Thriving Through Nonprofit Partnerships

Peoria County Animal Services (PCAPS) is committed to providing high-quality services for the human and animal residents of Peoria County—and we do it best by collaborating with the many nonprofit organizations who offer resources to help. Nonprofit organizations have enabled PCAPS to expand our programs in ways that would never be possible without their support, and we are extremely grateful for their work.

Local, State and National Support

PCAPS is responsible for animal control and public safety around animals in our community. Our animal control officers respond to calls for nuisance violations, animal bites, cruelty investigations, and even sick or injured wildlife. They provide resources to pet owners in the community and enforce all animal-related laws. PCAPS also operates an animal shelter for stray and homeless animals and regularly reunites lost pets with their owners. However, with the support of nonprofit organizations, PCAPS has been able to better serve the community through a variety of improved shelter services, including low-cost spay/neuter and adoption programs, facility improvements and more.

At the local and state levels, PCAPS has received grant support from the Community Foundation of Central Illinois and Lost Dogs of Illinois. Countless projects have been done by local Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations, as well as stunning landscaping work by Keep Peoria Beautiful.

In addition, national organizations have supported PCAPS programs with grants such as the Petfinder Foundation COVID relief grant. The Bissell Pet Foundation financially supports several adoption events each year in our community, allowing PCAPS to offer reduced adoption fees. Most recently, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary awarded a generous grant that affords PCAPS the ability to microchip community animals—at no charge to pet owners!

Our PHS Partnership

Of course, the organization most near and dear to us is our long-term partner, the Peoria Humane Society. PHS partners with PCAPS daily, through our work with animals in the shelter as well as outreach in the community. PHS hosts countless community outreach events and educational programs each year. They spread the word about animal adoption and responsible pet ownership to prevent cruelty to animals and promote kindness.

The PHS resource library offers educational tools for the community to engage in animal welfare through books, DVDs, learning sessions and even animal shelter tours. The combined efforts of PHS and PCAPS allow for more than 350 animals to be spayed or neutered via low-cost programs each year. PHS also provides services to pet owners in the community via pet food banks and medical programs.

At the shelter, this partnership with PHS allows PCAPS to have a robust volunteer program that directly impacts the behavior, health and well-being of shelter animals. PHS recruits, onboards and manages the volunteers at the PCAPS shelter as they train dogs, groom cats, host adoption events, attend pet therapy programs, and even foster animals in their own homes! If that were not enough, PHS also supports PCAPS with added funding specifically for the shelter animals.

Funding from PHS allows PCAPS to go the extra mile for shelter animals with medical testing and treatment for animals with special conditions. For example, animals with skin conditions, those that were hit by a car, those with injuries from cruelty cases, and even those with common illnesses have all received care thanks to PHS funding. Bottom line: the added resources from PHS allows for more shelter animals to be adopted, more members of the community to be reached, and the amplification of our combined message of compassionate treatment for all living creatures.

The staff at PCAPS is forever grateful for the hard work, kindness and generosity of every one of our nonprofit partners. PM

Rebecca Spencer is director of Peoria County Animal Protection Services. For more information, visit peoriacounty.org/pcaps or call (309) 672-2440.