About
Strays Halfway House
Strays Halfway House, founded in 1981 by Belinda Olsen and
Sharon Gawlik, is an all volunteer, registered,
not-for-profit organization dedicated to rescuing stray and
abandoned animals in the villages of the Northwest Suburbs.
All of the monies raised by Strays Halfway House are used
for the animals. There are no paid members of our
organization.
The animal control officers of each village bring stray and
abandoned animals to a holding kennel, where they are kept
for up to 7 days. During those days Strays Halfway House
works in conjunction with the police in an attempt to
reunite lost companion animals with their human friends.
If, at the end of seven days, the animal has not been
claimed, Strays Halfway House arranges that each adoptable
cat or dog is given proper veterinarian care, and places
each into a foster home.
Strays Halfway House does not kill any adoptable animal
that we have taken just because a given time period has
expired. At times we have animals in foster homes for many
months until the "right" adoptive home comes along. We do
not prolong the suffering of any that carry an incurable
disease, or that have temperaments that would make living
in a home with people a miserable experience for that
animal, but we do treat many serious injuries and
conditions that can be resolved, so as to guarantee the
animal a good quality of life.
Strays Halfway House has been helping in these communities
since 1981, successfully placing healthy, well adjusted,
and friendly companions into the homes of Illinois. Strays
also proudly holds the honor of being named Schaumburg
Volunteer Organization of the Year for 1996.
You can rest assured that any companion animal adopted from
Strays Halfway House has had the best modern medical care,
as well as the individualized love of a foster home. This
attention to detail is important, so you can be assured
that any dog or cat you adopt from Strays Halfway House
will be a good match for your home, allowing them to become
a lifelong family member.