No-kill animal shelter in Wheeling reopens after devastating flood

WHEELING, Ill. - A north suburban no-kill animal shelter that nearly lost everything to a flood is back—bigger and better than ever—thanks to the community that helped save it.

What we know:

A pair of puppies played together at Heartland Animal Shelter in Wheeling on Sunday as part of its grand reopening.

In June 2024, nearly 100 cats and dogs at the shelter were in danger when a broken water main caused severe flooding.

Tony Maticic was the first to arrive that morning.

"Water was cascading across the parking lot through this front door. I came out, looked through the front window and there was like two feet of water in here," said Waste Management Driver Tony Maticic.

After calling 911, staff and volunteers scrambled to get all the animals to safety.

Amazingly, not a single dog or cat was lost to the rising floodwaters. The building itself, however, couldn't be saved.

"You would not believe what I thought was a little flood could really do to ruin an entire building. Your electric, your medical equipment, everything was waterlogged and we had to start completely from scratch," said Executive Director Jenny Schlueter. 

Starting over meant finding temporary homes and adoption venues to care for Heartland’s many wayward dogs and cats.

What they're saying:

"All of us were trying to figure out, okay, how can we pull together and organize and help out while we don't have a physical shelter to be in, but thankfully, the community also really came together," said adoption liaisons Mia and Sharon. 

"We have been camping out in airports, in strip malls, at cat cafes, at boarding facilities, in foster homes – we have just pivoted and worked wherever we could," said Schlueter. 

What's next:

Now, Heartland is back to the business of finding forever homes for its residents.

Despite the challenges, the shelter closed out 2024 by placing more than 1,000 dogs and cats in new homes.