South Suburban Humane Society launches 'Home for the Holidays' foster program

MATTESON, Ill. - Everybody wants to be home for the holidays, including our furry, four-legged friends. That's why a south suburban animal shelter has announced a program aimed at clearing the kennels over the holidays — with your help.

It's anything but silent right now at the South Suburban Humane Society in Matteson. The shelter is at capacity with 75 dogs and just under capacity with 50 cats. But all that could change thanks to a program called "Operation Silent Night."

"Because we'd like to have a silent night here in the shelter on Christmas Eve and Christmas," said South Suburban Humane Society CEO Emily Klehm. "So we're trying to get every pet in the building fostered or adopted out in time for the holidays."

But that's going to take a lot of help from people looking to give a warm and loving home to an animal over the holidays. And if you think it would be cruel to foster a cat or dog for just a few days and then bring it back—"Even a short break from the shelter has been shown from a research perspective to lower their stress levels," said Klehm. "And those lower stress levels continue even when they're brought back."

Klehm said it also gives staff useful information about how that cat or dog behaves at home, which can help future fosters or adoptions.

To empty the shelter by Christmas, they're waiving adoption fees between December 20 and 23 and ramping up efforts to find foster placements. But they ask that when you walk in the door, come in with an open mind. Eleanor Sloan serves as the shelter's matchmaker, helping people find a pet suitable for their situation.

"There's nothing wrong with having pros and cons listed in your head, right? That helps with matchmaking," said Sloan. "But specifically on breeds and preconceived notions about breeds, it's really important just to get to know the dog in front of you."

And there has never been a greater need for a silent night at the shelter. Intakes are up and adoptions are down across the country, meaning the people who work and volunteer here are stressed.

"We're a 365-day operation," said Klehm. "Someone has to be here every single day to take care of the pets. So that means Christmas day as well. So that means the fewer pets that we have, the fewer staff that we need to take away from their families on the holidays as well."

The South Suburban Humane Society is open for visitors on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the shelter is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. You can also go to their website and look for a friend to take home for the holidays.