Chicago Canine Rescue

I can’t speak highly enough about this business.
We contacted them about a particular dog. They instructed us to bring our entire family in (my husband, myself and my 2 year old boy). We went in and were given a great tour of the facility.
Then, they set aside a large room for us to meet and play with the dog. Well, that dog did not work out because he was too energetic for our son and too big for us. We really wanted to add another dog to our family and the team there recommended a few more dogs for us based on our family dynamic. Well, each dog they recommended was great!
We were told to come back another day and to bring our current, older dog to meet the prospective dog. At first we felt like the additional step was overkill, but we figured why not at this point? Well, it goes to show that they know what they are doing. We brought in our smaller dog and that potential dog did not like our current dog at all! The team there said it was not a fit. We then asked to see the back up dog and those two hit it off wonderfully!
We settled on a date for them to bring the dog to our house. They came to our house to make sure that we were equipped for adding another dog.
Overall, we’re in love with our dog from Chicago Canine Rescue. She is part of our family and I’m happy that their process lead us to her. Our son loves her so much and she’s a lifelong pal for him.
Thank you!

I enjoy volunteering at CCR!
I didn’t find the staff to be rude or a problem which was shocking based off some of the reviews others have written.
They’re great with filling out volunteer hour forms and allowing you to take their dogs out on a nice long walk!

Hi I adopted a baby kitten from here and this babycat is the most loveable kitten in the whole world, Iam so sorry that his mom is still there but I have two birds and now two cats in my very small studio apartment. This canine resue place needs help with cats and dogs at this no kill adoption center! They are the nicest people you could meet!

I will echo what many have already Unilocaled: Great, clean facility doing important work. Some of the staff truly care. 5 stars
Regarding adoptions and Anna the manager:
I had/​have a dog that lived to be 15 years 6 months from a puppy. By any standard, a dog deeply loved and cared for. I live within walking distance of the CCR in a fenced single-​family home, and have donated items to them ever since they moved into the neighborhood.
I walked over, visited the space. Met with the kennel staff (they care…)
I saw dogs that I wanted to adopt although they steered me toward pits (NO WAY).
Finally, they started to process forms and background checks.
No progress updates. I’d walk over to show my interest and walk my hopeful new fur buddy.
They said I failed– because of ‘inconsistent vet records’ insisting my senior dog should have shots for stuff my vet did not determine was necessary and that holistic vets do not recommend.
I asked if it was just the particular dog that I wanted or all dogs in the shelter. Anna’s response was ALL dogs. Ever.
I was shocked and it hurt.
Anna blackballed me.
When again, I insisted that the vet told me some inoculations were not needed and that I would never do anything to endanger my dog (who probably ate better than me), I was condescendingly told by Anna ‘I’m sure you love your dog…‘
Really, CCR do you want to find homes for dogs?
Think about it: if you relaxed the zealot attitude, more dogs could have forever homes, faster, and more dogs could be rescued and rehabilitated.
Ultimately, I went out of state (at a significant cost) and found a wonderful older dog who now is in my heart, an on session 2 of obedience.
I no longer wish to financially support this organization due to the attitude.
My sense is that a candidate is profiled. A family before a couple; a couple before a single person… etc.

We loved our experience with Chicago Canine Rescue. I worked primarily with Hannah, who was very thorough and informative, although everyone there was knowledgeable and friendly. Best of all, we get to spend our days with our new furry companion, Ralphie!

Just wanted to update the review and say we highly recommend Chicago Canine Rescue even for people not in the city. As I mentioned our experience far exceeded even the highest expectations. We have officially become unsuccessful foster parents ;-) we adopted our foster dog and he has been in our home for a few months now! He was a great addition and we look forward to supporting CCR for many years to come to repay them for our wonderful dog!

Please help the Chicago Canine Rescue. They had to close for several weeks because someone returned a dog he had adopted many years ago, after putting her in a boarding facility where she contracted canine influenza. (Maybe there were extenuating circumstances, like the death, coma, or imprisonment of the doggy’s guardian — otherwise what kind of person would do this??). Fortunately «Jasmine» the senior dog has recovered and will soon be up for adoption, hopefully into a forever family this time. The dogs need to be walked and the CCR is even more in need of supplies than usual. CCR is full of wonderful, caring people and it is not heavily funded like some of the other area shelters.

If you have kids, don’t go to this place, they have no heart.
We visited Canine Rescue last weekend hoping to find a dog to adopt. We took our 7 year old daughter with us. The first lady who helped us was really nice and showed us all the dogs available for adoption. We really liked a dog named Bunny, she was adorable! We requested to spend time with her, the lady said no problem (she said she was ready to be adopted) we really really really like Bunny, she was super playful and very nice to our daughter. She was jumping all over us and licking us (she is a puppy) We have been looking for the last 3 weeks for a dog, so we were super happy to find Bunny. My daughter is very nice and gentle with dogs and we were thrilled to meet Bunny. We were ready to get the adoption process started when… this woman rushed into the room, took the dog into her arms, and in a very rude way (almost as if we were about to kidnap the dog) told us that the dog was not available, that the dog was not ready to be adopted because she needed to be checked by the vet. Hey, I understand that anybody can make a mistake, but at least have some heart, be kind, and polite. This woman clearly saw our daughter playing with the dog and she didn’t care at all, she just told us in a VERY rude manner we could not take the dog… on top of that adding «good luck with your search» as if we didn’t stand a chance to apply to adopt the dog. We continue adding they didn’t know ANYTHING about the dog, make it sound almost dangerous. So I wonder, is my daughter in danger by having this dog licking her and us? but she didn’t care, she didn’t even say to wash our hands.
Our conclusion is that she may have wanted to adopt Bunny herself!
I would not recommend this place AT ALL

My Fiancée and I rescued Boris, now named Mookie, from CCR, and the experience was fantastic! CCR was very straight forward about the process from the start, and wanted to make sure Mookie ended up in the best possible scenario. They conduct an application screening, puppy introduction (if you have other pets), and home inspection before allowing someone to adopt, which is AWESOME! These animals deserve great homes, and CCR goes above and beyond to make sure that’s what these animals get!
We visited Mookie a few times and submitted an application for him. There were other applications in but CCR wanted a family with a dog and the right situation to rescue Mookie. Once the initial application screening was passed and the vet records for our first dog were confirmed, CCR scheduled a puppy introduction for our dog to meet Mookie. The puppy introduction started out so/​so and Hannah and Anna were so accommodating! They allowed us to stay for a little bit after hours to see if the dogs would warm up too each other. Finally when it was time to go, the dogs started to play and have fun!
Up next was the home inspection. One of CCR’s team drove out to Kildeer, IL to conduct a home inspection, and if that was passed, delivery Mookie! Once we passed the home inspection, the dogs were already playing and we knew it was a perfect match!
CCR is an incredible shelter. They take the time to make sure each animal is going to a forever home, and that is the most important part of this process, that the animals find a loving and caring family/​home!

The folks at Chicago Canine Rescue should be assumed into heaven! They are so loving and caring. Thank god for them and a place like CCR. Wishing you all the best in 2015!

These folks are the real deal. I know in this town PAWS gets all the love but to me, they are more like a corporation and not a shelter. Good for them that they have wealthy benefactors and can hold $ 1,000 a plate shindigs that are attended by the well-​heeled set of Chicago.
But if you’re looking for folks who care about their animals and will do anything they can to help them, this is your place.
Regardless of where you adopt your new best friend, make sure you do just that. Adopt. Don’t shop!

Workers are EXTREMELY RUDE to those that come and volunteer.

Extremely rude. The dogs are really cute but I have never met such rude people. Definitely not coming back,

When I walked into CCR as a part of a «field day» that my company was having to go walk dogs, I never thought that I would fall in love.
The process to volunteer is super efficient — just fill out an form, leave your ID, go through a short orientation, and you are off in dog-​walking heaven. It was a cold day and my first dog, Macchiato, had a little fun in the snow, then turned into a shiver ball so I brought him back and asked for a bigger dog. The volunteers took me at my word and out of the doorway came a wriggling, smiling, wagging mass of fur that is Boomer.
*BAM* Love at first sight.
Next thing you know, I’m convincing my boyfriend, finding a dog-​friendly apartment, and starting the process to break our high-​energy Shepherd/​Hound mix out of his sheltered existence. Anna and Cassy were amazing in helping us get all the paperwork taken care of, calling our future landlords, and doing everything we needed to do to bring our boy home.
A week later, we had a dog. He’s the love of our life and we are so grateful to CCR from rescuing him from Indiana. As a large dog with a couple of issues, he wasn’t a prime candidate for adoption but since they took a chance on him, we get to have him forever.
There are so many dogs who need love, walking, fostering, and adoption at CCR and they do a great job with what they have. This said, they could always use more so if you want to donate your time, supplies, or $$$, CCR is a great place to start!

I can’t imagine someone having a bad experience here, the staff is so sweet, yes not all volunteers know everything about each dog but how could you expect that…
during my visit to pick a dog I came with a list i’d taken from website and told them what type of dog i was looking for, they showed me the dogs I wanted to see and others they thought I might like… thats how I met my sweetheart Banjo. They didn’t know much about his history but I’m sure thats to be expected from a dog that had been transferred from an out of state shelter.
I started out fostering just in case there wasn’t a good fit and CCR was a great support providing leash, harness, collar, crate, food, few months of heart guard, and tons of advice. Because I didn’t have a car they were able to drop him off and this also acted as the required home visit. Anna was great!
Even when i decided to adopt him a couple of weeks later they didn’t ask for the crate or anything back, in fact i told them it would be difficult to come in from where i live to sign paperwork and we did it all by mail.
They were really great, and I highly recommend fostering at first to make sure it is a good fit for both you and dog… this shelter is definitely worth a visit if you are looking to volunteer, foster, or adopt… and their website is great with pictures of their dogs and whatever information they could provide.

I recently adopted my dog Maisie (FKA Flora) from CCR. The whole adoption process was a great experience and took only 4 days total. I visited the shelter first and met 4 – 5 dogs. The staff was really patient with me and very helpful with questions. They leave you alone with the dogs in the greeting room and even let you take the dogs out for walks, something that most other shelters don’t allow.
You have to fill out an online application. The approval process takes a couple days, then if you’re approved they do a home visit and bring the dog to your house. We communicated via email during the approval process and they were very responsive.
I believe you can fill out the online application before you visit the shelter and get pre-​approved. When you visit the shelter after this, you can bring a dog home the day of. I’m not 100% sure on this but it’d probably be more efficient.
CCR is very thorough in making sure you can properly take care of the dog, which is great for the dogs. They take good care of them while at the shelter and give you a comprehensive list of the medical treatments they’ve received.
I would highly recommend taking a look at CCR if you want to adopt a new pet.

I adopted my dog, Camden from here 2 years ago. I will always avidly support CCR because of their professionalism and helpfulness when trying to find the puppy I wanted.
I tried to go through PAWS but found it hard because their screening processes were very time consuming. I agree with people having to be screened but PAWS makes adopting a dog into a turnoff the way they treated me.
I would absolutely recommend adopting from them over any other shelter.

I started volunteering with CCR four years ago and eventually met and adopted Artie. The CCR staff was always gracious, friendly, supportive through our adoption process, and most importantly committed to helping their dogs find loving homes. We have sent several friends to CCR and they have also had similar experiences.
Keep up the great work CCR!

We just (as in two days ago) adopted a dog from Chicago Canine Rescue. I cannot say enough kind things about the great people who work at this amazing organization.
From the moment we walked in the door, we felt very welcome by the volunteers, who took so much time to answer our questions and let us spend time with the dog we were interested in. This shelter has a lengthier application process than many other organizations do: you have to go home and fill out the application online. You can’t do it on the spot when you’re at the shelter. You also can’t take a dog home the same day. Some people might find that frustrating, but I actually think it’s great. This is a wonderful way to force prospective adoptees to go home and really think about whether they’re willing to commit to a dog, instead of making an on-​the-​spot decision they may later regret. (That’s how so many dogs end up in shelters in the first place.)
We submitted an application the day after we met the dog we wanted. I was concerned at first that we weren’t hearing back from CCR right away, but I followed up several times via phone and e-​mail, and I always received a very friendly and prompt reply. The shelter may review multiple applications for the same dog at once, and they don’t go by first-​come, first-​served: they really want to make sure they find the best possible fit for each dog to ensure that it has a happy life in its new home. They also verify your employment, contact a personal reference, and follow up with your veterinarian, if you already have one.
Then, when and if your application is accepted, someone from CCR will bring the dog to your home. They’ll do a home inspection to make sure you have a proper location for the dog to sleep, food for it to eat, etc. If everything checks out, they leave the dog with you. Our inspection was great and the CCR adoption counselor took a lot of time to talk with us and answer any questions we had.
As far as our timeline, we submitted an adoption application on a Thursday and had our new dog at home the following Saturday, so the whole process took a little over a week. Again, that’s a different process than most Chicago shelters follow, but I think it’s for the best, and keeps the best interest of the dogs in mind.
I am grateful to CCR, not only for giving me the privilege of adopting such a wonderful dog, who has already become such an integral part of our household, but also for taking such great care of my dog before I even met him, giving him everything he needed to make sure he found a good home. All of the dogs at the shelter will eventually be placed in great homes because of the dedicated individuals who work at CCR. If you are interested in adopting a dog, I sincerely suggest that you go here first.

All right, I know what you’re thinking … gee whiz Gemma, if it isn’t pizza it’s one of your charitable causes. Well, okay, woof, woof, mangia, buon appetito! But, what I have to cheer about is all about Holiday cheer, and the many reasons for the season!
Although I have not adopted from CCR, I have supported and walked my way through Chicago for these pooches (and an occasional cat), and in these dealings I liked what I saw in terms of commitment and care. I certainly would consider adopting from them when the time is right. I also supported them in recent memorial causes. Their responses were genuine and sincere.
That being said, a friend told me that Chicago Canine was hooking up with a wreath making company in Washington, Lynchcreek Farms, whereby a portion of proceeds from Holiday sales go to the dogs. Not only that but it includes a couple of my favorite things (dogs and shopping).
Their web site was set up easily to link with Lynchcreek and I was able to choose my delivery date, as opposed to UPS or whoever choosing it for me. I loved the wreath hangers I picked (they are lovely and different) and I also chose a Holly arrangement.
So, I’ll give a Unilocal when Lynchcreek Farms comes through.
And as far as Chicago Canine Rescue goes, it was nice to read my Unilocal friend Mike’s recent review; I’m glad they tightened up their adoption process; more places should.
So, a 4 paw salute to CCR for making the Holidays bright on so many levels!