CHICAGO — Following 20 years of steady growth at PAWS Chicago, the lives of the city’s homeless animals will continue to change as the shelter prepares to begin a $9 million expansion for its medical facility in Little Village.
An organization that began as a spay and neuter facility has grown into a highly sought after haven for pets in high need areas whose owners now line up for low-cost vaccines and care.
This week, the no-kill PAWS Chicago will begin its expansion, nearly tripling their capacity to take in homeless animals and g et them well.
“We’ve always been able to take sick animals, but limited because we only had 30 isolation rooms. Now, we’re over 100 isolation rooms and have all kinds of quarantine areas. This hospital is fantastic,” PAWS Chicago founder Paula Fasseas said.
For pets like Randy, PAWS Chicago proved to be life-saving.
“He was emaciated, he was dropped off at animal care and control. We took him, he needed a lot of care and fostering after the medical care, and now he’s going to get his final surgeries and get adopted,” Fasseas said.
Others who are still here, some in critical care, hope they follow suit as they are now patients in the country’s largest animal hospital dedicated to homeless pets.
“People want to rescue, they want to save a life. They want to adopt because they know these are the sweetest, most loyal animals you’ll ever find,” Fasseas said.
PAWS Chicago will be holding their annual furball fundraiser gala at the Drake Hotel on November 12.