Animal House Shelter celebrates 20 years
HUNTLEY – Over the course of 20 years, Animal House Shelter began in a single home and developed into a respectable safe haven for Animals all across America. The no-kill non-profit shelter has cumulatively saved 62,000 animals who’ve been impacted by natural disasters, neglect, and abuse.
In 2000 Lesley Irwin, the owner of the shelter, rescued animals in Huntley and gave them a home within the confines of her own property, including her basement and garage. On June 19, 2002 she turned the current facility at 13005 Ernesti Rd. into a shelter to save a larger number of lives.
Though the shelter prides themselves in attracting adoptees across multiple states such as Florida, Texas, and within the Midwest including Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin, the shelter has provided a home to animals who are trapped in the Korean meat farms too, said Director Angie Mouroukas.
Mouroukas said beyond rescuing animals from holding cases in Tennessee and Oklahoma, the Animal House Shelter has also saved animals seeking safety after a major hurricane or other natural disaster has wiped their surroundings.
“We end up taking in animals that are in the rescues down there so that people that get flooded, and their animals get turned in there, that they can hopefully get placed back into their homes,” Mouroukas said.
The shelter’s foster program has grown exponentially over the years, along with their volunteer program. On a day-to-day basis, Volunteer Coordinator Halle Boddy said she can count on 75 volunteers, excluding those who have come and gone to volunteer for school and complete community service hours.
“We have a program where we work with local high schools, like the Huntley High School. There’s a Silver Core program and Honor Society things where the kids come out and do community service hours,” Mouroukas said. In addition, the shelter has teamed up with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts by lending them a location for their lemonade stands.
In honor of the 62,000 animals that the shelter has saved and found homes for over the last 20 years, as well as the volunteers who’ve come to care for these animals, the shelter welcomes all to attend their Pawfest on Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Deicke Park. Entry for the event is free.
“We call it a reunion anniversary for everybody who’s adopted. We invite out the past adopters, volunteers, and we do a big event where we offer low cost vaccine clinic to the community,” Mouroukas said. Boddy said the vaccines that the shelter will offer include distemper, rabies, bordetella, and microchips.
At Pawfest there will be an opportunity for children to participate in games and adults to enjoy live music, raffles, and food. The fire department will also join and display a fire truck for children to interact with and explore, Mouroukas said. A policeman from the Huntley Police Department will give a canine demonstration with dog trainers as well. In comparison to previous years, this will be the biggest Pawfest yet, Mouroukas said.
“Everyone is welcome to come including with their dogs, whether they were adopted or not adopted from Animal House Shelter. Cats are also invited as long as they’re in a bag or in a carrier,” Boddy said.
For those unable to attend Pawfest, they can still celebrate the shelter’s 20th anniversary by purchasing 20th anniversary edition shelter gear including a key chain and t-shirts, Mouroukas said.
Though 20 years in operation is a huge accomplishment, Boddy said the most rewarding part of being a staff member at the shelter is cleaning up and taking care of animals who originally came in super skinny or covered in fleas and watching them find a forever home.
“I really like being part of something that’s bigger, that you have a purpose and I think we touched so many people in terms of animals and volunteers,” Mouroukas said.
