Without AC for its dog kennel, Madison County Animal Care & Control needs foster homes during dangerous heat

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — As dangerous heat continues to plague the Bi-state, Madison County Animal Care & Control is in need of foster homes for its dogs whose kennel does not have air conditioning, according to the Metro East Humane Society.

The Humane Society, in a Facebook post Monday, urged the public to help find fosters for the 17 dogs being kept in a kennel with only industrial fans to keep them cool. While the Animal Care & Control’s cat holding room has a window unit keeping them cool, the dog kennel doesn’t have windows to allow for units to be installed.

Each month, the shelter takes in 50-70 dogs and dozens of cats, according to their website.

“Officers and staff have been sent home early to avoid getting sick from being in a building without air conditioning,” MEHS wrote in the post. “The staff can leave, but the dogs cannot.”

Those interested in fostering a pet can click here to submit an application on the Metro East Humane Society’s website. You can also call them at 618-296-6200 or email at foster@mehs.org.

People can also support the Humane Society as it takes in pets from Animal Care & Control by donating online or mailing donations to Metro East Humane Society, 8495 State Route 1143, Edwardsville, IL 62025.

“We need Madison County residents to start contacting county board members to encourage them to fix this problem ASAP,” MEHS wrote in the post. “This is the 5th year in a row that the administration has not approved funding to allow air conditioning in this kennel … putting dogs at risk of heat exhaustion or death.”

If you’d like to donate HVAC services or portable units to the kennel, you can email Animal Control Director Katherine Condor at keconder@madisoncountyil.gov.

• If you need to walk your dog, do so in the early morning or evening.
• Do the 10-second test with your hand. If the ground is too hot for you, it’s too hot for your dog.
• Place booties on your dog.
• Monitor temperatures because heat stroke can set in at 80 degrees and above.
• Use a cooling vest that deflects heat and cools dogs through evaporation.
• Use cold, wet towels and spread them out for your dogs to lie or or stand on.
• Use rubbing alcohol, dab behind your dogs’ ears, stomachs or their paws. Rubbing alcohol cools dogs down faster than water and can draw out heat.
• Use unflavored pediatric electrolyte solution for dogs to drink if they get dehydrated.

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