Animal Shelter has its Power Back

The West Suburban Humane Society is back in business after losing power following a brief but intense rainstorm Monday.

The power resumed at 2 p.m. Thursday, more than 72 hours after it went out at the animal shelter, 1901 Ogden Ave., Downers Grove.

Shelter staff was able to care for the animals because of the generosity of its supporters and the public, they said.

During the power outage, which was caused by a small fire from some downed wires, the animal shelter communicated its needs and progress through Facebook, such as this post from Monday, about 12 hours after the power went out:

"Thanks to donations of battery-powered fans and Doggie Depot, who provided a generator, we have lots of fans running and the animals are quite comfortable. West Suburban Veterinary Associates was generous was generous enough to house many of our needier cats and a couple of our older dogs and they even came to pick them up! Volunteers are taking shifts overnight to keep the generator running and the doors and windows open."

No humans or animals were injured. Power was restored a day earlier than expected.

While it was good news that electricity had been restored and the shelter has air conditioning and lights, the shelter, as of Friday  evening was still without Internet and phone service. Again via Facebook, shelter staff said they had begun moving the animals back and were asking donors to retrieve their materials.

To reach someone at the shelter, use email: adoptiondesk@wshs-dg.org or animalcare@wshs-dg.org.

During the power outage, volunteers stayed at the shelter overnight care for dozens of cats and dogs there. Volunteers also took in animals, particularly older animals with longer hair that might not fare well in hot weather.