Ellen Wullbrandt has been president of the Fox Valley Animal Welfare League since 2008 and volunteered for the organization seven years before that.
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However, in essence she has “grown up” with the group. Wullbrandt received a lifetime membership to the organization from her grandmother when she young.
The Fox Valley Animal Welfare League, which was formed in 1946, has been part of her family for generations, Wullbrandt said.
“I adopted my first dog from the Fox Valley Animal Welfare League,” she added, when it was affiliated with Aurora Animal Control.
At the time, the two organizations shared a building, and Aurora Animal Control sheltered the animals and the Fox Valley Animal Welfare League provided medical care, spaying and neutering and helped with the adoption process.
Wullbrandt said at the time she volunteered “walking dogs, socializing cats, and cleaning cages.”
However, she also saw animals being euthanized due to lack of space and too many animals.
Seeing this got Wullbrandt motivated to “do so something on the front-end before the animal even gets to the shelter,” she added, and not just hoping it gets adopted once it is placed in the facility.
Branching out from Aurora Animal Control in 2012, the Fox Valley Animal Welfare League has spayed or neutered nearly 20,000 animals including 9,916 cats, 8,705 dogs, and 835 rabbits.
According to the organization’s clinical director Richard Glessner, if each one of those spayed or neutered animals had produced a litter of five, that is “about 100,000 animals that have not been born.”
Controlling the pet population has become a key focal point of Fox Valley Animal Welfare League.
Spaying and neutering is a proactive, preventative measure rather than reactionary, Glessner added.
“We also offered low-cost vaccines hoping to make it more affordable for people to keep their pets in their homes,” he said.
Glessner, his staff, and about 25 volunteers aim to meet the demands of the 100 to 150 calls the group receives each day.
As one of the few clinics that provides low-cost spaying and neutering for rabbits, surgeries are currently booked through June 2017, and there is a waiting list for the summer and fall.
The organization also provides preventive dental cleanings. Right now there is a long waiting list for the service, Glessner added.
“Our whole focus is on preventative care. We do not see sick or injured animals,” he said.
As a nonprofit, Fox Valley Animal Welfare League requires a fee for its services, but also relies on charitable donations.
“Another way we minimize our costs is through the assistance we receive from volunteers,” Glessner said.
Fox Valley Animal Welfare League volunteers help check-in animals and assist with data entry.
Volunteers scrub and clean the surgical equipment and also assist in the post operation recovery process, staying with the animal until they are awake and monitoring the animals, he added.
“There is always a need for additional volunteers,” Glessner said.
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The Fox Valley Animal Welfare League is located at 11 John St. in North Aurora.
Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News