We’re big fans of anyone who works to improve the lives of animals. But we have a special place in our hearts for the passionate, committed, and hard-working individuals who run pet shelters. Many of the people who save pets, care for them, and help them get adopted are volunteers. So, they generously donate their time and effort out of the goodness of their hearts.

One such special person is Stacy Gaskins, the founder and board chair of NAWS, a no-kill humane society located here in Mokena. In addition to rehoming over 2,500 homeless pets each year, NAWS offers an animal clinic open to the public, low-cost spay/neuter services, and pet boarding.

We recently had the chance to ask Stacy some questions about her experience running a shelter and what advice she has for those adopting pets.

 

Q. What advice would you have for someone looking to adopt from a shelter? 

It is imperative that you focus on the right temperament and fit for your family rather than just looks or a specific breed. Rescues tend to take more time finding the appropriate fit for a family than most shelters, so if there are children or other pets in the home, you should probably start with rescues that utilize adoption counselors to introduce you to appropriate pets for your own lifestyle and living situation.

Q. What’s something you think people would be surprised to know about pet shelters?

If people have not adopted before, they would probably be surprised that the majority of shelter pets are no different than purchased pets, and a good majority of them started as purchased pets that lost their way or their owners could not afford to keep them, things like that.

Q. What advice would you have for someone who adopts a pet and then feels like it’s not a good fit?

Most of us actually require in the adoption contract that the pet be returned to the organization for any reason. At NAWS it is our primary goal to find the correct fit prior to adoption to minimize returns, which is not always a guarantee that things will go as planned. We and other rescues prefer to have the pet returned to us and hopefully can find a better fit for the family.

Q. Do you recommend fostering to adopt?

We actually prefer to provide a trial period to be sure the pet is the right fit vs. calling it a foster to adopt. Fosters are meant to be ongoing fosters for pets until they find a home and then take the next foster in. This allows us to continue saving lives. If people are really just interested in seeing if a pet is a good fit before an adoption, that is considered a home trial. We do this for most of our dog adoptions to be sure the fit is right.

Q. Why is it better to adopt from a shelter than anywhere else?

Until there are enough GOOD, SAFE homes for all the homeless pets, there is no need to breed and purchase pets. Also, while there are good, reputable breeders out there, most of the dogs being bred for money have a miserable existence. You’ve probably heard by now about puppy mill dogs and backyard breeders, it is a brutal industry.

Q. What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

I am actually a volunteer, as are all of our Board members, and to me the most rewarding part of this is to see the impact we are making in people’s lives, the community’s well-being, and most importantly the ability to create happy endings for so many wonderful pets that most likely wouldn’t be alive without our help.

Q. What’s the most challenging part of your job?

The most challenging part is the constant lack of funds to care for so many pets in need, particularly those with illnesses and medical conditions that require hospitalization or surgery. We won’t give up on them, but we also can’t afford the constant medical bills.

Q. Is it hard not to adopt all the cute animals you meet?

Yes and no! We love so many of them that come to us, but with the number of pets we see that need us on a daily basis, nothing gives us more joy than finding them a forever home.

 

If you’re ready to add a pet to your family, please adopt from NAWS or a local, no-kill shelter in your area. And if your pet family is already complete but you’d like to support the shelter’s important work, consider donating money or pet supplies. Like NAWS, many shelters are 501c3 organizations and depend upon donations to continue saving thousands of pets each year.