A large piece of concrete and pieces of plaster had fallen directly into Yondu the adoptable beagle’s kennel.
When volunteers arrived at One Tail at a Time to feed and care for dogs at our Rudy Stewart Training and Behavior Center on July 11, they looked up and saw the worst. The skies had fallen.
A large section of the ceiling had collapsed directly above kennels where dogs in training reside while waiting for foster homes. “My first thought once I knew the dogs were physically okay was how terrifying that must have been for them,” Shelter Director Anna Johnson shared. When I arrived, volunteers were already working out a way to get the pups out for their walks and breakfast while working around the affected kennels. We were able to get everyone their morning routine, and determined that no one was injured.”
A large piece of concrete and pieces of plaster had fallen directly into Yondu’s, an adoptable beagle, kennel. Two kennels, belonging to resident dogs Yondu and Kit Kat, also had standing water – far from the normal conditions in which the dogs would typically greet volunteers for their morning meals. “The animals’ safety is the number one priority and we are so thankful all the residents of the behavior center were unharmed in this unforeseeable accident,” said Executive Director Heather Owen, JD.
Owen expects One Tail at a Time’s training center to be out of commission for some time. “It’s simply not safe for our animals right now, so our top priority is finding long-term foster placement for our displaced foster dogs. We are urgently in need of fosters with no other pets, a private yard, and big hearts.” Interested fosters can visit learn more about fostering here!
For those who want to help but cannot foster, One Tail at a Time is also asking for donations to support emergency boarding and repairs. Donations can be made at onetail.org/donate.
“I am so humbled the way Chicago and the rescue community have shown up for us after this setback, but we have a long way to go,” said Owen. “In order to continue saving lives, we need Chicagoans to rally together to open their hearts and homes to foster animals.”
Yondu is one of seven foster dogs in urgent need of a long-term foster after the unforeseeable ceiling collapse that took place just above her kennel. Email [email protected] to foster Yondu!
