Heartland Animal Shelter NFP

I have been volunteering with Heartland Animal Shelter for over eight years. Heartland has undergone many remarkable changes over the years for the better. I can attest firsthand that Heartland is constantly seeking to progress and innovate in all areas.

The quality of care for animals at the shelter has improved thanks to initiatives such as play groups for the dogs, Jackson Galaxy's Cat Pawsitive training for cats, puzzles and training sessions for mental enrichment, large enclosed areas for the dogs to run around outside, and field trips to local parks.

By attending national conferences, implementing best practices, and limiting unnecessary barriers for adopters, Heartland is at the forefront of the national movement to end unnecessary euthanasia of dogs and cats. Heartland has built a strong partnership with Chicago Animal Care and Control to support homeless animals in our local area, while still taking in dogs from high-needs areas elsewhere in the country.

Heartland is dedicated to serving all animals, even if they may be less adoptable at first. The Dr. Do More Fund and Arlo fund help to support animals with medical and emotional needs while they are at the shelter. Heartland's foster program has grown exponentially, allowing more animals to await their forever homes in the comfort of a temporary foster home. Furthermore, this frees up space at the shelter, allowing Heartland to rescue even more animals.

The shelter has implemented a new and improved mentor program for new volunteers. This rigorous program ensures that volunteers are well trained and confident when they start working with the dogs. The quality and quantity of volunteers has increased due to the excellent mentor program. The staff at Heartland are all exceptionally caring and dedicated.

Heartland recently released a strategic plan, laying out specific goals for the next few years and action plans to reach these goals. I am confident that Heartland will continue to improve and serve as a model animal shelter. I am proud to be a volunteer at this amazing organization and I can't wait to see how Heartland grows in the years to come.

I've been a volunteer and foster carer with Heartland Animal Shelter for over 5 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. They take wonderful care of their animals and are a no-kill facility. I love being a part of their community!

Heartland Animal Shelter is an outstanding organization with the well being of the animals as their main priority. The volunteers and staff are extremely dedicated to the cause and care deeply for the cats and dogs they care for.

I found Heartland when I was searching for my first cat. I made the rounds at all the local shelters, but kept coming back to Heartland. I was impressed by the knowledge, friendliness, and compassion of the staff and volunteers. Unlike other shelters I had been to, they really knew each of their cats. While I was there, a volunteer suggested I come volunteer, too. So I did! I've now been a volunteer at Heartland for over ten years. I remain impressed by the dedication of the staff in running the shelter. They are committed to being a no-kill shelter, saving animals from abandonment, including from high-kill shelters, and providing them with safety, care, and love. The first stop is at the shelter, but the goal is to find them the right forever home.

I have been both a volunteer (for twelve years now) AND adopter (four cats over the last eleven years) from Heartland and have been very happy as both. The shelter is clean, the animals are well-taken care of, both medically and socially/emotionally. The staff is great and dedicated to their job, my fellow volunteers and I enjoy our duties and take great joy in caring for the animals.

I am a board member for Rescue Me Clifford a downstate nonprofit rescue. Heartland has taken several of our dogs to give them the exposure that they needed to be adopted. Most of our adoptions are done via the internet, by word of mouth, with ads in newspapers and facebook,so some dogs just do not get the interest or exposure that they deserve. When we send them up to Heartland we know that they will soon find great homes. We depend on Heartland to take dogs on occasion to allow us the space to save more dogs.

They have helped many animals from our animal control and found them wonderful homes.

I volunteer at my local animal control and Heartland has pulled and saved a few dogs from us. They've been great to work with!

I am an animal control officer for a downstate smaller town animal control, my co worker and I are very rescue committed and save everything we can. Since working with heartland we have been able to save all our adoptable bully breeds. Everyone knows they are the hardest to save but since working with Allyson (dog intake) we have been able to save our favorite bullies.

We also spent many months working along side Brandi (cat intake) to save many of our adult felines which many rescues just want the cute little kittens.

This rescue has been full service for us! Not often we find a rescue that we can send just about anything to and we are very lucky to work with them.

My co worker and I try and follow every animal we send to rescues to see when they get adopted, I've been personally contacted by both, Brandi and Allyson, when our animals get adopted. It's so nice to open up messenger and see our animals with their new adoptive families.

We, at Herrin Animal Control, LOVE Heartland Animal Shelter!!

The volunteers and staff were very helpful and pleasant when I adopted my cat. He's an older cat that we wanted to give a home to and he's very playful and runs the household.
I was vey pleased to discover he's a true lap cat since that's what I wanted.
I would recommend Heartland because they take good care of their animals and show real concern in finding the animals good homes.

They have a heart! Such devoted volunteers! The dogs are well cared for and socialized.

Hearland Animal Shelter is an amazing shelter with fabulous volunteers and staff. Their love and caring for the animals is second to none. Many dogs and cats are adopted throughout the year. Heartland's volunteers take the time to give individual attention to dogs and cats so they know they are loved.
Heartland's follow ups from adopters is amazing...."best dog ever" - "our cat is a great addition to our family" - "love the dog so much" - "couldn't be happier" - "thank you for all you do", and the list goes on. We are very proud of our shelter and so appreciate the kind comments of those adopters who shared their experience on social media.

We adopted two beautiful, young, brother cats from Heartland Animal Shelter in 2014. At the time, the cats had been lovingly fostered by dedicated volunteers who then went to great lengths to find good homes for "the boys." Our involvement with Heartland, from meeting the cats and their caregivers, to filling out adoption papers, demonstrated their selfless devotion to the care and nurturing of all animals. We feel that Heartland goes to incredible lengths -- with very limited funds -- to connect with the animals in their charge, and to complete the "circle of love" between pets and people.

Heartland works hard to make sure their animals are adoptable. I adopted kittens which were born into foster care, giving them a chance at socialization instead of fending for themselves in the wild. They are the most loyal and affectionate cats I've ever had! Their mother was a bit more prickly, but after a few years roaming in the shelter's cat room, she enchanted a few staff members and volunteers and eventually found her forever home, too. The animal hospital next door has a walk-in clinic that is reasonably priced.

The absolute unparalled care that is afforded every animal every date is awsome. I cant say enough good things about this place.

The level of care and love each animal receives while in their shelter is unparalleled by any I've ever seen. The volunteers are given ownership of their tasks, and through that, they develop more special bonds with the animals. They have wonderful programs in place to help make sure that the dogs in their care are socialized, trained, and adopted to the right home—and it makes a huge difference in the success of the adoption.

They are one of the greatest animal shelters there is . Definitely have some of the greatest volunteers there are to take care of the animals . They have been list devotion to the animals . We are donors and supporters of Heartland wholeheartedly . We have also adopted dogs and cats. We have also adopted dogs and cats. Adopt .Save a life . Heartland is a no kill shelter .

What a great shelter to work with, my baby girl Oreo is the best addition to my family!

In addition to Board Member I am also a volunteer for over seven years and adopted two chihuahuas from. Heartland has a very strong and caring volunteer base. It doesn't matter if it is a cat room volunteer or a dog walker their love for each animal evident each time I walk through the shelter.

Heartland Animal Shelter's volunteers and staff are amazing people. They have so much compassion, patience and love for all of the animals. We rescued an abused dog that was sick. The staff gave him so much attention and love until he was well enough for us to bring him home. Unfortunately we only had him 20 months because he passed away with cancer. The staff at Heartland were so sympathetic when they heard the news ... they grieved along with us. They knew we wanted to rescue after the loss as soon as possible and they went out of their way to find us the perfect dog for our household which includes my husband, our other dog and myself. They found the perfect dog and we are so blessed for the staff at Heartland. Even after we adopted and had questions they would go out of their way to find the answers.

I adopted one of my dogs from Heartland and I have been volunteering with Heartland for 7 years! I fell in love with Heartland the first time I walked into the shelter. The volunteers and staff are wonderful and committed to providing the best care for the pets. Each animal is very much loved until they find their forever home! The shelter is clean and welcoming to all. I highly recommend Heartland to anyone looking for a pet, looking for a place to volunteer, or looking for a worthy charity!

Heartland Animal Shelter is a vey special place. I truly felt that while the animals are in the care of the staff and volunteers at Heartland, they are treated like family. Constant care, love, attention, and supervision all day is what I believe must make it a very fun and exciting place for the animals to stay while they wait for their forever homes. Great work done by this shelter is why the word needs to be shared for Heartland Animal Shelter.

I adopted a shelter rescue dog from Heartland Animal Shelter. The staff was wonderful, helping me select my dog, Charlie, making sure that we were a good match, giving us time and space to get to know each other, ensuring that I (and all adopters) will provide the necessary care for him before allowing the adoption to go through, and then following up to see how we were getting along. Because of the care and love they lavished on Charlie while he was there (for over a year), we have gone back frequently for visits -- and Charlie eagerly greets the volunteers and staff - it is clear he had great memories of them! As a result of this experience, I have closely followed the activities of Heartland, and it is clear they go beyond the call to help the dogs in their charge find their forever homes - even setting up Facebook pages and arranging photo shoots for their residents who have been at the shelter for longer periods of time. I cannot say enough about Heartland's dedication to its charges - and to the people they serve!

I have visited Heartland many times. The unparalleled care that is afforded to their animals is truly inspiring. I would strongly recommend anyone that is looking for an animal, should certainly visit Heartland.

I have volunteered at Heartland for eight years. I am normally am on site 7 days a week, putting in 50+ hours a week. I would not be doing this if the care and compassion given these animals was anything but the very best.

I volunteered as a medical assistant at Heartland for almost two years, and I have to say that this place really impressed me. The staff members work incredibly hard, they are 100% devoted to helping their animals, and they genuinely care. With hundreds of volunteers, they have a way of making it feel like everyone is part of one big family. The staff members also do a really nice job with making their volunteers feel appreciated. On the outside of it all, I consistently come across many people who have adopted pets from Heartland, and they are so pleased. It really is a wonderful animal shelter.

I've been a volunteer with Heartland Animal Shelter since 2008. I've also had the opportunity to volunteer with other animal welfare organizations. Heartland Animal Shelter is, without a doubt, the best shelter I've ever worked with. The caring shown to the animals is unparalleled. Both the staff and volunteers are dedicated to taking the best care of the animals they can and to spreading the word about the importance of animal adoption. i consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to be involved with Heartland Animal Shelter.

For nine years we have volunteered for Heartland and over that time we have adopted eight animals and donated thousands of dollars to the organization. Heartland is well worth our time, effort and money because it is an assembly of people who are truly dedicated to animal welfare. We know our dollars will be well spent because overhead is low, decision-makers are fiscally prudent, and nearly every cent goes directly toward animal care. Heartland is our charity of choice and will continue to be going forward.

Love this place.. very friendly and prompt response to my questions. Very clean and calm compared to what i have seen. Definently would adopt again from Heartland!!

As a board member, volunteer, and donor I can speak to many facets of Heartland's work. One sees dedication, commitment, and true caring in all who work here, whether as an employee or a volunteer. Donors play a huge role in helping Heartland achieve its mission of finding forever homes for animals who might otherwise be abandoned, mistreated, or euthanized. Over 6500 dogs and cats have been placed in forever homes since Heartland opened its doors in 2002. I have had the good fortune of adopting one of those animals, and am grateful to Heartland for rescuing him and allowing me to make him part of my family; I am sure I echo the sentiments of many other happy adopters. Hopefully Heartland will continue its work for many years to come.

I've had the opportunity to volunteer as a dog walker for over two years so far, and could come up with thousands of reasons why I love everything about this amazing organization!

From the staff members and volunteers to the facility and, of course, the pets, Heartland does amazing things for Northbrook and the surrounding communities. Saving homeless, neglected, or unloved dogs & cats, taking them from death row and providing them with a temporary, loving shelter until their forever homes are found, bathing & brushing them, feeding them, running & playing with them, and loving them...it's all in a day's work!

All of Heartland's volunteers go through a series of training sessions before getting involved with the animals- this helps the day-to-day operations of the shelter run so smooth! Adoption counselors are knowledgeable about our pets, so we can give accurate information to potential adopters; the adoption process involves an application and meet-and-greet with other dogs at home, so we can be sure our pets are placed in homes where they'll thrive!

Our dedication to the well-being of our animals is so apparent- just give us a visit and see how many volunteers are cuddling, hugging, kissing, playing with and loving our dogs and cats, and all the smiling faces (K9 and human!) there are filling our shelter!

I've been a volunteer small dog walker at Heartland for over 3 years now. From the very first, I noticed how caring the staff and other volunteers were for the safety, health and cleanliness of the dogs and cats, and above all, how much everyone really loves the animals. This opinion has only deepened with time. From the small gestures of a special treat for a lonely dog, or some extra cuddle time for a scared or sick dog, to larger efforts like a staff member coming in at midnight to check on a seriously ill dog, I've never seen such dedicated and hard-working people, and many of them are volunteers. I can't praise the people or the shelter highly enough.

And yes, I've adopted 3 Heartland dogs - they're sleeping on the couch behind me.

When people ask me about Heartland Shelter I answer them with so much pride. I explain that we are a non-profit no-kill shelter where we take in "last chance" dogs who are adoptable. Many of the dogs end are here because they come from facilities where they are close to being euthanized for no other reason than their "adoption" time is up and the facilities need to make room for new dogs. We have a very skilled staff member who has a knack for finding fantastic dogs. Although no dog is ever perfect, the ones we get who are neglected, unsocialized, or just unloved are great candidates for becoming adoptable. Most dogs who come to us in "imperfect" shape just need to love and be loved and we have an amazing track record when it comes to loving these dogs back up to adoptability. We have an especially high turnover rate with the small dogs who are sometimes placed with us and re-homed within 2 weeks, which is close to the time it takes for us to examine, process them, and if necessary spay or neuter them before they leave. The staff is wonderful, the volunteers are extremely loving with our guests,and if they are there long enough, the even go to training classes if necessary.

Before I started volunteering at Heartland Shelter 2 years ago, I researched,visited, and interviewed all the rescue/shelter places which were within an half hour of my home. No other facility even came close to the care and order of Heartland and I have not for one moment since volunteering there, regretted that I chose them.

Having been to many other shelters in my life, I must say Heartland is the best. The welcoming atmosphere you receive when you first walk in the door makes it already feel like a cozy place. The facility is so clean and organized and there is always a volunteer or staff member to answer any questions you may have. You can tell the animals are well cared for there. So many volunteers are always giving their time to these animals. The animals are clean, well fed, socialized, and provided with top notch medical care having the animal hospital right next door. It is a very caring place and they do an excellent job on keeping the public well educated on animal health and why their spay and neuter program is so important. It's a must see if you are considering adopting an animal.

My husband and I have been involved with Heartland for about 9 years - as volunteers, fosterers and adopters. We have adopted 3 cats and 2 dogs (all but one of which began as fosters) from Heartland and fostered more than 2 dozen kittens. I cannot recommend Heartland strongly enough. The staff and volunteers are professional and dedicated. They love the animals and take wonderful care of them.

I have been a volunteer at Heartland Animal Shelter (a NO kill shelter) for just over two yesrs. When I first started volunteering I was very impressed in the cleanliness of the dog & cat areas. Daily scrub downs of all kennels, cages, inside as well as outside runs, is an everyday occurrane. Plus the love and attention to each dog and cat on a daily basis.

The volunteers go through a training program before actually volunteering. And in these sessions they work with the dogs. So the dogs are getting trained with basic commands as well which is an extra perk for the dog when adopted.
Would I recommend adopting a dog or cat from Heartland? Absolutely. They are well attended to on a daily basis and are spayed, neutered and most importantly microchipped All you have to do is provide a loving and kind forever home.

I am not only a volunteer at Heartland, I am the mom of a dog adopted from Heartland in 2004 and a kitty in August of this year. It was my experience as an adopting parent that made me want to volunteer my time to help out at this wonderful shelter. My experience there was and is always very positive. The shelter itself is exceptionally clean and the animals well cared for. The staff is friendly, well-informed, and always have the animals' best interests at heart. Their knowledge of each animal and general information about the care of animals is immensely helpful . I would not hesitate to highly recommend Heartland to anyone looking for a new furry member to add to their family!

Whenever I have had the opportunity to volunteer with Heartland Animal Shelter I am always amazed at the care and constant attention they provide to their animals. Every animal is looked after and loved- even after they find a forever home! I would highly recommend Heartland to anyone seeking a new member of the family. You won't be disappointed.

I have been volunteering for Heartland Animal Shelter as a dog kennel attendant and walker for almost 7 years now. The people who work at Heartland love each and every animal as if it were their own. The animals are well cared for and receive lots of individualized attention and interaction. Each one's individual needs are considered and provided for.

It has been a pleasure to be part of an organization that shares in the love and appreciation of our furry friends the way that Heartland staff and volunteers do.

I am one of the luckiest people I know! For more than 6 years Heartland Animal Shelter has allowed me to foster the sweetest Mamas and puppies, attend terrific fundraising events and serve as their Humane Investigator. The staff is always ready to provide me with anything and everything thing I need in order to keep our fur babies healthy and well adjusted!

Heartland Animal Shelter is my favorite place to volunteer!

Heartland Animal Shelter cares deeply for each and every animal in its care. I have personally witnessed the extraordinary compassionate care given by Dr. Kristine Preiser to all the shelter animals. Christy Rivera, Barb and Jack Isaacson, and so many others give all they have got and more to the dogs and cats at Heartland.

Each animal has in individualize plan of care to promote its physical and emotional healing. A shelter than ensures its placements are healthy and strong before adoption is key, in my opinion, to a lifelong match with pet and family.

I am honored to be part of the volunteer team at Heartland.
Kathy Boyer