Help us "Make A Dog's Day" this Adopt A Shelter Dog Month!

There are so many rescue dogs waiting to be adopted. This Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, consider taking home a new best friend. All month long, you can 'Spin the Wheel' at our Adoption Center to save on your adoption fee!

We are so glad to be partnering with Gerald Subaru of Naperville and the ASPCA to highlight and help find homes for "Underdogs", such as senior dogs or animals with medical needs. Plus, this month we held our BIGGEST dog adoption event of the year with 11 adoptable dogs in attendance! Thanks to everyone who stopped by to "Make A Dog's Day".

Thanks to the incredible generosity, energy, and heart of our community, we surpassed our $100,000 Barkapalooza fundraising goal for homeless dogs and cats!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who made Barkapalooza 2026 such a special day. To our donors, attendees, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, fundraisers, and supporters — every one of you played an important part in making this year’s event a success.

For 33 years, Barkapalooza has brought our community together to celebrate something truly special: the belief that every animal deserves compassion, care, and a second chance. This year, you showed just how powerful that belief can be.

Every dollar raised will help the West Suburban Humane Society provide rescue, medical care, food, shelter, and loving support to animals in need as they wait for their forever homes. Behind every dollar is a life changed because someone cared.

To those who walked or ran, cheered from the sidelines, brought their families and four-legged friends, donated, sponsored, volunteered, sold delicious food and goods, helped behind the scenes, or simply showed up to support our mission — thank you.

Driving Change with Cartober!

Vehicle donations have the potential to drive thousands of dollars for West Suburban Humane Society. This year, we’re participating in Cartober – a national campaign that raises awareness around this powerful means of giving.

You can participate in Cartober and support West Suburban Humane Society by donating your unwanted car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or boat. The process is easy and free, and we’ll use the proceeds to help rescue dogs and cats.

Donate a vehicle:

1. Call 855-227-1822 or start your donation online HERE.
2. Schedule your free and convenient pick-up.
3. Once your vehicle is sold, we’ll then send you the paperwork for your tax-deductible gift.

If you don’t have a vehicle to donate yourself, maybe you know someone who does!

WSHS Staff participated in Wear Purple Day for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Purple is used to symbolize courage, survival, and hope for those affected by domestic violence. 

How and why are domestic violence and animal abuse related? According to the Domestic Violence Awareness Project and NIH Public Health Research:

• Abusive partners often use the bond between victims and their companion animals to control, manipulate, and isolate. Abusers threaten, injure, and at times kill pets in order to create an environment of fear within the home.
• Research indicates that 20% to 65% of domestic violence victims delay leaving a dangerous situation because they don’t know where to place or how to protect their pets. Some survivors return because they fear for the animals’ safety.
• Up to 70% of domestic violence victims have pets. Of those with pets, 48% to 71% report that their pets have been abused or killed. 
• Often, companion animals can become victims during family violence, or used as pawns by the perpetrators to instill and enforce fear and control over their partner and children, creating interlocking systems of companion animal abuse, child abuse, and family violence.

Help is available locally if you or someone you know is in crisis. You can call the WINGS Program 24 Hour Domestic Violence Hotline at (847) 221-5680 or go to https://wingsprogram.com/

We are so grateful for our friends at Mayflower Cruises & Tours for donating $15,000! This donation directly supports our programs for rescue animals in need, including medical care, food, supplies, and more. Thank you for supporting our mission and making a difference for homeless dogs and cats!