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SERVING PEOPLE. SAVING PETS.
winnebago county animal services is a department of Winnebago County government covering more than 500 square miles and serving the more than 280,000 residents who call Winnebago County home. We provide a number of services including pet licensing and registration, veterinary care to animals in need, animal welfare and cruelty investigations, pet adoptions, and more.
The Animal Services department cares for an average of 4,000 animals each year, serves all municipalities, and is the only government run animal services/animal sheltering organization in the county. We work to find homes for pets not reclaimed by their owners. If you are considering adoption we encourage you to view our adoptable pet listings, which are automatically updated every few minutes throughout the day. If you don’t find the pet you’re looking for at Animal Services, also consider visiting other nonprofit shelters and rescues in the community.
hours / contact
Shelter/Lobby Hours:
Monday: 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday-Friday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday: CLOSED
*Please note, all adoptions end 30 minutes prior to closing.
Patrol Hours:
Daily: 7:00 AM. – 12:00 AM (midnight)
Phone: (815) 319-4100
Fax: (815) 319-4101
Main Shelter
4517 North Main Street
Rockford, IL 61103
lost &
found
lost
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our services
In addition to pet adoption, WCAS offers services to help keep the pets and people of Winnebago County safe and healthy.
featured
animals
for
adoption
considering adopting?
add a furry member to your family
Winnebago County Animal Services works to find happy and healthy homes for adoptable dogs, cats, and other animals. We make finding and bringing home your new family member easy and affordable.
animal
fostering
interested in becoming a foster?
Fostering is a wonderful and rewarding way to help animals who require a little extra attention and care before they are able to be adopted into a permanent home.
we’re social animals
join our pack
🐾🤎Adam is 55 pounds of WIGGLES! So much so that volunteers have lovingly nicknamed him, WIGGLES! 🤎🐾
He is an affectionate... and happy guy looking to find his people to love and cherish! Adam came to us as a stray in late-May and was never reclaimed by an owner. While Adam has small bursts of ZOOMIES and energy, he is also happy to relax near his people with his favorite toy. Adam has been with WCAS since late May and the dog at the shelter who has been looking for a home the longest! Volunteers and staff are scratching our heads as to why no one has taken home this sweet boy! He has even been on the news 3 times!
He can't wait to meet you and he when he does, we are sure he won't stop wiggling with excitement! Are you ready to fall in love?
🐾 Adam (Wiggles) is WCAS's longest staying resident! This means he is one of our Lonely Hearts Dogs, so 1/2 of his adoption fee is sponsored by the WCAS Auxiliary. 🐾
Go to www.winnebagoanimals.org to complete an adoption questionnaire
🎉ADOPTION UPDATE!🎉
💜Remember Trevor (now Karjo)???💜
Karjo came to us as a stray earlier this month and spent just a ...handful of days with before his forever family visited and fell in love with him!
Karjo's owners shared this wonderful update!
🐾I wanted to give you guys an update about a cat we adopted named Trevor, which we renamed to Karjo. He has warmed up very quickly. He loves cuddles and playing with toys. And loves to run around. Thank you so much for letting us adopt our little Karjo❤🐾
👉Interested in creating your own adoption story?
We have over lots of amazing dogs & cats available for adoption! We are open for adoptions from 11am - 4pm today!
👉Visit our website - www.WinnebagoAnimals.org - to view all of the pets currently available for adoption and to complete an adoption questionnaire!
🖤Meet Cleo!🖤
Cleo came to us as a stray and was never reclaimed by an owner, so her exact background is unknown. Help us get to ...know Cleo by meeting with her and seeing if they are the right fit for your family! She can’t wait to meet you, so come to the shelter during our open hours and meet Cleo and other pets ready to find new homes.
Want to have your adoption application on file before you come? You can fill out an adoption application today right through our website!
#shelterdog #shelterdogsofinstagram #shelterdogs #shelterdogsrock #shelterdogsrule #shelterdogsarethebest #shelterdogsmatter #shelterdogsofig #shelterdogsrock🐾🐶 #rescuedog #rescuedogs #tescuedogsrock -#rescuedogs
🖤In honor of Black Cat Appreciation Day, we'd like to introduce you to a special cat at WCAS! 🖤
Introducing the ✨ ...INCREDIBLY Beautiful ✨, Jeanie.
Jeanie arrived to the shelter with a litter of kittens. She was a doting mom and warmed up well in her foster home while she raised her babies.
When Jeanie first arrived in at the shelter, she was very shy and spent most of her time hiding in a cubby. It took time for Jeanie to realize that she was in a safe place and finally relax. Once she did, she began venturing out of her cubby, and we started to see her loving personality.
Nowadays, anyone who meets Jeanie can immediately tell she is a sweet and gentle soul. While she is still a bit timid around people, with patience, Jeanie will let her human friends pet her. She spends her days looking out the window dreaming of her forever home.
Jeanie is looking for a calm, quiet home with a family who will let her come out of her shell on her own time. With time, patience and lots of love, one lucky family will see just how amazing this mama cat is.
Due to Jeanie's long time search for a forever home they’re part of the "Lonely Hearts Club" meaning half of their adoption fee has been covered by the WCAS Auxiliary! She can’t wait to meet you, so come to the shelter during our open hours and meet Jeanie and other pets ready to find new homes.
You can visit our website and complete an adoption questionnaire below. ⬇
www.winnebagoanimals.org
If you can't adopt Jeanie, tell your friends about her. We know an amazing person or family is out there for her and she is ready and waiting. ❤️
🎉ADOPTION UPDATE!🎉
💜Remember Laylani (now Honey)???💜
Honey came to us as a stray in mid-July and was never reclaimed ...by an owner. She was with us for just short of a month before her family visited WCAS and fell in love with her!
Honey's owners shared this wonderful update!
🐾Laylani is now named Honey and she is every bit as sweet! She is adjusting very well and faster than we expected!! It’s almost unbelievable that she is the same shut down, meek and scared lil girl we first met. We are still working on a few things but all in all she is a very polite loving and smart pup!!! She immediately formed a bond with our adult son who has special needs. She has been very affectionate and snuggly. She seems to enjoy being a star and having all our attention! Honey appears to be benefiting from our fairly quiet household and is gaining more confidence every day! She loves going on car rides, belly rubs, kisses, sprawling out on the deck for sun baths and telling the ornery squirrels whose boss. We absolutely adore her and want to Thank the entire staff and volunteers who cared for her. It’s only been a week and it already feels like she’s just always been here!!!🐾
👉Interested in creating your own adoption story?
We have over lots of amazing dogs & cats available for adoption! We are open for adoptions until 4pm!
👉Visit our website - www.WinnebagoAnimals.org - to view all of the pets currently available for adoption and to complete an adoption questionnaire!
💕Meet Hennessey!💕
Hennessey came to us as a stray and was never reclaimed by an owner, so her exact background is unknown. We do... know that during the first week of her being here, she was showing signs consistent with kennel anxiety. Our team worked with her and shared that although she is a bit nervous & shy, she has not shown any signs of aggressive behavior.
Our team is recommending a home with no children under the age of 13 year old and are requiring a meet & greet with other dogs in the household before adoption can be approved.
Interested in Hennessey? She can’t wait to meet you, so come to the shelter during our open hours and meet Hennessey and other pets ready to find new homes.
Want to have your adoption application on file before you come? You can fill out an adoption application today right through our website!
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making news
WCAS Returning to Past License Tag Style Due to Global Shipping Disruptions
Winnebago County Animal Services (WCAS) will be returning to the past pet license tag style for 2022 pet registrations. This license tag style, which is a flat, stamped aluminum tag, was last used...
Kitten Season
Kitten season hits every spring and every spring staff prepares for the influx of kittens about to come through our doors. Learn more here!
Working Cat Program
The Working Cat Program finds homes for those cats are better suited to a non-traditional home setting.
PetSmart Adoption Program
WCAS has partnered with six PetSmart locations to help cats and kittens find their new homes.