Community Animal Rescue Effort Inc

My husband and I adopted Whisky (aka "Rain"), a female Boxer-Mix, in February of 2016. At 9 months old, she was a handful (lots of energy), but exactly what we needed in our lives, having lost our elderly Rottie-Mix a few months prior. C.A.R.E. made the process seamless for us. After completing the online application, we were promptly contacted by phone and asked a few follow-up questions about our experience with dogs. We set up a meet and greet, wherein Rain was brought to our home by one of C.A.R.E.'s volunteers. Almost immediately, we knew she was perfect for us. She made herself right at home (on the couch) and showed us all her tricks, for treats, of course. A few days later, she joined us permanently. We are proud to have given her a forever home; but, as they say, "who rescued who?" We can't imagine our lives without Whisky, and we are so grateful to C.A.R.E. for making this rescue possible.

I swore we would never get a dog. I grew up on a farm in Iowa, and dogs were always animals that were kept outside that you didn't view any differently from the pigs and the cows.

But my husband is gone a lot for work, and I ventured to the C.A.R.E. website one day on a whim and saw Rufus-a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, which was my husband's dream dog. I only had to mention it to my husband but what we were soon setting up a meet and greet.

Katy from C.A.R.E. brought Rufus over one Sunday morning, and, needless to say, he moved in that evening. Katy couldn't have been more helpful. From advice to resources to letting us borrow a kennel to answering our many texts to calling to check in on us many times, we couldn't have asked for a better adoption experience.

Rufus came to us in the very best condition possible. He had lived with Angela for a few months, and he was impeccably trained. For a puppy from the streets, we were impressed. It was clear he had been shown a lot of love and training by the C.A.R.E. crew.

I, the Iowa farm girl, never thought I'd say this, but I love Rufus so darn much and consider him our "firstborn son." :) He is such a joy in our lives. We are so grateful to C.A.R.E. for taking Rufus in and letting us love him forever.

I have been a C.A.R.E. volunteer since 2010 and have fostered over 100 canines since 2015 when C.A.R.E. became a foster-based organization. Fostering is not easy but has been extremely rewarding. I have experienced so many incredible moments helping animals find loving homes. I have even dealt with the sorrow of some that we could not save but was able to take some solace in the fact I was able to show them love and comfort as they transitioned. C.A.R.E. has allowed me to enrich the lives of so many homeless and sick animals. I look forward to the great work C.A.RE. will continue to do in its new home in Skokie. C.A.R.E. truly is an amazing organization matching people and pets and enriching lives.

I began working with C.A.R.E. (Community Animal Rescue Effort) in spring 2013 after the loss of my dog, ChengZu. I became a Saturday night dog walker along with many dedicated volunteers who had been working with C.A.R.E. for 10 years and more! I was welcomed into the ranks and met so many dedicated animal people. My pup, Olivia, who is now 4 years old, is a C.A.R.E. alumni. I took her home as a foster and the rest is history. C.A.R.E. made sure that she had all her shots, was microchipped, and that she was spayed at the appropriate time.

I have also volunteered at the "new" cat shelter and am constantly amazed at how many cats come in and out of the doors of the shelter. Sometimes I think that some of the cats may be disappointed to find that the new home does not quite quite rise to the level of pampering that they enjoyed at the shelter. Cats have nice big community "Catios" so no one is in a smaller cage unless they are being treated for any type of illness, even if it is just a kitty cold.

C.A.R.E. is truly a collection of amazing and dedicated animal rescuers, foster parents, and very thorough adoption counselors. They are amazing fundraisers too which enables us to care for many dogs and cats. I highly recommend C.A.R.E. to anyone who wants to adopt a pet or for a volunteer opportunity.

Here is a pic of beautiful Olivia taking a break from a busy day.

We have been supporters of CARE for many years because we know how much CARE does to rescue cats and dogs. We have driven from Columbia, MO several times to participate in the annual Strut for Stays fund raiser.

Our daughter met her husband through their volunteering at CARE.

As an animal lover who adopted the best dog ever from a shelter in Texas I appreciate the work CARE does to save animals

I have been a volunteer with C.A.R.E. for 7 years and love all of the work we do and the other volunteers who make our organization a success. I have also enjoyed having the opportunity to foster many cats and kittens and even two dogs. I can attest as a foster and also a caretaker at our current cat shelter that we provide top notch medical care to our animals, including if it is an emergency situation. I have also appreciated our extra effort to find the best match when we adopt out and feel assured especially after fostering that families have excellent support if there are any questions or just needing more information on how to introduce their new kitty or dog to the new family and environment. I can also say I love the kitty I adopted from C.A.R.E. six years ago. Pictured are the kitty I adopted plus a couple of my fosters.

As a volunteer and board member, I cannot imagine a better group to spend my time with. The care of the animals is our top priority, and then finding them permanent high-quality homes. I work with the cats, and they all get the best of care. If they are overweight, they get special food and exercise to help them reduce. If they are shy, volunteers spend extra time with them. All kittens are in foster homes to help them grow and develop in a safe, clean environment, where they are constantly socialized. If you want to adopt a pet, C.A.R.E. will make sure you get the right one for your household. Because we are a smaller organization, you receive personalized attention and get to know people individually, which makes a big difference.

I have done TNR in my area for years, however, I have lost the help of rescue groups that used to help me adopt out friendly cats I found because they changed management and focus. C.A.R.E. stepped up to help me with this beautiful boy I named Simon who was not a feral but a friendly cat in need of a home. C.A.R.E. admitted him to their facility and helped get him settled after I got him fixed and vaccinations. He was in their facility for several weeks when we took him to have dental work and sadly found he was FIV and Feline Leuk positive. For some reason when he was fixed they didn't catch that he was positive. We also found with the pre dental blood work that the FeLV had taken hold. We had to help him cross, but he would have died on the streets had C.A.R.E. not opened their doors to help him and for this I am very grateful. They do wonderful work.

I have volunteered with CARE for about 20 years now, and adopted all our cats and dogs thru this organization. CARE is rock-solid organization, all-volunteer-run, that collectively has found forever homes for so many good animals over the years.

CARE backs up its pets and their people, and its volunteers, too! In June, we found a stray, injured cat by our house. With CARE's help and support, we were able to nurse the little gray cat back to health, and then find him a new forever home through CARE's network.

My husband and I both highly recommend CARE to anyone in Chicago's North Shore area who is seeking a companion animal.

We have adopted 3 cats from this shelter, everyone who works for CARE has always been incredibly nice and they all go above and beyond.

We've had nothing but great experiences with CARE. We have gotten 3 cats from them total. And when one of them got sick they helped us cover vet bills.

As far as animal non profits go, you will not find any better. They genuinely care about each animal at their shelter and always go above and beyond to ensure happy endings.

I am both a proud volunteer and an adopter with CARE. CARE does so much to help animals and to try to make great matches between pets and people. We are also there for adopters when they need advice.

I've been volunteering with CARE for 14 years and have fostered and adopted cats with them. My mom also adopted her two, silly kittens from CARE years ago. Very friendly people and, of course, amazing animals!
Attached is my girl, Graham, who I fostered (and adopted!) when she and her litter-mates were 2 weeks old. Thanks for CARE for finding her and providing all the supplies and great vet care these sick kittens needed.