PAWS in suburban Tinley Park has temporarily stopped dog adoptions, the animal shelter said Tuesday.
The shelter is "temporarily closed for dog viewing and adoptions due to upper respiratory illness," PAWS said on its website.
Terri Buckley, vice president of PAWS' dog medical team told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday that the closure was due to an outbreak of mycoplasma pneumonia and that the shelter had lost at least eight dogs to the upper respiratory illness.
“To be on the safe side and to keep the community and animals safe, we are not doing adoptions and we are not taking in any stray animals, not even from Tinley Park,” she told the Tribune.
“We can’t take in strays. What if we take one in and then the owner comes to claim it and it’s been exposed? Then it gets taken to the dog park and exposes others.”
PAWS' website said that it remained open for cat adoptions and planned to post online once dogs are again available.
