TOPINKA: COMPTROLLER’S CRITTERS UNITES PETS WITH OWNERS, SAVES DOLLARS
Comptroller announces partnership with animal adoption centers
CHICAGO – Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka joined dozens of animal lovers and adoptable dogs Sunday in announcing Comptroller’s Critters, a program aimed at bringing potential pet owners together with Illinois shelters to provide loving homes for animals – and ultimately save on overpopulation costs.
Speaking at PAWS Chicago Adoption Center, Topinka noted that more than 50 Illinois shelters have registered for Critters, which allows organizations to post pictures and information about adoptable pets on the Comptroller’s website, providing a one-stop-shop for families looking for a new animal. When an animal is adopted, its owners are presented with a certificate declaring the pet a “Comptroller’s Critter.”
For more on the program, please visit: www.ioc.state.il.us.
“Comptroller’s Critters puts pets in loving homes by using our website, information from shelters, and other resources already in existence,” said Topinka, who launched a similar Treasured Pets program during her three terms as Illinois State Treasurer. “In fact, by bringing adoptable dogs and cats together with families that want them, we will save in the long-run on overpopulation and animal control costs.”
Thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized every year in Illinois because loving homes cannot be found. In fact, more than 10,000 were euthanized last year in the city of Chicago alone. At the same time, abandoned pets cost state taxpayers in local animal control efforts. Comptroller’s Critters aims to save on those costs by matching pets with homes, and is available to all animal adoption organizations in the state.
An avid supporter of pet adoption, Topinka most recently welcomed 11-year-old Beagle, Bella; 7-year-old Scottie, Jack; and Nora, a 3-year-old Scottie, into her home. On Sunday, she stressed the importance of adoption, and thanked centers like PAWS Chicago for making the cause their mission.
“PAWS and other adoption centers give these animals a chance that they would not have otherwise,” she said. “This is a low-cost way to draw attention to their efforts, and I am excited about what is possible.”
“We have an endless supply of friendly pets waiting to go home with a new family, and appreciate any effort to raise public awareness of the opportunities,” added Paula Fasseas, PAWS Chicago Founder and Chairwoman. “Working together, we can find good homes for these animals.”
