Huntley animal shelter struggles to keep pets cool after AC breaks
HUNTLEY, Ill. (WLS) -- As temperatures hit the 90s on Saturday, the Animal House Shelter in Huntley struggled to keep its 200 dogs and 50 cats cool and is seeking donations to get their broken air conditioner fixed.
The no-kill animal shelter did not have central air conditioning in the old building and needs $15,000 to $20,000 to replace it. They have set up a GoFundMe page to get donations and exceeded their goal by 10:30 p.m. Saturday, raising more than $23,000
"It's easily 90 to 100 degrees in the back where all the dogs are sitting in their kennels waiting to go home with someone. We've got some fans set up but right now we are running on two smaller air conditioners. We have no central air in this building at all," said Alexis Williams, who works at the shelter. "It gets to the point where it's so hot in the back that you're physically ill."
The air conditioner had been problematic over the last few years and now it just does not work, Williams said. Instead, workers are using fans and two smaller air conditioning units.
The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for Cook County until 7 p.m. on Monday. An Excessive Heat Watch is in effect for the surrounding counties in Illinois until Monday.
On Saturday, temperatures reached 95 degrees with a heat index of 100 and on Sunday, temperatures are expected to get to 97 degrees and a heat index of 102.
The Animal House Shelter is located at 13005 Ernesti Road in Huntley.
For more information, visit: www.animalhouseshelter.com or their GoFundMe page.
