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Animal Care League is a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter and adoption center located in Oak Park. We serve as the stray holding facility for Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Northlake, Elmwood Park, North Riverside, Melrose Park, and River Grove, giving animals found in those areas a safe place to go and be cared for until they are reunited with their families or put through our adoption program.
Animal Care League has been rooted in the community since 1973, when concerned citizens began taking in the stray cats from around the neighborhood. Nearly 50 years later and we are still committed to providing a safe haven to local animals in need. Read our full story here.
Where do our animals come from? The chart below illustrates, in brief, how animals get to our shelter, what happens when they get here, and where they end up!
New to our Program & Ready to Help an Animal In Need?
FOSTERS SET OUR ANIMALS UP FOR SUCCESS IN THEIR FOREVER HOMES!
FOSTERS SET OUR ANIMALS UP FOR SUCCESS IN THEIR FOREVER HOMES!
Last year, in 2023, a total of 568 animals got to spend time in foster care!
YOU ARE CRUCIAL TO ENSURING OUR ANIMALS GET THE EXTRA SUPPORT THEY NEED!
YOU ARE CRUCIAL TO ENSURING OUR ANIMALS GET THE EXTRA SUPPORT THEY NEED!
We currently have hundreds of active fosters helping drive our mission forward!
Get Involved!
Get Involved!
You are already an integral part of our community! Whether you are a weekend foster, fostering to adopt, or general foster you are making a huge difference in the lives of our animals :)
After your first foster you are invited to take part in volunteering activities! If you are interested we will get you onboard through a streamlined onboarding process, safety training, and role specific training if necessary.
You will immediately have the opportunity to sign up to help at ACL events, or sign up for our training for roles like our dog walking program, cat enrichment, adoption counselor team, Communications & admin team, 2nd Chance Thrift shop, and more!
Join our Facebook Group!
Join our Facebook Group!
Click Here :)
Active foster? Become part of our virtual network of like minded foster parents to share updates on your foster animal, ask questions, stay up to date on ACL developments, and more!
How Can I Help My Foster Get Adopted?
How Can I Help My Foster Get Adopted?
No matter how long or short you have your foster there is so much you will learn about their personality outside of the shelter! You can directly influence your dog’s adaptability by taking photos of them, and learning about their quirks and personalities.
Email these photos and what you have learned about them to our adoption team adoption@animalcareleague.org! We would love to know what their favorite things are, how they are at home– especially once they have decompressed, if they have any funny quirks, and more!
At any point in time feel free to fill out a Personality Update Form to tell us more about your foster pet and what you have learned about them so far :)
Primary Contact
Primary Contact
Remy Gajewski
Foster Program Manger
Email: foster@animalcareleague.org
Office hours: Tuesday-Saturday
Office number: (708) 848-8155 ext. 124
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