A Chicago dog rescue made famous for taking in a lovable 85-pound beagle has opened a new facility to accommodate more canines in need.
On Saturday, One Tail at a Time opened up a brand new adoption center. The dog rescue launched a fundraiser back in May to open the new facility at 2144 N. Wood Street and met their goal within 70 days.
Heather Owen, OTAT's executive director, was overjoyed by the global response to the rescue’s mission.
"Seeing that people around the world believe in our mission was awe-inspiring," Owen said.
Since 2008 the foster-based dog rescue has relied on a dedicated army of foster home volunteers to help rescue dogs from puppy mills, hoarding, high-risk situations and high-kill shelters. Some of the rescue's famous adoptees include Kale Chips, the 85-pound beagle, and Roo, a pup dying of cancer whose foster owners made him the ultimate bucket list.
The new adoption center will now allow OTAT to help save even more lives.
“It’s great because it means we can cycle through dogs more quickly, so dogs can go to foster homes and get healthy, and once they’re adoptable they come here. Then they can go to great homes, and that means we have more room in our foster homes so we can take more dogs in need,” Owen said.
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The new space in West Bucktown will also host adoption and community events as well as training sessions. Owen says OTAT will also continue with its community outreach programs aimed at educating pet owners about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets. Owen says the adoption center is just another tool the rescue can use to help tackle the city’s pet overpopulation problem.
“Our city shelter euthanizes 10 dogs per day with our tax dollars. We want this to stop," Owen said. "We're opening this center because those dogs that are dying, they're are our responsibility. We're ready to take our city back, and we need everyone's help."
OTAT is part of NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago's initiative to help "Clear the Shelters" on Aug. 15. All participating shelters will waive adoption fees that day to encourage people to adopt a pet.
Since its founding in 2008, OTAT has rescued and adopted more than 1,000 dogs.
