In the small Iroquois County Animal Rescue, there is room for 10 dogs desperately seeking a home.

The shelter, located in Watseka, oddly enough, has room for more dogs.

At a time when pet rescue and animal control facilities are seeking every extra square foot to tuck a homeless dog or cat in, the Iroquois rescue has space.

The problem they have is the lack of help. They are operating on a volunteer-only basis.

The increased minimum wage in Illinois – now at $15 per hour – is forcing these locations to tighten their belts and rely on volunteers to care for discarded pets.

Tighter resources not only place a burden on the shelters and rescues, but also on the families that once had the pet in their home.

Faith Stackert, 44, of Watseka, vice president of the Iroquois shelter, said every animal shelter is facing the same dilemma.

The Iroquois animal rescue is slated to house 80 cats and 10 dogs. It has “at least” 80 felines, Stackert explained, but only three dogs.

When shelters are bursting at the seams, why only three dogs?

The Iroquois location has only five people – all volunteers, including herself – feeding, cleaning, and answering calls and emails.

“People call or email daily that they want to surrender an animal,” she said. “We always try to help, but we have to consider our resources.

“... Just because we have open cages or kennels doesn’t mean we have room. We have to have volunteers and resources. We can’t do any more than we are doing. We put out pleas to the public. We need committed volunteers.”

Animals cannot be cared for without humans.

She is caring for the dogs almost by herself, she said. She covers the morning duties daily and the evening shift, often five nights a week.

“I’m doing this 80% of the time. I’m tired. I don’t have enough help,” Stackert said.

While some may blame the economy, a pet owner’s dedication to the animal or any other reason, Stackert said caring for unwanted animals has always been a challenge.

“Many volunteers don’t always understand the commitment that is needed to do this. They don’t understand if you say you are going to be here, you have to be here,” she said.

In the nearby Kankakee County Humane Foundation in St. Anne, this nonprofit, donation-funded shelter has been under the leadership of Kara Muhlstadt since March 2024.

She has a staff of 13 part-time employees and five volunteers.

Muhlstadt said the location needs a volunteer staff of 30 to 40, not five.

No animal shortage

Like other sites, the Kankakee County Human Foundation may be short on help, but not animals.

Muhlstadt said the increased minimum wage caused her to cut back on paid staff, which only heightened the issue of the lack of volunteers.

“I know people don’t think it’s a big deal when the minimum wage goes from $14 an hour to $15. For an organization like ours, it’s a lot. It’s rough. It’s very rough,” Muhlstadt said.

Nationally, adoption trends show cat adoptions growing while dog adoptions are trending downward.

Trends show that adoption numbers have grown, which is good news. The bad news is that more animals are being dropped off at these locations.

Momence-based River Valley Animal Rescue currently has a waiting list for animal surrenders.

“We have had, and continue to have, a record number of dogs and cats surrendered,” the nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue wrote in a Facebook post.

They currently house 100 cats and kittens and 72 dogs and puppies – more than they have ever had, the organization said.

“We have a financial need to make all this work.”

According to Shelter Animals Count, a national database, about 2.8 million cats and dogs entered animal shelters and rescue organizations across the United States between January and June this year.

This rate was a 4% decline from the same time frame in 2024.

However, adoptions decreased by 1% during the same time period, with 1.9 million animals adopted.

Who is willing to help?

When Muhlstadt joined the rescue in May 2019 as a part-time employee, she was pleased when pay rates rose. She now sees it from the management perspective.

When looking at it from a business perspective, “it’s a struggle,” she said of the site, which routinely cares for 30 dogs and 25 cats. “I’m a little fearful it’s not sustainable. I am worried ultimately in the long run.”

The answer, of course, can be rather simple. The sites need more donors and more volunteers.

If it were only that easy.

“We do have a good community. When we put out requests for things, people respond,” Muhlstadt said.

But these sites need people just as much as they do donations.

At the Iroquois County Animal Control location, a Facebook post labeled the facility as full.

“We need to find homes for dogs. Rescues (locations) are full. Times are hard. Reality, we cannot save them without your help,” the post read. “... So, what happens to the ones we have if no one is willing to help?”

Muhlstadt said a thought has entered her mind from time to time – will she one day be at the Illinois Route 1 location by herself, caring for 50 to 60 animals?

“I need 30 to 40 volunteers. We have a long way to go,” she said.

She, however, wants people to consider helping at the site. It is rewarding, she said.

“You are making a difference,” Muhlstadt said.

For volunteer and donation information for the above rescues, visit iroquoiscountyanimalrescue.com, k3chf.org and rivervalleyanimalrescue.org.