Heartland Animal Shelter in Wheeling reopens 7 months after devastating flood

WHEELING, Ill. (WLS) -- There were pets and cuddles galore on Sunday at Heartland Animal Shelter in Wheeling, where lucky fur babies got to be among the first to test out their new digs.

The facility celebrated its reopening seven months after a devastating flood displaced more than 100 dogs and cats, many of whom nearly lost their lives. The renovated space showed off its residents in their best light.

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"We added a lot of windows to open up the space more. We want people to come in and see the animals they're going to help rescue," Heartland Animal Shelter Executive Director Jenny Schlueter said.

Sunday's celebration was as much about the new space as it was a "thank you" to all who scrambled to help that day. That help started with waste management worker Tony Maticic, who noticed something unusual as he was making his rounds on the early morning of June 26.

"All the cats were piled up in the window. They were trying to get on top of each other to escape the water. I looked through this window, and there was at least 2 feet in here," Maticic said.

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The shelter has continued to operate these last several months, first out of a hangar at Chicago's Executive Airport and later out of a nearby strip mall. It has not been easy, but the dedicated volunteers at Heartland made it happen. They saved more animals than ever in their history last year despite the flood.

"The first thing we want to do is keep them safe. So, the first thing we did was find homes for all of them," Schlueter said.

Foster parents like Mia Schaffel stepped up to the plate, answering the call along with many others.

"They immediately reached out to the entire volunteer community and said, 'We have nowhere to put these dogs.' And so, everybody came in as quickly as they could with kennels and leashes," Schaffel said. "I ended up with two puppies, and my dogs are older, so it was a fun experience. It was really fun. They got to run around and play."

As wonderful as their new space is, the one thing Heartland is still limited by is their kennel space. And that is why they need even more people to volunteer as fosters so they can continue their life-saving work of matching furballs like Bunny to their forever homes.