During my visit, I was treated in a beyond unprofessional manner by one of the security guards at the facility. The interaction made me feel unwelcomed. After multiple remarks were made, the security guard then expressed frustration that I had not called ahead, even though I had made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact the shelter by phone beforehand. I brought in a stray kitten hoping to receive guidance and support from the facility. What disturbed me most was a comment: when discussing the kitten's condition, the security guard stated that the cone would not be necessary because the kitten would be euthanized due to being found with a prolapsed rectum. I found this comment extremely insensitive and upsetting, especially considering the vulnerable and emotional nature of the situation. Despite being there for a matter involving a hurt animal seeking support. I was under the impression The Department of Animal Welfare, Care & Control states that it is dedicated to protecting the well-being of both animals and residents while promoting humane and responsible treatment. Unfortunately, my experience did not reflect those values. The manner They spoke to and approached me was unnecessary and disrespectful. After looking further into the matter, I also noticed multiple public reviews from others describing similar experiences. One review left by Natalie Flores approximately three months ago stated that a security guard and another worker were overheard speaking negatively about residents and making comments about "how dumb residents are and their lack of brain cells." Reading that, alongside my own experience, was extremely concerning and disheartening. As a young resident in the community, seeing residents and visitors being treated poorly in a place that is supposed to provide care, compassion, and support is honestly hurtful. read more

I had a very beautiful experience with wagon tails they were so nice and so kind and so helpful that I really appreciated I wish all the dog services that are out there like the one on Western were like this the woman really helped me out and I thank her very much thank you read more

Please be very careful of adopting a pet from this facility. There has been an outbreak of contagious influenza and kennel cough and they are not notifying the public. I adopted a puppy that is very sick with the above that my vet diagnosed on 8/28/2019. I informed this shelter and I am still waiting on a response. Also please monitor your lost pet if they have been found, taken to, or picked up from this facility. read more

On 1/23/18 my dad went in Waggin Tails Animal Shelter to browse for a new meme bet to our family. He found a sickly looking yet amazing "4yr old" Doberman named Kalimba. On 1/24/18 me and my children (because we too lived in the house) went to spend time with Kalimba and see if we were a good fit for him. Kalimba was extremely skinny, weak, dirty and could barley walk, but we thought it was because he was so skinny of course. We can tell he was not taken care of, but he was so sweet and we immediately fell in love and knew we wanted to bring him home. That day we did all the paperwork and got approved, we were to come back in a week to pick him since he needed shots and to be neutered. On 1/31/18 my family and I adopted and got to take Kalimba home. He was so nervous to come in the house, so shy and timid. He finally came into the warmth and settled in rather quickly. 2wks had passed and we no longer could see his bones! Our meals and love and support were exactly what he needed after all the stress of the shelter life. 3wks In we start to notice Kalimba increasingly wobbling, he still showed signs it was hard to walk. Still thinking it was due to his lack of muscle and new found weight we put it off and continued our time together. Until one day Kalimba just couldn't use his back legs anymore. As a few days passed it got worse and worse. We took him into our vet and he immediately stated Kalimba seemed to have no feeling in his legs and needed to see a Neurologist . Completely scared and ignorant to what was going on, I call the numbers the vet referred and was told Kalimba needed an MRI which would cost $1600. I DO NOT have that kind of money and NEVER thought the dog I Love would need such money so quickly from us rescuing him. So I called Waggin Tails Animal Shelter for help as to what I can do, or if they could refer me to a low income help, it was my last resort to call them. I immediately regret that decision. By her voice I knew that the woman on the phone was the same woman that showed me Kalimba and saw that he didn't have great balance and she herself told me it was due to him being weak. Now back to my phone call. She was defensive and blurred out "well we didn't send him out like" "we don't reimburse you for anything you spend" Mind you! I NEVER stated once anything about money other then stating I couldn't afford a $1600 MRI. She also told me "we don't refer anyone to any of our vets and we don't use any specialist to refer you to" I was shocked at how rude and defensive she was so I was silent for what seemed like minutes but I'm sure was only a few seconds Because I was absolutely speechless. So I then say "I just don't know what to do, he's suffering and can't get up at all and I think he needs to be put down. she then tells me "yea it sounds like it,..... well you can bring him back here! with all his paperwork! Someone's going to have to pay the money to have him euthanized either it's you or us, someone has to pay." So I hung up on her in disbelief that she dares even work with animals and clearly not give a shit about them. I made a few more phone calls around explaining Kalimbas symptoms and moods and everyone had almost the same opinion. They agreed that anything neurological is extremely expensive and if the animal is in that much pain, it's better to not have them suffer. Devastated I just sat on the floor with Kalimba and while he whined from pain and discomfort I cried because I too understood he was on his last days. 3/3/18 I called the Anti Cruelty Society near Downtown Chicago and OMG what a peaceful breath of fresh air! People who genuinely cared and understood and were willing to help at an affordable rate. I took him in and again explained his issue but they visually saw for themselves his pain and not so surprised they tell me his paperwork that stated he was 4yrs old was a bullshit lie, but by some markings and his teeth he was actually if not almost, over 10yrs old with a long history of several health issues. Speaking with a number of professionals, animal lovers and caregivers, we came to the agreement to end Kalimbas suffering peacefully. So on 3/3/18 only after just a month of him stealing our hearts and bringing us such joy we said goodbye. Now I was super angry and hurt that Waggin Tails showed absolutely no compassion, were rude and didn't help me when all I wanted was help. I wasn't looking for a refund, I didn't want to just drop him off, he was my dog! another child! and I loved him. I was scared that I would never trust another Shelter or the animals they have, and I would never adopt or rescue again because I'm fearful of having the same thing happen or being told they wouldn't help me. I don't even know how Waggin Tails is even still in business. It's awful and I will NEVER recommend anyone going there to adopt. Anti Cruelty Society was a complete blessing and I thank you for helping us though this hard time. SHAME ON YOU WAGGIN TAILS! read more

Since the old Director left this shelter it has become a hellhole! I can't say much more than that. I have been in the shelter repeatedly only to find that they do not care for these animals at all. The Cat Room is the worst. Fleas, sick and dying cats. For a short time in 2014 there was a wonderful young lady in there who was doing her very best to care for the cats. It was hard work! She would take one cat out, move it to a cage, clean and make sure that the cat/kitten had food and water and clean litter and then put the cat back. She would work very hard. I noticed that she is now gone and it has gone back to filth and disgusting. As far as the dogs, maybe fed once a day, left in filth and disgusting. Parvo plus. I've seen eye infections, upper respiratory infections, plus much worse. Laundry stacked and left undone. Food in the garbage cans, uncovered. Rats, mice. The worst animal shelter in the area. Go somewhere to adopt your furry new loved one. The odds of getting a healthy animal from this shelter is almost nil! read more

I am shocked that animals go out and no fee and not fixed..I work at animal shelter and I know we can't rely on people to come back to have animal fixed because they don't. Our animals are fixed but puppies that are too young go out with a certificate and many times they have not done it..also offering free animals is dangerous idea for the animal. When people have put out their money animals makes them more important to them (hopefully) Unfixed animals creates this continuing problem. read more

Had a great experience adopting our kitten here. Everyone was super warm and welcoming; excited for us to adopt and answering all questions we had about our kitten. I appreciated that they double checked that we owned our home and even turned away another family trying to adopt a dog who did not have proof that their landlord was okay with it. That care to detail really said a lot to me. They even stayed after closing so we could come back with a carrier to take her home. She was already vaccinated, spayed, and microchipped when we got her. We took her to the vet a couple days later and they too were impressed with how healthy and well taken care of the kitten was; even commenting on how well her suture looked. It saved us so much money getting her from such a loving and caring shelter. read more

I just want to say that yesterday the directer of Waggin Tails called me and we spoke for a while. She let me know that "Moose" was mine to take home:) Today Moose is at the vet getting Neutered, micro chipped and up dated on all of his shots. I can't wait to bring him home today for the first time. Stephen & I were also invited to come and meet the directer and her Manager Mike. We went last night and talked for the longest while. We played with 'moose" In a room and shared lots of kisses and hugs! Thank you Waggin Tails for clearing up the confusion and making the hopeful owners as important as the animals you care for! xoxo read more

I went to the beautifully upgraded shelter a few days ago just to check out the cats, i was not expecting to fall in love since that didn't happen at the oak park shelter. I found an adorable cat that I'm going to adopt, I hope she is still there! Very hesitant as she has some signs of diarrhea, foot fungus ? (a green nail) , but they have a vet on site $75 for one cat and mostly everything u could need from a vet is included before u take ur bb home Last time, I was gifted an angel of a cat from here so I will be getting myself this cute cat for me this time. I hope all goes well strict rules from director : need to be 23+ to adopt it's not first come first serve as the director wants to see who is best suited for the pet, very smart I like that Cicero pet limit is 5 so I can take 5 home which I would LOVE to but the ones I want are younger and I won't be home for enough time to care for them so I highly recommend coming here to save some adorable fun cats , 3 kittens available 2 are siblings and one is so hilarious and healthy and active! . Please adopt from here ! read more

Dear Margaret, Maybe you didn't read your contract agreement because mine says absolutely nothing about "MUST" do anything. Mine says Please take your dog to the vet within 48 hours, and then the person left in charge of the entire shelter for the day told me I didn't have to go for another month. I of course went to the vet right away, I was merely trying to warn others that the smart thing to do is to go to the vet regardless of what they tell you. Maybe you're the one that has difficulty reading. And my comment about dogs in cages and a dog shelter smelling like dogs were merely observations not negative comments. I was just trying to help out readers that maybe don't know much about shelters so they would know that it was a pretty normal shelter. And yes I did have the misfortune of not being able to work with the director and having to deal with her incompetent staff, but if that's who the director trusts to oversee the shelter while she's gone, that speaks volumes about her. read more

I'm writing this on behalf of my bf's mom and also part of my experience visiting this shelter as well. Our first visit here was pleasant. The employee was super friendly and informative. The shelter had about 10 large dogs and 4 small dogs, which only 1 was available for adoption that day. Since my bf's mom was looking for a small breed we left and went to a few other shelters. A week later my bf's mom went to Waggin' Tails again to look for a small dog and she finally found one! The little girl was black, about 8 lbs., and 2 years old! I believe she paid $75.00 for the little girl which includes microchip, grooming, spaying, and shelter fee. I think that is a killer deal for adopting an animal. I don't believe any shelters should put a $300.00 price tag on any of their animals. Just not right. Anyway, nice place! Definitely worth the visit if you're looking for a little one :) read more

I found an amazingly friendly and outgoing female kitten that I named Lovey that was abandoned by it's owner and just put outside. I brought it to Waggin' Tails Shelter in Cicero today which is located in a new facility on Laramie Ave. that was build 3-4 years ago. Within minutes they had her in a temporary large cage with litter box a blanket and water. The building was air conditioned and very cool for such a hot day. I was very happy about that. Erica, who I believe is the Director, was very friendly, helpful and seemed genuinely concerned about the animals there. They have lots of dogs, which were all barking (not very unusual) and lots of kittens and I assume cats. They work in conjunction with other area shelters to provide needed medical care. I don't remember all the prices but kitten/cat adoption is $65 and I think dog adoption was about $85. This includes spay/neuter, feline leukemia test, micro-chipping and I think shots (I'll update this when I go back to check on her). This is so much cheaper than if you go to PAWS(~$200-250) or Hinsdale Humane Society(also expensive). While this place is no fancy PAWS establishment it is spacious and has lots of animals to choose from. It shares one big thing in common with PAWS, it has animals that desperately need homes. And in my honest opinion, these animals need homes more than those at PAWS because that place(PAWS) is so publicized that people probably go there thinking they will somehow get a better pet or something and other suburban rescues get ignored and therefore adopt out less pets. Well I know that can't be true because the kitten I brought in was amazingly affectionate, not at all shy or afraid, played outside with the neighborhood kids, and followed me around like a dog. What else could you ask for. While I was there I saw them taking some of the dogs for walks outside which is a good thing to see at any shelter. I didn't get to see the whole facility because I got there before they opened for adoption but I will probably be back there in the next few days to check on my rescued kitten and will update my review if I notice anything good or bad that I omitted. So, if you are in the suburbs, please check out Waggin' Tails Shelter. I think you could find a great pet there. And if you're looking for a kitten please check out my Lovey. I want so much for her to find a home. Adoption hours are: Monday-Friday: 3pm-8pm Saturday-Sunday: 10am-2pm read more

I love Romeo a purr-fect birthday present! Jango (my dog) loves him and Romeo is getting along great. He's sitting on my lap right now. Everyone loves him . Iv'e even seen my dad hold him. He wasn't really into the idea but I know he likes him. Thank you so much he's so healthy and happy. Are the other kittens adopted? read more

We adopted our dog Skittles from Waggin Tails in July 2012. We found the director and the staff friendly and very competent. We were happy to see that the dogs had runs which were very roomy and comfortable. I would highly recommend this shelter to anyone. We love Skittles who is a silky terrier and are very pleased with this shelter! also, Skittles was dewormed which I thought was nice, I don't know if all shelters do that. We had to bring in our other dog for a meet and greet which was a good idea! I think anyone who is looking for a dog, etc should go there. It is a hidden gem! read more

I just wanted to thankyou again and give you an update about Terri we now call her Terri Lynn (adopted Oct '08) She was cool towards me when I first saw her at your shelter, but from the moment we got her home, she knew that she was rescued. How she changed into the sweetest little girl! She is very protective of me too, and has adapted to accept a little "brother" rescue dog (wire haired fox terrier male named Curley Joe). They even nap together. She still wants to "scrap" with every strange dog we meet while on our walk, but I just keep her away from danger. Perhaps it's old self-perservation instinct from her previous life, or the breed type that causes that reaction. She still is crazy about her freshly laundered blanket too. Thanks again for the super care that you gave her while at your shelter! Sandy R. read more

Waggin' Tails is an amazing shelter! The director, Sharon, makes sure that every animal there gets a blanket, 1 soft toy, and 1 squeaky toy. I think it's amazing that she cares so much about the animals there. She even recently rescued a GOAT!!!!!! I went to go see the goat, he's so cute-like a dog! If you tell him to "sit," he does! I thought it was very refreshing to see that she really loves ALL animals, and it's pretty cool they have such an off-the-wall animal there. They're a small no-kill shelter, and are very active in finding good homes for the animals there. Those animals have it really good there, they have huge dog run kennels both outside and in, as well as all of the amneties they could ever want! It's more like a pet hotel, really!!! =) If you're looking for a well-cared for animal that has no home to call his own, go to this shelter!!! The pricing is also very good for adoption!!!! I can definately tell they're not out to make money, definately all about the welfare of the animal. read more

We adopted a cat through animal care league who was first picked up and spayed by waggin tails. Recently, it's come to light that when she was spayed, they left an entire ovary in her. A+, guys. read more

They are very caring, no problems nor concerns. My dog escape a number of times. I noticed the cages clean, and plenty of food.

The animals don't look well cared for. Breaks my heart wish I can take all of them home.

We got a great dog from these guys. They were friendly, accommodating, willing to answer questions, and went above and beyond for us. I would recommend. read more

Don't waste your time! I was discriminated at this shelter. I filled out an adoption application and was not told I was denied until I called 3 days later. The director informed me I was denied because another customer complained I was rude, and because I returned to the shelter later on that day. Which I see nothing wrong I just wanted my daughters to see the puppy. They said I was also denied because I did not know if the puppy I selected was a girl or a boy. I was also denied because an employee told me I could go into the cage and grab the puppy I wanted, which the director said I should not have done. I asked one of the employees to put in a good word for me because I really wanted the puppy, which the director informed me that was another reason I was denied. To make matters worst I was not even denied on the basis of my adoption application. The director claims I was mean to the puppies but I did nothing other than to hold them and cuddle them, which they also fell asleep on me. The shelter should acknowledge that people go there to save a pet and should be told then and there if you are approved or not not on basis of he said she said. They dont even interview you! read more

this is by far the worst animal shelter I've been to. :-( I was going there to look at some cats and was in shock by how filthy and sickly they all were. the dogs were full of feces and urine. The cats room was the worst. A friend of mine had expressed how the freezer there was full of dead dogs. this place is highly neglectful and careless. on top if the rude staff. I spoke briefly via phone to a very rude director. she seemed very unprofessional and doesn't seem to know what she's doing. my heart goes out to those animals and really feel that place needs to be examined. read more