HEAVY HEART Responders

July 29, 2009

To whom it may concern:
Almost 15 years ago I went to Pet Rescue in Bloomingdale, IL to adopt a cat. Upon walking into the Cat Room, I was appalled at the conditions in which the cats were kept. It was overcrowded and EVERY single cat had a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing. They were all very lethargic – not like cats normally behave. There was cat litter all over the floor and some cats were even sleeping or lying in their dirty litter boxes. After being there only about 15 minutes, I looked at my Fiancée with tears in my eyes and said there is no way we could take a cat home from there. Being a lifelong animal lover, I was emotionally torn by that decision. Had I the resources, I would’ve taken every cat there and released them back into the world rather than leave them there in the horrid, disgusting conditions.
My purse fell off my shoulder and fell to the floor. When I bent down to pick it up, an emancipated cat with the most beautiful green eyes literally jumped onto my shoulder and dug her claws into me. When I tried to remove her to put her back down, she was shaking and would not let me remove her from my shoulder. I looked into this cats face and knew if I did not take her home, she would die there. I adopted her, named her NALA and immediately took her to a Veterinarian. He said that Nala had an upper respiratory infection which is highly contagious and deadly if not treated. That is why all the cats in the room had the same symptoms. In addition, due to the conditions she lived in – her digestive system was affected. After receiving medication, love, a clean environment and decent food – within a weeks time – Nala transformed into the most beautiful cat I had ever seen. That is all it took – medication, a clean environment and decent food.
On the outside she was beautiful but internally, her digestive system never recovered and no matter what the Vet and I tried, she lived with chronic diarrhea the rest of her entire life. I took her to specialists and after thousands of dollars later, we all came to the conclusion that she had lived in such poor conditions for so long, that her digestive system would not recover and she would have to live with the diarrhea.
After that first week when Nala recovered from her upper respiratory infection, I called the Bloomingdale Police which transferred me to Animal Control. I complained about what was going on there and what the Vet told me. They said it was not in the power to do anything. A month later, I read where Pet Rescue was having some "take a picture with your pet" day and called the Daily Herald. This shelter that kept animals that were sick and HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS was inviting people to bring there pets there? I was HORRIFIED! I called the Daily Herald immediately and left several messages about what I had seen and what I was told by the Vet. Nobody ever called me back.
I thought at some point in the last 15 years I read that Pet Rescue was finally closed down. I just found out that it wasn’t. I cannot believe that a license for Pet Rescue has EVER been renewed. I cannot believe that the people who are in charge of caring for these animals have never been fined or arrested for the animal cruelty that I saw there 15 years ago. Not only that, but that these same people have been allowed, by our government, to continue in the practice of mistreating, harming and sentencing these animals to such cruelty and probably death.
I have watched the shows on the ASPCA and how they will go into a person’s home and not only take their animal but actually arrest them for the cruelty they inflict on one animal. Yet Bloomingdale and the State of Illinois allow this so called Animal Shelter to remain in business of doing the exact same thing for over 15 years!? Appalled I am at this. Sickened by what is allowed to continue and the blinders that have been worn for so long. Shamed that I did not do more before.


3 weeks ago I went to Stratford Mall and saw there was a store there with puppies. I went in there thinking they were for adoption. I was told they were not there for adoption, they were for sale. I looked into the makeshift baby cribs with Plexiglas around them and saw smelly, urine infested conditions. 3-4 puppies in one crib. Some with empty food and water dishes and some with no dishes at all. I asked to see one of the puppies and was brought into a small room. While we were walking, this teenager told me that puppy was $2,000! $2,000 for a puppy but you can’t give them food or water? The puppy ran around, sniffing the floor for food. Any little scrap he could get. I had a pretzel in my purse that I was bringing home and gave him some. He was STARVING. He ate that pretzel like he never had food before. When I brought the puppy out and handed it to this boy, I was furious. Yet, thinking about it, how could I be angry with a young boy who was probably working a minimum wage job for summer break? I told him he needed to give those puppies all food and water. He blinked at me and said they didn’t have enough dishes for each crib, so he switched them from one to the other. I looked at the wall and they sold fancy food dishes for $25. I told him to pull one of those down and he said he couldn’t do that.
If the State of Illinois cannot take care of simple things such as licensing for animal caretakers and will issue a license to any schmo who walks in the door and asks for it, then we are surely in the deepest of trouble. If the Village of Bloomingdale is so desperate for money that they will allow this sickness to continue – not only continue but allow others to do the same thing – then shame is upon the Village of Bloomingdale. If Stratford Square is so desperate for someone to rent a store front that they need to resort to allowing such despicable conditions to continue – then they should be shutdown as well.
In conclusion, my thoughts are that the people who are entrusted with the care of the needy – be it a person or an animal – must take that job seriously. If they do not, then they do not deserve to be in that position and should move on to something less responsible. STEP UP people. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to walk in the door of that shelter or that store front and see or smell EXACTLY what is going on there. Do your jobs or get out of the way and let other people do it for you.
Respectfully,
Jacquie
Bartlett, IL