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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
a pet?
found
a stray?
our services
In addition to pet adoption, WCAS offers services to help keep the pets and people of Winnebago County safe and healthy.
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
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‼🎉ADOPTION UPDATE!🎉‼
❤Remember Chet & Cora (now Church & Leia)???❤
Church & Leia came to WCAS as stray kittens back in 2023. Thankfully, Church & Leia were nice and healthy when they arrived at our facility, and after just a week in our care they were... adopted- TOGETHER!❤❤
Church & Leia's adopter shared an update with us along with these adorable photos!
🐾We adopted Church and Leia ( then they were Chet and Cora) in September 2023. We knew we were going to find one but we found two kittens. They are siblings.We love them to pieces. I can't thank the winnebago county shelter enough. We adopted them on a Saturday. They neutered and spayed them and we picked them up Tuesday. They even gave us a voucher for a free first vet visit for both of them. They are healthy ,happy and spoiled to death. I'm so thankful. I'm looking forward to many more years with them. ❤️ ❤️ 🐾
👉Interested in creating your own adoption story? We have lots of amazing dogs & cats available for adoption!
👉Visit our website - www.WinnebagoAnimals.org -to complete an adoption questionnaire!
👉If you've adopted from WCAS and would like to share an update & photos, you can message us OR send us an email at wcas@wcas.wincoil.gov!
‼🎉ADOPTION UPDATE!🎉‼
❤Remember Chance???❤
Chance came to WCAS as a stray in mid-May of this year as a stray and was never reclaimed by an owner. Chance spent the next 6 weeks eagerly awaiting adoption, hoping that a family would take a chance 😉 on him! Thankfully,... a wonderful family did, and in early July he was adopted!
Chance's adopter shared an update with us along with these adorable photos!
🐾We (my husband and I) adopted Chance on July 5th.
He has been such a good boy. We kept his name Chance, it just fits him. We were told he was a barker but the only time I've heard him bark was today when I was vacuuming lol. We've been on several walks, he loves car rides; even went to a car show last weekend and was a big hit with everyone. I've taught him to shake and he runs like nobody's business in our back yard showing how happy he is. He has definitely been a great addition to our family.
Here are a few pictures of many since he's come here to his furever home. One picture is him sitting in the cats bed. You'll know which one when you see it. LOL
Thank you for making this possible. 🐾
👉Interested in creating your own adoption story? We have lots of amazing dogs & cats available for adoption!
👉Visit our website - www.WinnebagoAnimals.org -to complete an adoption questionnaire!
👉If you've adopted from WCAS and would like to share an update & photos, you can message us OR send us an email at wcas@wcas.wincoil.gov!
‼🎉ADOPTION UPDATE!🎉‼
❤Remember Clark???❤
Clark came to us as a stray back in early-May of 2024 as a stray and was never reclaimed by an owner. Thankfully, Clark didn't have to wait long for adoption; during his stray hold period, Clark was preselected by his ...future adopters! We prioritized his neuter surgery to align with his emancipation date; so when his owners failed to reclaim him, he was altered and his adopters were able to take him home right away!
Clark's adopter shared an update with us along with these adorable photos!
🐾We adopted through WCAS back in May of 2024. We named our “little” guy Clark and brought him home with us! I saw you guys posted about updating on pets that have been adopted so I thought I’d share our story. Clark just turned two back on July 6th and has been a crazy ball of energy since we got him. He’s part Great Dane and lab mixed together and it’s so cute to see both of those personalities come out of him. We learned that he LOVES chicken and going in a lake.. just not kiddie pools! lol!
He loves going for walks, laying on his hammock, whipping toys around, running around the backyard to be chased, jumping off the dock into the lake, and putting his back legs and butt on the couch.
We have worked with training him to walk nicely, not jump on people (cause he’s huge), sit nicely, lay down, and much more. He’s a great learner for sure! 🙂 Clark weighs 135lbs and is extremely tall. This boy thinks he’s just a little guy when he wants to sleep, lay, sit, or lean against anyone. When we saw his pictures online he tricked us by looking way smaller then what he was, and man.. when we saw him in person we both said “ummm he’s huge” and laughed!
We love our “little” peanut and can’t wait for the years and many more memories to come with him! Thanks WCAS for finding this guy!!!
🐾
👉Interested in creating your own adoption story? We have lots of amazing dogs & cats available for adoption!
👉Visit our website - www.WinnebagoAnimals.org -to complete an adoption questionnaire!
👉If you've adopted from WCAS and would like to share an update & photos, you can message us OR send us an email at wcas@wcas.wincoil.gov!
✨✨Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!✨✨
A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated kitten food after our urgent request went out earlier this week! We received an overwhelming amount of kitten food, as well as monetary donations to go towards purchasing kitten food, and we are SO ...thankful!
We have some very happy kittens both here at our facility and in our foster homes!
❤THANK YOU!❤
‼🎉ADOPTION UPDATE!🎉‼
❤Remember Mucho Gusto (now Francis)???
Francis came to WCAS as a stray in early-May of this year and was never reclaimed by an owner. Francis eagerly awaited adoption for almost two months! However, just a few days into July, Francis was ...adopted!
Francis' adopter shared an update with us along with these adorable photos!
🐾Just want to give an update on Mucho Gusto now Francis! He is such an amazing addition to our family. He loves walks and running in the yard with the kids. He loves to curl up on me or my oldest daughter and take a nap. He sits and gives paw before eating. He truly is a blessing, he was the only dog in the shelter that wasn’t jumping and barking. He was looking at me and sitting and wagging his tail, and that’s how I knew he would be perfect for us. He also loves to play with our cat Muzzy. Thank you so much for the opportunity to adopt. 🖤🐾
👉Interested in creating your own adoption story? We have lots of amazing dogs & cats available for adoption!
👉Visit our website - www.WinnebagoAnimals.org -to complete an adoption questionnaire!
👉If you've adopted from WCAS and would like to share an update & photos, you can message us OR send us an email at wcas@wcas.wincoil.gov!
🙀🚨 EMERGENCY CAT ADOPTION ALERT! 🚨🙀
Empty the Shelter – July Special Continues through Saturday!
…but fees are now even LOWER to help us save lives!
🐾 Adult Cats: JUST $20
🐱 Kittens: Only $50
In the last 7 days, we’ve taken in nearly 100 cats ...— and we’re now completely out of space. That means healthy, loving cats are at risk of losing their chance at a forever home. 💔
We need your help. Right now.
Please consider adopting, or sharing this post to help get these cats into loving homes.
💗 Take a sneak peek at some of the adorable cats currently waiting to meet you!
📍 Adoption Hours:
🕚 Thursday & Friday: 11 AM – 4:30 PM
🕚 Saturday: 11 AM – 3:30 PM
➡️ Stop by and meet your new best friend — or tag a friend who needs a cuddle buddy!
www.winnebagoanimals.org
✨🙏It's Wishlist Wednesday! 🙏✨
(Our model is Shelly A0058839954! They're currently available for adoption here at WCAS!!!)
This week, we're in need of the following items:
✨ Mother & Baby Cat Food
✨ Fabuloso Cleaner
Donations can be... dropped off at our facility OR ordered & shipped to our address
- 4517 N. Main St. Rockford, IL 61103
🎉🎉 Last week, Winnebago County Animal Services helped 41 pets find adoptive families! This included 28 cats, 12 dogs, and 1 Bearded Dragon!🎉🎉
💙💚#EmptyTheShelters and reduced fees are ending at the end of day Saturday!💙💚
📣 ‼️LET'S EMPTY THE ...SHELTER ‼️ Now thru Saturday, adoption fees at Winnebago County Animal Services are reduced thanks to the generous support of the BISSELL Pet Foundation:
🐶 $50 for dogs
🐱 $50 for kittens
🐱 $20 for adult cats
We would like to thank the BISSELL Pet Foundation for sponsoring this adoption event and everyone who has participated so far!
For more information on adoptable pets, please visit our website at
www.winnebagoanimals.org .
🚨‼URGENT DONATION NEED‼🚨
We've had over 90 cats come into our care in the past week- 60 of them being kittens, and we are in DESPERATE need of canned kitten food!
If you're able to help us out and donate, you can send or drop off donations to 4517 N Main St. ...Rockford, IL 61103.
For more information, please visit our website: www.WinnebagoAnimals.org
Thank you in advance!!!
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.