corgi was current on all of his shots, he ended up catching pneumonia from the new pup resulting in around $1,000 in vet bills for the both of them. So, we certainly ended up paying more than we had anticipated! Regardless of what had happened, my boyfriend is completely in love with his new pup and my dog loves having someone to play tug of war and romp around with. We couldn't have picked out a better dog. read more

Animal Care and Control - Our new pup, Rusty - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I stopped in to look for a missing outdoor cat from my neighborhood. The thought was he may have been picked up or caught by a TNR trap somewhere in the area. The girl at the check in seemed like she was in over her head even though her job is to check IDs and hand out visitor badges. Not sure if she was a volunteer or a city employee. I am going with city employee since all the volunteers seem really happy to be there. I was told to sit in the waiting room to be called what I wasn't hold is that they have tours every 30 to 45 minutes. The place is clean and huge and just sitting there I witnessed more than a few people just turning in animals that they didn't want anymore. Those people should never be allowed to own another animal but that is a whole different subject. The woman that took us on the cat your was very friendly and took us room to room looking for our lost cats. There are lots of animals that need to be adopted but all the volunteers seem happy to be there and taking care of the animals. I didnt find my cat and I wish I had time to volunteer but I am glad there are places like this that take care of lost or rejected animals. read more

I wanted to adopt a bully breed and knew exactly I wanted her to be calm, friendly, social, highly trainable and affectionate. I'd been in touch with Debbie that also works with Animal Care and Control and she connected me with Sara. Sara was helping me and she was great. She is a volunteer and very dedicated. I looked at a few dogs that had too much energy. Then I looked at Sophia (now I changed her name to Sadie) and she's what I've been seeking. I agree with other comments the energy here is positive. You're saving a life by adopting here. I could definitely see Sadie was well treated. Both Debbie and Sara I'm very thankful for their dedication and efforts. Sally Richards Oak Park homeowner read more

I had been in a situation before where they were able to shelter my cat for a week there and I was able to pick him up. Me and my family ended up in a shelter two weeks ago and I had no where else to shelter my pet after losing my job and just about everything. Upon dropping our family cat off I was crying and explaining to the staff on shift what was going on. The woman that took him in was very rude and didn't seem to care about anything me and my family were experiencing. I would've gave them my last dollar had I known against my consent that they were just going to give my cat away. They had me sign a form when I was crying and vulnerable the lady said that this is a form that stating he didn't bite or scratch anyone in the last 30 days so I signed. I didn't even get to say goodbye to him. My 2 year old keeps asking for Cubbie and it's so tough already in our situation. I had wrote them 4 emails stating I would be there today to come grab him not even a week later I had even come up with the money to adopt him back but they stated they adopted him out just yesterday within the emails I also stated I don't not consent or surrender my pet cat, Cubbie.I had included in the emails that I know this wasn't a kennel or boarding place but maybe could've sympathized with me and my family's situation. No one seemed to care at all. I can't even give one star for this situation because I'm extremely sad we now have to go on living our lives that me and my children will never see him again. The CACC is a horrible place and I do not recommend. They are lucky if this doesn't turn into a lawsuit. The only reason I'm rating one star is because I have to in order to leave this review.. read more

Slow service. It took forever just to sign up to even get the chance to look at dogs to adopt. The process is weird, you have to go through an online list of dogs available and request to see them.... i'd much rather go into a shelter that allows me to walk around. ALSO... it's very apparent that they sell their dogs of various breeds to either rescues or just elsewhere because there were no other breeds other than pit bulls. I love pitties but if I only wanted to see them, I'd go to a pittie rescue read more

I adopted my first dog fromCACC and when he passed I donated all of his food, bed, new toys, etc to the shelter. I found a stray a couple of months ago and took him to the shelter, I was interested in adopting her and fill out the form online and have not heard back, phone is never answered, I don't have a car and the shelter is quite away from where I live to just drop by, I wished they would assist more in helping get the overcrowding of the shelter with pit bulls with adoption made easier. read more

dog is life dog is love. I really liked Clarence he was so nice, did well with cats and liked our dog too! we will love him alot

Unacceptable. A cat adopted from this place after being neutered died 5 days later! Come to find out a mutual friend said the same thing happened to a dog adopted out! This place needs to be investigated!! These poor animals! Something needs to be done to help these poor animals that cannot speak for themselves!!! read more

I was walking home and found a beautiful ragdoll cat that was in a bush. The cat appeared to be lost and afraid but was friendly. When I checked the collar it did not have a name tag. I called animal control to inform them that I found a lost cat. I was told by the operator that there was nothing they could do to help the cat. They even asked me what I was planning to do with the cat. As a cat owner I was very upset and even saddened by their inability to help the cat find its home. read more

People have to understand that Chicago is a BIG city, and they're not able to take in EVERY pet , but when they do take a pet in, they try to use the resources given to try and give that pet a comfortable temporary home. The amount of animals taken in outnumber its staff, so you have to understand that you have to be patient as they are trying to manage to take out every pet they have for a walk or playtime. I'm satisfied with what I saw going on in the facility after I went to pick up my lost dog which fortunately I was able to retrieve without hassle. I got a quick response via email when I found out my dog was here, keep in mind the amount of animals they're trying to manage at a time, so be patient, don't be ignorant. Front desk takes care of walk ins so that is why it's best to email them if you are trying to get your animal back or with any other concerns. Overall I'm satisfied with the service provided to me. read more

Animal Care and Control - Found and got my dog back - Animal Shelters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

CACC has none of the glitz and financial resources of other local shelters. This city-owned facility does what it does best... rescue animals. I brought several bags stuffed with old towels, bathmats and dishrags to the center and was warmly thanked for the effort. The animals appreciate the extra cush in their cages from your old towel, so do yourself (and them) a favor and think of donating your old things. I felt great about it. read more

My boyfriend and I did one of those open house days here where you can volunteer to walk dogs and show them off to prospective families. There's a short orientation before you begin then you get to spend the rest of the day frolicking with cute dogs. BEST DATE EVER, PEOPLE!!! And nothing beats the feeling of helping a dog find a home. One caveat: You will fall in love with at least one of these mutts. Not so good when you're not allowed to have dogs in your apartment but still TOTALLY worth it. read more

I'm amused by some of the reviews on here talking about how CACC isn't as "attractive" or "comfortable" as other shelters. Of course it's not - it's an underfunded department run by the city. It doesn't have the luxury of having generous benefactors that some of the other shelters do. The people who run the CACC do a good job with what resources they have. They face a huge task of being ground zero for tens of thousands of unwanted, stray, lost, pets in the city. CACC is open 365 days a year and doesn't reufuse intakes (unlike another "prettier" shelter I know). They don't get to pick and choose which dogs/cats they takes - they take them all. CACC is understaffed - which is what makes the volunteers who give their time there so important. The volunteers are the animals life line - they exercise them, socialize them, show them to potential adopters. If there aren't volunteers on a given day the animals can't go outside, can't get exercise, can't get shown or adopted. How sad is that. I've volunteered for some other shelters and there have been occassions where there were so many of us - we just stood around and stared at each other. That won't be the case here. If you're looking for a volunteer experience where you will be busy, involved & engaged - please consider CACC. You will make a huge difference in the lives of the animals in their care. I adopted my dog from CACC 5 years ago. I'm so thankful to the one volunteer working in the dog area that day who was able to show him to me. It was a rainy, cold day but we hung out in the dog runs outside for a while and then she let us hang out on our own inside while she ran to help some other adopters. Had she not been volunteering her time, I may not have found my best friend in the world. read more