© 2024 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Wish Bone Canine Rescue Expands To Former Tri-Lakes Banquet Hall

Wish Bone Canine Rescue organization is turning the former Tri-Lakes banquet hall into no-kill shelter to save more dogs and to make their time in shelter care less stressful until they are adopted.  During a tour of the current location at 1303 South Morrissey Drive, a big thunderstorm hits and Queenie, a large pit bull mix paces in an area known as "the condo," the largest cage area that has a window.

"She's big so she's a lot to handle," said Dana Altenberger. "She was adopted by a lady but she wound up trading her in for an eight pound Yorkie." That's the kind of situation Wish Bone tries to prevent so it recommends would-be new owners foster a dog first before committing to an adoption.

But, big dogs are harder to adopt and house.  Currently, Wish Bone has only 11 cages for dogs over 20 pounds and the bigger animals have to be housed in the basement of the Morrissey Drive facility.  The new location, the converted Tri-Lakes Banquet Hall off of South Bunn Street, will have 5,000 square feet which is more than twice the size of the Morrissey Drive building.  It will accommodate 30 larger cages, outdoor runs and has plenty of green space and a lake.

Nicer for Dogs and Volunteers

Altenberger thinks the new location will help attract volunteers.  "It's peaceful out here.  They'll have more space and more play time, Altenberger said referring to the dogs.  But, she believes it'll be more attractive for volunteers.  "Hopefully we'll entice more dog walkers to come out here because they won't have to walk on the highway on the hot asphalt.  They can take a nice stroll around the lake."  The newly renovated building will also have a sound-proof barrier between office space and the area holding kennels. 

At the current shelter, staff or volunteers are challenged in answering the phone which rings regularly. According to Altenberger, "It's really impossible to hear over the phone with the dogs, depending on how many we have in there at a time so they [volunteers] usually have to go into the supply closet to talk on the phone." The new location will also eventually have a larger area for dogs that require quarantine due to illness and while most of the dogs at Wish Bone are local, the shelter is connected with animal control facilities and shelters within a 100-mile radius.  So for example, it will be able to take more dogs from Chicago which has been hit by the canine flu.

Wish Bone Canine Rescue became an official non-profit agency in 2010 and operates as a no-kill shelter meaning it does not discriminate by breed, age or health status. Its mission statement says only dogs that are too sick, irremediably suffering or too injured to be rehabilitated, or animals that are too vicious with a poor prognosis for rehabilitation should be euthanized.​​

The Morrissey Drive location is now closed and not accepting new dogs in preparation for moving day which is June 28.  Altenberger says the organization needs a lot of help. "We have to physically move the dogs so we need people to help with that. We also have a lot of pea gravel that has to be transported to the new facility so if anybody has something to transport all that gravel we would really appreciate that."

Altenberger says anyone volunteering will be put to work and Wish Bone also needs more people willing to foster dogs while the move occurs.  The entire cost of the expansion is estimated at $30,000 and Wish Bone will be kicking off a capital campaign soon.  In the meantime, the organization is still looking for ceiling tiles which are considered one of the more costly items of the remodel.  You can donate to the organizationand designate specifically how you want money spent.

 
WGLT depends on financial support from users to bring you stories and interviews like this one. As someone who values experienced, knowledgeable, and award-winning journalists covering meaningful stories in central Illinois, please consider making a contribution.

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Colleen has spent most of her adult life working the streets and beats of Bloomington-Normal for WJBC-AM where she won numerous reporting awards for hard news, feature writing, and breaking news coverage.
Related Content