Sunday Midday Kennel Volunteers

April is National Volunteer Month! At West Suburban Humane Society, the positive impact we make would not be possible without the help of our amazing volunteers. In 2024, we had 437 volunteers with a total of 29,500 hours. These hours are spent walking dogs, socializing cats in the cattery, and hundreds of other duties that keep our rescue running.

At our Adoption Center, volunteer shifts come three times a day, ensuring that animals get individual attention and care. This helps our staff and reduces animal stress. For dogs and cats who are withdrawn due to trauma or neglect, this extra attention helps them to learn to trust humans again.

Volunteers also take care of our animals in their homes. These Foster Volunteers are instrumental to our mission and spend countless hours fostering dogs and cats in need. This is especially impactful for animals with medical needs, hospice fostering, and newborn puppies and kittens with their moms.

Tuesday Morning Cattery Volunteers

Thursday Evening Kennel Volunteers

Next week is National Volunteer Week! We will be celebrating our volunteers all week long, keep an eye out for some extra treats in the Adoption Center break room.

Are you interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer? Check out the volunteer page on our website to submit an application or learn more. If you have any questions, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Heidi Janss, at volunteer@wshs-dg.org.

Volunteers make a difference, and are an integral part of our mission. Thank you to all of our volunteers for making a positive impact for animals in need and our community!

Monday Morning Kennel Volunteers

Caged for a Cause Returns!

We are hosting our second ever Caged for a Cause Fundraiser to benefit the West Suburban Humane Society! This is a major fundraising effort with all proceeds going directly toward supporting the dogs and cats of WSHS.

To show support of the animals, our volunteer fundraisers will stay in one of our the kennels in solidarity with the animals in our care. Each participant's goal is to raise $2,500, which covers the average cost of caring for 5 animals in our shelter. 

Here's what some of our volunteer fundraisers have to say about why they are participating:

"As a long-time volunteer and current board member, I've seen firsthand the incredible resilience of the animals we care for. My own cherished dog and cat remind me daily of the immeasurable joy and unconditional companionship these creatures bring into our lives. That's why I've chosen to participate in Caged for a Cause to raise crucial awareness and vital funds." - Sarah Marshall

“I am participating in Caged for a Cause to see what it is like for the dogs to be in their kennel for a large period of time. It is important for us to put ourselves in the animals ‘shoes’ so we can understand their situation better and express how it feels. It will also be a good chance to spend quality time with one of our amazing animals.” - Marci Levites

"I have always felt a deep passion for animals, especially dogs, since I was younger and they were part of my family as I grew up. Now as an adult, my husband I have always had a least one dog in our home to be loved and carried for each day. I look forward each Tuesday to my shift in the kennel where I have an opportunity to share my love with the dogs and nothing makes me happier to see them adopted and move on to their furever home!" - Kerry Kopera

Barks & Books

We are excited to announce our new program, Barks & Books! the WSHS Humane Education program will be hosting our very own therapy dogs at a new program focused on literacy and well-being.

To celebrate the launch of our new program, we are hosting two Meet and Greet events at our Adoption Center! Join us between 10am-11am on May 3rd and May 31st to learn about Barks & Books and meet therapy dogs Wonder and Piper.