The DeWitt County Animal Shelter was formed in the early 70's after a new law was passed in Illinois that required counties to establish an Animal Control Program. The Shelter was built around 1972 or 1973, as required by this law, and according to state specifications. The current Administrator and Animal Control Officer is Tamara McFeeters. Mary Ella Menenga is the shelter Veteranarian. For many years there was no adoption program at the Shelter, so the animals were euthanized when they weren't reclaimed. In January 1991 though, that all changed when the DeWitt County Board passed a new Animal Control Ordinance that allowed animals to be adopted from the Shelter. Since that time, two not-for-profit organizations have helped adopt out animals from the Shelter. The current organization is Second Chance for Pets. The organization donates food, supplies, vaccinations, and vet care when needed for the Shelter animals.
Second Chance for Pets
Second Chance for Pets is a not-for-profit organization, begun in 1998 and made up of volunteers, most of whom have full-time jobs away from the Shelter. We work closely with DeWitt County Animal Shelter and Animal Control. We constantly strive to find suitable adoptive homes for the Shelter animals, through ads and pictures placed in the local newspapers, and on the Petfinder website. Because of this, hundreds of animals have been saved and have avoided death by euthanasia. We also rely on good foster homes to care for animals from the Shelter until permanent homes can be found. The shelter and Second chance provide vet care and vaccinations for any Shelter animal or foster care animal. Second Chance maintains this website on Petfinder, so that the animals can have as much exposure to future adoptive homes as possible.
Needless to say, we are always in need of volunteers and good foster families. We also accept monetary donations to help with all of these efforts. Our future dream is to raise enough money to build an animal care facility, as we do not have a building of our own. To volunteer or make a donation, PLEASE call 217-935-3488 and leave a message, or mail to: P.O. Box 243, Clinton, IL 61727. Also, if you are interested in adopting any of the animals you see online, call us and one of our volunteers will return your call within 24 hours at 935-3488. Our adoption fees vary as some pets require more vet care than others, but are in no way unreasonable.
OUR MISSION IS TO HAVE NO HOMELESS OR UNWANTED ANIMALS AND TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP BY SPAYING AND NEUTERING.
ATTENTION: Animals with (SC) behind their name are in foster care all others are in the county shelter.
Please pay close attention to the animal's description, as there may be an additional phone number to call. Some of our pets are in foster homes and the best person to tell you about them is their foster parent.
Directions:
From the West: From Springfield, Illinois, take Rt. 54 East to Clinton. Take Rt. 54 (turns into Van Buren Street) through Clinton to the Rt. 54 & 10 intersection, then take Rt. 10 to Weldon Springs Road. Turn right. DCAS is located on the right on the corner at 5955 Weldon Springs Road next to the EMS building.
From the East: From Champaign, Illinois, take Rt. 10 West to Clinton. Turn left at Weldon Springs Road about 1 mile east of Clinton. DCAS is located on the right on the corner at 5955 Weldon Springs Road next to the EMS building.
From the South: From Decatur, Illinois, take Rt. 51 North to Clinton to the 4-way stop light and turn right (East) onto W. Van Buren Street (Rt. 54 East) and go through the Rt. 54 & 10 intersection, then take Rt 10 to Weldon Springs Road. Turn right. DCAS is located on the right on the corner at 5955 Weldon Springs Road next to the EMS building.
From the North: From Bloomington, Illinois, take Rt. 51 South to Clinton Business 51 South, go south to a 4-way stop sign, then turn right and follow Rt. 51 South (Grant Street) to the second stop light. Turn left at the stop light onto E. Van Buren Street (Rt. 54 & 10) and go through the intersection of Rt. 54 & 10, then take Rt 10 to Weldon Springs Road. Turn right. DCAS is located on the right on the corner at 5955 Weldon Springs Road next to the EMS building.
