Earlier this week I was the unfortunate witness to an event that I know will be repeated over and over in the coming months. Due to the state of the economy and its impact on families, when the time comes to unload “unnecessary” expenses the family pet can find itself on the list. When a family no longer has the wherewithal to feed and take care of their pet they find they have to make the decision on how to move forward with parting ways with this most important family member. In making this heartwrenching decision, please keep the best interests of your pet in mind when you remove them from the home. We seem to have this misguided notion that a family pet can easily make the jump to living off the land so we think we’re doing them a favor by dumping them in the country, and it just doesn’t work out the way we think it will. There are many predators in the wild that can cause serious injury and great amount of suffering to your pet. Nor will an animal that is used to a full bowl of food appearing every afternoon have the hunting skills to be able to feed itself in its new, strange environment. My first response when I saw another animal dumped as a piece of trash was anger. But then I thought perhaps this person didn’t realize the number of shelters that are available to take in unwanted animals, so I did a search on all animal shelters in area code 618 and was surprised at how extensive the list is.
| Name | Phone No. |
| Metro East Humane Society | 618-656-4405 |
| Animal Protection Assoc. | 618-931-7030 |
| Animal Rescue & Relief Foundation of SW Illinois | 618-624-1223 |
| CARE..Community Animal Rescue/Education * | 618-985-5304 |
| Clay County Animal Protection | 618-665-3005 |
| Collinsville Animal Network | 618-344-3808 |
| Companion Pet Rescue | 618-273-9278 |
| Crawford County Humane Society | 618-544-8698 |
| Fayette County Animal Control Shelter | 618-423-2723 |
| Five A Humane Society (Alton Area Animal Aid Association) | 618-462-3721 |
| Highland Animal Shelter | 618-654-6067 |
| Humane Society of Belleville Area | 618-235-3712 |
| Humane Society of Southern Illinois | 618-457-2362 |
| Jackson County Animal Control | 618-687-7235 |
| Jefferson County animal Control | 618-244-8024 |
| Lawrence County Animal Shelter | 618-928-2392 |
| Mc Leansboro Animal Shelter | 618-643-2438 |
| Monroe County Animal Pound | 618-939-8681 |
| Olney Humane Society Olney | 618-392-2699 |
| Project Hope Humane Society | 618-524-8732 |
| Ramsey Veterinary Clinic | 618-423-2350 |
| Randolph County Animal Control | 618-443-3311 |
| Richland County Animal Control | 618-393-7520 |
| Saline Co. Animal Control | 618-252-7859 |
| St. Clair County Animal Services | 618-235-0585 |
| Wabash County Animal Control | 618-262-7109 |
| Wayne County Humane Society | 618-847-4012 |
| Williams County Animal Services | 618-993-6075 |
There are enough shelters out there that no pet should be dumped in the country like yesterday’s trash. These animals have value and worth, and it is not their fault our lives have changed and we can no longer care for them. If the telephone book doesn’t give you the help you need, you can go online to PetFinder.com and search for rescue organizations by zip code. I was surprised by the number and variety of rescue organizations that are available in this immediate area. There are even rescue groups for rodents. Don’t make any rash decisions that a drive to the country is your only option because your best answer could be as close as a telephone call or mouse click away.
