About Us

Lake Shore Animal Shelter

729 West Randolph

Chicago IL

Since 1966, LSAS has been working to reduce the needless killing of pets through adoption efforts, public education programs, and spay/neuter promotion.  The pioneer no-kill shelter in Chicago, LSAS takes in dogs and fosters cats who must be given up by their families, those who have been abandoned by previous caregivers, and those in the greatest need: the adoptable but homeless animals in need of medical care and training before re-homing can be considered.  Priority is given to those animals whose families have health or economic difficulties.  

LSAS works with individuals, animal shelters, Animal Control agencies, and rescues. Currently (2005/06), Lake Shore director Jim Borgelt serves as Chairman of the Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance (CASA), a collaborative effort which focuses on increasing adoptions and improving the lives of companion animals. 

Organized as a working Board of Directors, LSAS votes on the budget needed to perform the work of the shelter: adoption/intake, administration, advertising, events, newsletter/direct mail/lists, petline, volunteer coordinators, web site, program development, and corporate development. Committee assignments are given according to individual expertise.  Programs are evaluated on a continuing basis, redesigned or eliminated as needed.  In 2005, over 80% of general donations went to direct costs of care and adoption of homeless animals.  Lake Shore's percentage of general donations that accrue directly to the care, training, socializing, and adoption of animals have historically been well above the benchmark.

 LSAS serves the Chicagoland area community. The people we help in turn help the shelter through donations.  Animal lovers get involved with a specific task they feel they would like to accomplish for the shelter, and still others provide towels, training cages, leashes, collars, and pet treats, or ask to become a licensed foster home.  Through networking, advertising, and community support, and with the receipt of a significant estate donation in 2004, Lake Shore Animal Shelter was able to expand the number of animals cared for by 50%.

The overarching benefit LSAS provides is a no-kill shelter for companion animals who, through no fault of their own, find themselves homeless.  LSAS provides a safe-haven for pets whose caretakers may otherwise take the extreme and needless measure of killing them because they can't afford or are too ill to care for them.

Lake Shore's wonderful animals, dedicated volunteers, and hard working board members thank you for your support!

Lake Shore Animal Shelter
PO Box 40, Park Ridge 60068
312 409.1162

LSAS is an Illinois Not-for-Profit corporation, and is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the tax code, and is listed on Guidestar.org.  Our shelter petline number is: 312 409 1162.  We have two websites: lakeshoreanimalshelter.org and on Petfinder.com (use zip code 60607 to look us up).  Our mailing address is: Lake Shore Animal Shelter, PO Box 40, Park Ridge, IL 6006

(Testimonial) YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!!!!!  Grandpa Abe was seen on Lakeshore’s website by a wonderful young lady from Naperville who came to Mayfair this morning, fell completely in love and the rest is history.  She volunteered that she understands he has cataracts, is elderly and as such his true age and time left are uncertain but she made this promise, Abe will be spoiled rotten and cherished for every day he will be on this earth, whether it be 10 days, 10 months or another 10 yrs. 
You are the best, thanks for making Grandpa Abe's dream of a forever home for his retirement yrs a reality.....
 
Our Deepest Thanks,
Nancy and ABE
 

Board of Directors

Elizabeth Curran, President

 
Mary E. Haight, Vice President
 

Ann Markham, Secretary, Shelter Director
     

Jim Borgelt Jr., Treasurer
 

Karen Conti, Attorney, Board Director
   

Greg Adamski, Attorney, Board Director

Sponsorship

Sponsor-- Individual

Provide food, medical care, special training, and shelter for companion animals in need.  And it’s tax deductible

(always check with your accountant)! 

Supporting Donor.  Starting at $35 per month for a three-month period, your name will be listed on our website for that period of time. 

Friend of Shelter Animals For those who can give $50 per month for 6 months or more, your name will be published on the website for that timeframe.  We will use the name of your four-legged best friend if preferred.

Matching Funds program.  We honor your participation in working toward the welfareof our best friends!  The company name will also be added to our site.

Circle of Friends.  Make an impact!  Ask your colleagues, friends, Association groups, to join in promising to donate to Lake Shore every month for one year.  Lake Shore will provide written confirmation of receipt of funds and the total received each month. Your group and individual names will be published yearlong on the website. 

Planned Giving.  Please contact Mary Haight, Vice President, for general information.  312 409-1162.

Lake Shore Animal Shelter is a [501c3] Illinois registered not-for-profit.

Your contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Checks and credit card gifts are welcomed.  Automatic monthly deductions

are available.

Corporate Programs

Examples of corporate/community partnerships:

Event sponsorship.  This underwriting can come in the form of locations, goods, services, products,auction items,catering, foodstuffs, raffle items, talent, lighting, sound, printing, any combination thereof, and/ or through a monetary contribution. Your representative can speak to Elizabeth Curran, President, or Mary Haight, Vice President. 312 409 -1162

Employee-based volunteer programs.  Time is donated to selected organizations equaling, for example, 50 hours.Upon receipt of a signed completion form from the not-for-profit, the corporation makes a dollar donation to that organization. Citigroup and others offer this program. Employee collection drives can be successful and minimize the amount of corporate paperwork required. Matching funds from the corporation raises employee and community good will. A Matching Funds program can be considered a unique benefit of working for your corporation. 

Employees gift organizations with donations, and the corporation matches those funds.  Many corporations offer this program.

(Testimonial)  Hello Ann! It was so nice to see you on
Saturday. What a great new space you have
there----soooo much nicer than on Lake St. Hilda was
also happy to see you and the other people she knew
form LSAS days. After her bath, she is as shiny as a
copper penny!
                  Again, let me thank you and all the
people who dedicate their time at the shelter. We are
so grateful that Hilda had such a warm and loving
home there. Your patience with her has really paid
off----we just couldn't imagine a better dog for us.
She brings us such joy--you just can’t imagine how
much.......
                  We lead v. busy lives and our mutual
schedules don’t always allow us to do much together.
However, if you ever need help with anything at LSAS,
please do not hesitate to call upon us. We will always
help you out if we can. It would be an honor to give
back to an organization as wonderful as yours.

Best wishes, Irene
 

Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY STATEMENT
Lake Shore Animal Shelter puts forth every effort to ensure the privacy and security of information that you share with us online.  We want your internet experience to be pleasant and free of spam and concerns about your private information.  We also urge you to take steps to protect the privacy of your personal information. Safeguard your passwords and log off of a website after submitting personal information.  Forms are the number one way phishing scammers get into any website's back doors. Lake Shore does not use forms. If you have broadband access to the Internet, we advise you to use a firewall.  The link used to take donations is a highly secured third party environment, where you can read their policy statement.
Our privacy policy explains the information practices we use:

·    How we protect your information
·    How we use your information
·    How to contact us about privacy
·    How to unsubscribe

HOW DO WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION?
Our computer systems have restricted access limited only to those persons and organizations necessary to its proper functioning. This access applies to all electronic and physical security measures. We do not sell your personal information to other organizations, period.  We may occasionally send you information about an event or other program that we feel would be useful and of interest, and we then leave it up to you to follow the link or information provided, or not.

HOW DO WE USE THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE?
We will occasionally use your email information to inform you of events or other programs we think would be useful and of interest to our community.  
When you contribute money online
Currently the provider we use to collect donations is PayPal, a repository with a good reputation for security.  If you are uncomfortable using the internet to donate, please see our mailing address listed below.

Cookies
A cookie is a tiny text file that is stored on your computer. We do not use cookies, except to eat them!

IP Addresses and Log File Data
We log your IP address, which is the location of your computer or network on the Internet, for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes. We also use page hits in the aggregate to track the popularity of pages that people visit in order to improve the quality of the site. There is no personal identifiable information collected in our log files.

Information on Children
Because we care about the safety and privacy of children online, we comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). COPPA and its accompanying FTC regulations establish United States federal law that protects the privacy of children using the Internet. We do not knowingly contact or collect personal information from children under 13, without express and verifiable parental consent. Our site is not intended to solicit information of any kind from children under 13.
Parents with questions may e-mail us at Elizabeth@lakeshoreanimalshelter.org.


UNSUBSCRIBING FROM EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS
If you wish to unsubscribe from our communications, please email us at Elizabeth@lakeshoreanimalshelter.org. We will regularly process these requests, sending you a confirmation email to your original sign-up email, to confirm that this is your wish.

Lake Shore Animal Shelter is located at 1535 N. Dayton, Chicago, IL. 60622.
Our mailing address is Lake Shore Animal Shelter, PO Box 40, Park Ridge, IL. 60068
Our phone number is: 312 409 1162.  Ask for Elizabeth or Mary.
 

Foster Care

Foster Care for Shelter Dogs

If you've ever spent any time at all at your local shelter or humane society, then you are probably already aware of the urgent need that these facilities have for volunteers. Most of the time, animals shelters run off of very limited funds and have extremely tight budgets; to make sure that the animals in their care receive everything that they need, these shelters must rely on volunteers a great deal. Volunteers can help out in a number of key ways, but few are as rewarding - or as necessary - as foster care for shelter dogs.

What Is Foster Care For Shelter Dogs About?

Life in a shelter can be very stressful and traumatic for a dog. While waiting to get adopted, dogs must contend with living in close quarters with many other animals. This can mean frequent illnesses - including the dreaded kennel cough - and a wide range of other problems. While some dogs are in and out of shelters relatively quickly, others end up being there for an extended period of time. This is especially true for large dogs, older dogs and dogs with certain conditions or problems. When a dog has to stay in a shelter for an extended period of time, the stress can trigger a number of problems in physical health and mental well-being. It can also exacerbate existing problems.

Foster care for shelter dogs is a program used by many humane societies and shelters to give dogs a much-needed break from life in a kennel. Typically people who love dogs and who have one at home or have previously had dogs are the people who open up their homes to foster dogs. This respite from the day-to-day rigors of living in impersonal close quarters can help breathe some fresh air into an otherwise stressful, cramped, noisy and unnatural existence.

Each specific shelter and humane society has its own list of rules and regulations when it comes to fostering dogs at home. However, the principles and basic needs are all pretty universal, and anyone who is interested in helping out their local shelter in this way should read up on the basics in order to be as prepared as possible. If you can talk to other foster care people or read what has been written by the organization on their websites, you should get a good basic understanding of what’s required. By volunteering to offer foster care for shelter dogs, you can help keep a helpless dog healthy and happy - and might even end up adopting a truly irresistible one at some point, giving it a permanent loving home.

The Responsibilities of Offering Foster Care for Shelter Dogs

There are many key responsibilities associated with taking in a foster dog. They fall into several different categories, including:

Day-To-Day Care Keeping a dog healthy and happy means keeping to a schedule. You feed, groom, and keep him on regular schedule of walks so he does not soil in your home. Make sure that he gets enough exercise and play time to keep him mentally stimulated and physically fit.

Behavior Modification Sometimes, a shelter may request that you work with your foster dog on various problems or issues. If you are highly skilled, the shelter may ask you to use behavior modification to correct bad habits like destructive chewing, jumping, loud barking and mouthing; doing this can make the dog more adoptable down the road. Most long-time dog owners have a handle on dog-friendly corrections, but certainly shelters will never set you up with a foster dog with habits you prefer not to handle.

Basic Training A shelter will ask that you to work with your foster dog and teach him or reinforce how to perform basic commands. You might have to train or retrain your foster dog to sit, get down, be house trained or to walk on a leash.

Socialization In order to adopt a dog out to the appropriate home, some shelters like to place them in foster care temporarily in order to get a feel for the dog's temperament and personality in a non-shelter setting. You would be asked to monitor the dog and get a feel for what sort of family it would fit in with best. You become a part of the dog’s adoption process and are often involved in showing the dog to potential adopters.

Medical Care Sick or recuperating dogs are often prime candidates for foster care, since they require extra attention and can suffer greatly under the stress and strain of kennel life. If your foster dog is sick, you will be required to give him his medications and might need to bring him to his vet appointments. You are helping to save a life. It’s a noble task.

Getting Your Home Ready For A Foster Dog

Even if you have a great deal of experience with dogs, you still need to keep several important things in mind when you decide to provide foster care for shelter dogs. Being as prepared as possible will help make the experience as satisfying and helpful as possible for the dog - and for you and your family. Keep the following tips in mind so that you can make your home as dog-friendly as possible for your special guest:

• Designate a single room to be the "headquarters," or the primary place, where your foster dog will spend his time. You do not want to isolate the dog - it is best for him to be around people - so a family room or kitchen will work well. Use a baby gate or other barrier to keep the dog safely confined.

• Set up a crate that will be large enough for your foster dog to sit and lie comfortably. Use an old blanket or other soft material to make it cozy, so that the dog knows it will be his bed.

• Make sure that the room where your foster dog’s crate is located is comfortably warm or cool, depending on the weather. In other words, warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

• If you own dogs, and if you do not know how to make proper introductions to avoid spats, ask the shelter how to proceed.

• If there are any plants in the home, double check about their toxicity to dogs. If any are unsafe, remove them from the home while your guest is staying with you. ASPCA Poison Center and GOOGLE are your friends!

• Before bringing your foster dog home, try to put yourself in his paws. Are there any hiding places that he could get himself into? Think ahead to avoid problems.

• Make sure that you have all of the basic supplies to take care of your foster dog properly. Stock up on food, food bowls, toys, bedding, combs, leashes and a crate. Most of these should be provided by the shelter.

• Ask for a copy of vet records so you have them if an emergency arises. Most shelters provide this and the phone number of the vet they use where you are to take the dog during normal working hours should you need to. The financial responsibility is the shelter’s not yours.
  
  
  

The Rewards of Offering Foster Care for Dogs

By providing foster care for dogs, you can enjoy the sense of helping out a helpless creature and enriching their life for the better. Whether you take in a sick dog who needs a little TLC, a puppy who requires extra nurturing, an older dog who is in desperate need of a break from the shelter or absolutely any dog under any circumstance, you will come away from the experience feeling glad to have done your own small part to make their life better. If you end up adopting a dog, the experience will have been that much more meaningful!

CASA