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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
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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
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🌟🐾 Paw-some Pick of the Day! 🐾🌟
We’re shining the spotlight on our pets with something special: each day, one amazing pet will be featured as our Paw-some Pick of the Day — and for that day only, their adoption fee is waived!
👉Friday, October 23rd's ...Paw-some Pick is Charleston Chew A0061794186!
Sweet, charming, and ready to melt right into your heart! Meet Charleston Chew, a 4-year-old kitty weighing just 6 pounds. Charleston Chew recently came into our care as part of a larger group of cats and is now looking for a loving family to call their own.
This sweet treat is ready for a fresh start and a forever home filled with love, cozy naps, and plenty of happy moments. Could Charleston Chew be the little sweetness your family has been missing?🐱🐶✨
🖱Click here to submit an Adoption Questionnaire - https://winnebagoanimals.org/adoption-applicati
‼🎉ADOPTION UPDATE!🎉‼
❤Remember Momma Moo (now Cannoli)???❤
Cannoli came to WCAS as a stray in early October and was never reclaimed. Shortly after arriving, she found an adopter and was just waiting to be spayed before heading home. Unfortunately, on the day she was ...scheduled to leave, her adopter canceled the adoption, leaving Cannoli ready for her next chapter but without a home to go to. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for another family to come along! Just a few days later, Cannoli was adopted and is now enjoying the happily-ever-after she deserves. ❤️
Cannoli's adopter shared these wonderful photos & this amazing update with us!
🐾We are all absolutely in love with her.
Her new name is "Cannoli".
She's the sweetest thing ever and is settling in so nicely with our family of 5.
She's also very very spoiled in every way. We love her so much, she's perfect and we couldn't possibly be happier with her.🐾
👉Interested in creating your own adoption story?
🍁 We're currently running our FALL FOR A FELINE ADOPTION SPECIAL 🍁
🐾 Adult cats are just $10 to adopt!
👉 Start your adoption application at www.WinnebagoAnimals.org to save time!
👉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.go
🍂🐱 WE’RE OUT OF CAT CAGES, BUT FULL OF LOVE! 🧡🍁
Look at these faces! 😻 How is anyone supposed to pick just one?!
At Winnebago County Animal Services, we have so many wonderful cats waiting for their chance at a fresh start. Unfortunately, we’ve also run out of ...available cages. With nearly 200 cats in our care and new arrivals coming in every day, we desperately need your help to make room for the next cats who need us.
The good news? You can fall in love AND save on adoption fees! 🧡
🍁 FALL FOR A FELINE ADOPTION SPECIAL 🍁
🐾 Adult cats are just $10 to adopt!
Whether you're looking for a snuggle buddy, a playful sidekick, a chatty companion, or a cat who simply wants a cozy place to call home, your perfect match might be pictured right here!
✨ Every adoption includes a wellness exam, spay/neuter, microchip, vaccinations (including a one-year rabies vaccine), flea/tick prevention, and more!
📍 Winnebago County Animal Services
🌙 Remember, we're open late on Mondays until 6:30 PM!
👉 Start your adoption application at www.WinnebagoAnimals.org to save time.
Can't adopt? Please share these photos! You never know who might see their next best friend because of you. Every share, every adoption, and every bit of community support helps us make a difference. 🧡
🍂 Help us turn empty adoption applications into full hearts and loving homes. Fall for a Feline at WCAS! 🐈
🎉🐾 HELP US MAKE A DOG’S DAY! 🐾🎉
🐶 $25 DOG ADOPTIONS THIS SATURDAY!
Thanks to Napleton Subaru - Rockford, we’re celebrating #SubaruLovesPets with a special adoption event at WCAS! ❤️
We have around 40 amazing dogs waiting for families and hoping ...their perfect person walks through our doors. Could it be you? 🐾
🎉 Here’s the deal:
🐶 $25 adoptions for eligible WCAS-owned dogs (excluding stray hold and pre-selection dogs).
🎁 Toys and goodies for adopted pups, courtesy of Napleton Subaru, while supplies last!
❤️ Subaru will donate $100 for every dog adopted this month through the #MakeADogsDay campaign!
All adoptions include spay/neuter, vaccinations, a microchip, a wellness exam, flea/tick preventative, and more!
👉 Interested?
Visit www.WinnebagoAnimals.org to view our adoptable dogs and complete an Adoption Questionnaire to get pre-approved before the event!
A huge thank-you to Napleton Subaru - Rockford for helping our pups find their happily ever after! ❤️
🐾 Come meet your new best friend this Saturday!
🌟🐾 Paw-some Pick of the Day! 🐾🌟
We’re shining the spotlight on our pets with something special: each day, one amazing pet will be featured as our Paw-some Pick of the Day — and for that day only, their adoption fee is waived!
👉Thursday, October 22nd's ...Paw-some Pick is Milky Way A0061794174!
Meet Milky Way, a 3-year-old kitty weighing just 5 pounds. Milky Way recently came into our care as part of a larger group of cats and is now looking for a loving family to call their own.
Milky Way is ready to leave shelter life behind and find a forever home filled with love, comfort, and cozy spots to curl up. 🐱🐶✨
🖱Click here to submit an Adoption Questionnaire - https://winnebagoanimals.org/adoption-applicatio
🐱🧡 BEAN HAS SOMETHING TO SAY… WCAS IS AT CAT CAPACITY! 🧡🐱
📣 “Excuse me, human! I heard you’re looking for a fall companion… and I’m right here!” — Bean, probably. 🥹🍂
Bean is ready to be heard, and we’re hoping you’ll listen! Our shelter is ...overflowing with feline friends just like him who are waiting for someone to give them a chance at a loving home.
We’ve welcomed over 70 cats in just one week, and with nearly 200 cats in our care, we’re officially out of available cages. We need your help to make room for the cats still coming through our doors. 🧡
🍁 FALL FOR A FELINE ADOPTION SPECIAL 🍁
🐾 Adult cats are just $10 to adopt!
Whether you fall for a chatty guy like Bean, a snuggly lap cat, or a playful little personality, your new best friend could be waiting for you at WCAS!
✨ Every adoption includes a wellness exam, spay/neuter, microchip, vaccinations (including a one-year rabies vaccine), flea/tick prevention, and more!
📍 Winnebago County Animal Services
👉 Start your adoption application at www.WinnebagoAnimals.org to save time!
Can't adopt? Please share Bean's video and help us spread the word! The more people who see these faces, the better chance our cats have of finding their families. 🧡
Bean has made his plea. Now it's our turn to help him be heard. 🐾🍂
👀🚨Do you know any of these dogs?🚨👀
‼️We have over 80 dogs at our facility‼️
In the past week, we’ve taken in more than 35 dogs, and our kennels are quickly nearing maximum capacity! We’re urgently hoping to reunite these dogs with their families and need your ...help spreading the word.
👉If you believe one of these dogs is yours, please call us at 815-319-4100 and one of our call takers can speak with you about next steps OR stop by our facility.
👉We're open today (Wednesday 10/21) until 5pm and tomorrow (Thursday 10/22) we're open from 11am until 5pm.
👉Some of these dogs are available for preselect adoption, which means that although the dog is still on their stray hold period and awaiting reclaim by their owner, an interested adopter is able to complete an adoption application and pay the fee to pre-select the animal for adoption. If the dog is not reclaimed, the adoption is finalized and the dog can go home as soon as they're spayed/neutered.
✨🙏It's Wishlist Wednesday! 🙏✨
Our model is ❤Ty A0061899293❤ and is available for adoption here at WCAS!
This week, we're in need of the following item(s):
✨Kitten Wet Food
Donations can be dropped off at our facility OR ordered & shipped... to our address
- 4517 N. Main St. Rockford, IL 6110
🌟🐾 Paw-some Pick of the Day! 🐾🌟
We’re shining the spotlight on our pets with something special: each day, one amazing pet will be featured as our Paw-some Pick of the Day — and for that day only, their adoption fee is waived!
👉Wednesday, October 21st's ...Paw-some Pick is Laffy Taffy A0061794104!
Laffy Taffy is a 6-year-old kitty weighing just 7 pounds who recently came to WCAS as part of a larger group of cats. Now, this sweet treat is hoping to find a loving family to call her own!
At 7 pounds, Laffy Taffy may be a little package, but she's ready to bring a whole lot of sweetness to her next home. She's looking for someone to share life's cozy moments with and give her the forever home she deserves. Could Laffy Taffy be the treat your family has been missing? 🐱🐶✨
🖱Click here to submit an Adoption Questionnaire - https://winnebagoanimals.org/adoption-applicatio
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.