The warm weather seems to have arrived! We hope you are enjoying it with your furry friends. Warm weather brings new hazards to your pets and those in the community, including over-heating. Please call immediately if you feel an animal is in danger, all calls are kept confidential. Your phone number is appreciated, in case we have problems finding the address!
 Cook County Animal Control Ordinance: Tethering: To restrain a dog to any object or structure, including without limitation a house, tree, fence, post, garage, shed, clothes line by any means, including without limitation a chain, rope, cord leash or running line. Sec.10-8 Animal Care. a. No owner shall fail to provide his or her animal with sufficient wholesome food and water, proper shelter and protection from the weather, veterinary care when needed to prevent suffering and with humane care and treatment. b. No person shall beat, torment, overload, overwork or otherwise abuse an animal. c. No person shall own, keep, harbor, or otherwise maintain, with in county, an breeds of fowl that are or will be used in the pursuit of and staging of cockfighting on any premises. d. No person shall use a tow or log chain as a collar, leash or tether. e. Restrictions on a dog that is tethered; 1. A tethered dog must have access at all times to water, adequate shelter and dry ground. 2. If there are multiple dogs, each dog must be tethered separately and each dog must have separate food, water and shelter. 3. A dog must be tethered in such a manner as to prevent injury or strangulation and the tether must be at least 10 feet long. 4. The tether must be attached to the dog by a properly fitting collar or harness, with a rotating toggle attachment. Pinch, Prong, or choke collars shall not be used. The tether shall not wrap directly around the dogs neck. 5. No dog may be tethered in the case of extreme weather conditions, including when a heat advisory, a wind chill warning or tornado warning has been issued by local, state, or national authority. 6. No dog shall be tethered within 200 yards of a school. 7. No person shall permit at any time a tethered dog to bark, whine, howl or make excess noise so as to cause a nuisance. e-f. No person shall promote, stage, hold, manage, conduct or carry on any animal fight or any other type of contest, game or fight of a similar nature, nor any simulated version of same that involves baiting or inciting an animal toward intent to fight. It is now a felony to ATTEND a dog fight! | South Suburban Humane Society is one of the few animal shelters in the Chicagoland area to operate a cruelty investigations program. The investigators are licensed by the State of Illinois to enforce the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act. In 2010, our investigators handled approximately 2,500 cases improving the lives of between 2,000 and 2,500 animals. They cover a 30-square-mile radius to help these animals have better lives. In the process of their investigations, some of the services and/or outreach activities our investigators have provided include:
|  Lacey and Hector, two of the horses rescued last summer, are doing well and available for adoption!  Both horses are currently in a foster home and are receiving loving care. Heartfelt thanks to their wonderful fosters!  HEARTWORM IS ON THE RISE! Heartworm is a serious disease spread by mosquitos. Please make sure your pets get heartworm prevention every month with temperatures occurring over 32 degrees! One of the biggest dangers to pets, particularly dogs, in hot weather is over-heating due to being left in cars! Even 5 minutes is too long in an enclosed car. Cracked windows do not offer enough ventilation in many circumstances! Following is the section from the Humane Care for Animals Act that applies: (510 ILCS 70/7.1) Confinement in Motor Vehicle No person shall confine any animal in a motor vehicle in such a manner that places it in a life or health threatening situation by exposure to a prolonged period of extreme heat or cold, without proper ventilation or other protection from such heat or cold. In order to protect the health and safety of an animal, an animal control officer, law enforcement officer, or Department investigator who has probable cause to believe that this Section is being violated shall have the authority to enter such motor vehicle by any reasonable means under the circumstances after making a reasonable effort to locate the owner or other person responsible. A person convicted of violating this Section is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation is a Class B misdemeanor. |