About US
Learn more about Illinois Animal Rescue
Illinois Animal Rescue is a not-for-profit, no-kill animal rescue group. Founded in 2007, we are a coalition of rescuers, transporters, fosters, vets, humane societies, investigators and shelters that advocate for and save homeless animals throughout the state of Illinois while educating the general public on the humane treatment of animals and the need for comprehensive spay and neutering programs. Illinois Animal Rescue, Inc. is 501(c)(3), not for profit and no-kill.
We work every day to eliminate needless deaths and inhumane treatment of all animals in the state of Illinois. Our goals are to ensure that every animal is treated with the respect that they deserve; to educate our communities on the importance of spaying or neutering their pets to solve the pet overpopulation problem; the humane treatment and care of all animals and the rescue and transportation of the many animals that are being put to death in our communities every day, due to no fault of their own.
With your help, we can save even more.
-We can rescue all the local urgent animals that are adoptable.
-We can prevent more unwanted puppies & kittens from being born.
-We can save the ones that are already here.
-We can spay/neuter animals for needy families.
-We can provide hope for all the Animal Controls that dread euthanization day.
-We have reduced the euthanasia rate in many pounds from 90% to 15%. That is a great difference.
Please join us in our efforts to make Illinois the first NO KILL state. Together we can!
Who is Illinois Animal Rescue
A Note From Our Founder
It all started with one urgent dog ten years ago. My boxer had just passed away and I decided to volunteer at my local humane society to help some dogs in need before I rushed out to adopt another one. I met another volunteer there, a young lady that was very passionate about saving dogs. I found out she would drive half way down the state each weekend, load her car up with puppies and bring them to our humane society to be adopted. Until that time, I never realized there were “kill” shelters in Illinois where wonderful animals were killed each week due to lack of space, I had never even thought about it.
I got on Petfinder and started surfing the Illinois shelters. I found a beautiful hound listed as “URGENT” on the Perry County site and called them up, asking what they meant by urgent.They told me her time was up, that she would be euthanized unless someone adopted or saved her.
I jumped in my car and drove for five hours to save this girl (and I brought three more with me—that’s all I could fit in my car). They were all such wonderful dogs, and they got adopted very quickly in the Northern Suburbs, where there are so many families looking for pets.
I spent two years driving down every Saturday to load up my car to save the most wonderful dogs I had ever met. Sometimes I would not even have a place for them to go, I would drive around to all the local shelters and ask them if they would be interested in saving a lovely dog. I met the most wonderful, caring people at these shelters and our relationships grew. The dogs I was transporting to them were highly adoptable and they just couldn’t believe they were urgent. They would get adopted within days in our area.
Today, we are working with 19 Illinois kill shelters weekly including local Chicagoland animal controls, transporting their precious pets to the safety of over 50 Chicagoland rescues.
We have two to three vans transporting animals all over the state and we are now saving over 7,000 each year. Come visit our transport every Tuesday in Joliet and see what we’re all about. You’ll get to meet the wonderful transport volunteers and the terrific dogs and cats that are the lucky ones, that ones that get a second chance at life.
Sally Matay
President
Illinois Animal Rescue, Inc.