Passing on to animal-loving Illinois folks...feel free to pass on to
others.

Hello everyone. I am writing to you again out of desperation for
Franklin County Animal Control in Benton, IL. As you may remember, this
is the pound that suffered devastating loss during Thanksgiving week
when a fire broke out in their main building, and the building burned to
the ground, killing over 50 animals. Since that time, the volunteers and
staff have continued taking in animals and doing everything they can to
help the animals in their community with absolutely minimal facilities.
They have been housing cats and kittens in a storage shed building, and
the dogs and puppies have been living in OUTDOOR kennel runs - yes, even
through the coldest and snowiest parts of winder the dogs lived outside.


Well, now Franklin County is suffering a new problem - rain and
flooding. It has been raining for days and the area is starting to
flood. Please read the note from the director there....

"Conditions getting worse. It has rained constantly for 2 days. Places
in West Frankfort (6 miles away) had to evacuate homes & called Jarrett
to pick up people's pets. Dottie & I both set up our garages for
animals. Dottie has all the puppies in her garage plus she has
Brownie-the dog with the broken leg - the puppy with the pins in its
leg, another adult dog & all her own pets. I have Moonbeam & another old
adult dog that belongs to a homeless woman they had to take to hospital
in my garage in cages-the 6 survivor puppies in large cage in my cat
room- 2 other adult cats in my cat room in cages & 3 cats in cages in my
back bedroom plus all my own animals. PLEASE PLEASE BEG PEOPLE TO HELP
US. We've both been out in the rain for the last 2 days getting soaked
trying to get tarps back up & help all these animals, but the situation
is hopeless."

So, I am writing today to ask you to consider fostering a dog/puppy or
cat/kitten in need, and to share this plea to others you know. There are
SO many there who do not have a chance of rehoming in their area. And
the ladies who give tirelessly to this pound are desperate for help -
and we know there are people out there who can make a difference. Please
contact me (630-271-9002 or michelle.parson@comcast.net) or Lori Dedic
right away if you can foster an animal. They are going to have to
euthanize large numbers of animals by Monday if we and other rescues
don't help them.

- Michelle

Michelle Parson
President & Dog Program Director
A Caring Place Humane Society
Darien, IL
http://www.acaringplacehs.org

oh dear! I hope they get a lot of help. That just sucks. Those poor animals have been through so much.

I actually sent them an e-mail this morning. NO, not for another dog -- but since Sander's Pal, my cat, died last October, I have a cat-friendly basement that's unoccupied save for MICE.

I offered to foster, and possibly adopt, either one cat or two who get along and can live together. I don't want house cats (gad, with five Shelties, that's a recipe for nervous breakdowns all around!) but I'm perfectly okay with a basement cat, even one who doesn't want to be an outdoor cat.