For many years, the Peoria Humane Society has been partnering with Peoria County Animal Protections Services (PCAPS) to create an extensive animal welfare program to benefit animals and pet owners in the region.
The PCAPS animal shelter, formerly known as PAWS, plays a key role in ensuring animals of all varieties find forever homes. Kitty Yanko is the director of the Peoria Humane Society and works closely with the shelter. She says PCAPS provides support and resources for the typical cats and dogs, but also extends to small mammals, like rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice as well as reptiles. PCAPS also focuses on wildlife rescue and commonly helps animals that are indigenous to this area, like possums.
Yanko says what many people don’t realize is that PCAPS works with farm animals as well.
“Livestock, cows, chickens, goats, horses, anything like that. The shelter doesn’t typically take them in … but they do respond to calls to investigate cruelties and neglect, so that might end up being where an animal is transferred if the owner can’t keep it or if there’s a cruelty case involved,” Yanko said.
While the PCAPS shelter always has animals in need of homes, Yanko says there isn’t any immediate adoption crisis right now within Peoria County. In fact, there has actually been a fairly significant decrease in the total number of animals that come through the shelter compared to when Yanko started at the organization. In 1992, 8,500 animals came through the shelter per year, which caused severe overpopulation.
“Fortunately, in 2022, I'm happy to say that those numbers are down. I think it’s been a combination of education, and our current shelter works very hard to help provide resources to pet owners so that they don’t have to bring their animals in, and the Peoria Humane Society comes alongside them with that as well,” said Yanko.
Currently, PCAPS sees about 4,000 animals per year. About 60 animals are available for adoption on any given day at the shelter, with the majority of that number being cats and dogs. This number is not representative of the total number of animals currently being held at the shelter, as many times animals simply need to be relocated with a current owner or are undergoing medical treatment before being placed for adoption.
“The good news is Peoria Humane Society does fund a lot of what we call rehabbing of animals so that they can eventually get placed and go into a home … and then we have to also decide if an animal is aggressive or its very sick … if it’s aggressive and not safe to place in the community that’s a consideration, or if it’s really sick and it needs treatment. Sadly, some animals come in and they’re beyond the point they can be helped for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, that's not that many,” Yanko said.
While finding homes for animals is important, that’s just one half of the equation. The other half is finding quality homes that can properly care for the animal and plan to keep it forever. The pandemic saw a large increase in adoptions, and that led to people returning animals too. Luckily at PCAPS, Yanko said the return rate has been very low.
“Fortunately, when people adopt them, they usually keep them. Again, we’re providing resources so…we try to step in and kind of be that middle ground between the pet owner and them being brought into the shelter…locally we just really didn’t see people who adopted animals during the pandemic bringing them back. Most of them stayed in their homes.”
The Humane Society and PCAPS try to be the last resort option for owners who are trying to give away their animals by providing options and support to the owner first. This could look like help with veterinary care, behavioral issues, pet supplies, etc. However, sometimes extenuating circumstances just don’t allow the pet to be in the home anymore, whether due to the loss of a job and therefore the financial capability to care for the pet, housing insecurity, or health changes.
And sometimes by the time the owner has made it into the shelter, it’s just too late to change their mind.
“I know research does say that by the time a person makes that call or they get to the shelter they’ve kind of already detached from the pet and they’re already ready to give it up,” Yanko said.
In those rare instances, PCAPS has been a safe haven for those animals, but it wouldn’t be possible without the support of the community. Foster homes play a critical role in helping more animals get adopted. Those homes function on a volunteer basis, and Yanko says it’s definitely an area where the shelter could use more help. There are currently 25 homes involved with the shelter, but only 12 that are active.
“It gets them out of the shelter. It gets them into a home. When they’re in the home, they’re just going to be more relaxed and healthy and happier. It also gives the foster parent an opportunity to kind of learn something really close and personal about the pet,” Yanko explains.
She says these parents then become the ideal advocate for the pet since they know it the best. They also help by spreading the word about the pets available for adoption by talking to the people close to them, like friends, family, and co-workers.
Yanko says overall that the community is very fortunate to have not one, but two strong organizations in the area striving to assist pets and their owners without duplicating any efforts.
“We’re bringing a really strong animal welfare program into our community and providing the resources to make everyone successful, I think. We’re unique that way…I’m pretty proud of our program here in Peoria, and I’m proud of the community for supporting us all these years,” Yanko said.
PCAPS and the Peoria Humane Society are always accepting donations, whether that be in monetary form or pet supplies. Find the shelter's wish list here. To apply to be a foster home, call the shelter at (309) 672-2440.
