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📸 Credit: Anderson Humane
A dedicated transport team from Anderson Humane in Elgin traveled to Central Illinois on July 1 to bring relief to overcrowded following the devastating tornado that hit Springfield on June 11.
The storm destroyed the shelter and clinic facilities of the Animal Protective League (APL) in Springfield, rendering them unsafe for operations. No people or pets were injured, but the destruction has left the APL unable to serve the community, shifting the region's primary sheltering responsibility entirely onto Sangamon County Animal Control.
Faced with a massive influx of animals, Sangamon County's facility was quickly pushed to capacity and also experienced an air conditioning outage during extreme summer heat. Molly Craig, Director of Animal Pathways at Anderson Humane, responded to their call for help by leading a team on a 3.5-hour drive to Springfield to pull animals from the strained facility.
The Anderson Humane team returned to South Elgin this week with six of Sangamon County's highest-need dogs, including three adults and three puppies.
"Despite experiencing blow after blow, the staff at Sangamon County Animal Control were incredibly kind, informative, and went completely above and beyond to advocate for their dogs," said Molly Craig, Director of Animal Pathways at Anderson Humane. "They are doing heroic work under insufferable conditions. Stepping in to bring these six vulnerable dogs into our care was vital to getting them out of the sweltering heat and lifting some of that heavy weight from the local team's shoulders."
The six rescued dogs were being evaluated by Anderson Humane's medical and behavioral teams before being placed into foster care or made available for adoption.
How you can help
As regional organizations team up to absorb the displaced animals of the Springfield community, Anderson Humane is calling on residents to support these ongoing rescue efforts. The public can help in three ways:
Foster: Open your home to a temporary foster dog or puppy to clear shelter space for continued emergency intakes.
Adopt: Welcoming a pet into your permanent home directly saves lives during this statewide animal welfare crisis.
Donate: Financial contributions are urgently needed to offset the medical, transport, and sheltering costs of these emergency rescues.
Click here more information or to preview adoptable animals.
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