Editors note: This story has been updated to amend the date of the event.
Oak Park’s Animal Care League (ACL) is hosting a dog speed-dating event this week after reporting it was over capacity with many pets needing help finding new homes.
The event is the latest in a series of community engagement efforts the shelter has pushed recently. ACL hoped to host an open house community event on its campus, June 21, and waived adoption fees last weekend, but a blown transformer forced cancelation.
Thursday’s adoption event will invite prospective dog owners to the shelter’s facility, at 1009 Garfield St., to meet adoptable pets and enjoy family-friendly games and activities. The event will last from 5 to 7 p.m., according to the shelter.
Last month, Animal Care League Executive Director Renee Harlor told Wednesday Journal that the shelter was 50% over capacity, housing 65 dogs on a site designed to ideally house 41. Caring for the extra animals puts pressure on the shelter’s staff, Harlor said.
“Even though we are over capacity, and even though that makes the team work harder, we are very, very, very fortunate to have a team that will work extra, stay longer, work extra days to make sure that the animals all get the proper care,” Harlor said. “It’s a lot on the team … but they do it, and they do it happily because they know it helps the animals.”