Family Says Animal Welfare League Held Their Lost Dog Hostage 16 Days

CHICAGO RIDGE, IL — A South Side man has been reunited with his dog after 16 misery-filled days of trying to spring her from Animal Welfare League, in Chicago Ridge. Paul Buck, 68, said the only way he could reclaim his dog was by adopting her from the animal shelter.

“My mother died unexpectedly a few years ago,” said Buck’s daughter, Kristen Adamiak, who helped her father get his dog back. “He takes that dog everywhere with him. The dog gave him a new purpose in life.”

Buck found the dog in the Tennessee hills November, when he was in the area visiting friends.

“I drove past the dog on the road and when I circled back two hours later, the dog was still sitting in the same spot,” Buck told Patch. “I didn’t want to leave her, so I scooped her up. My friend’s daughter said people down there dump animals on the side of the road all the time.”

The dog was skin and bones, weak and malnourished. Since dog wasn’t chipped, Buck brought her back to Chicago. He nursed the dog back to health and named her Lady, not after the Styx song but the Kenny Rogers version of “Lady.”

Late in the afternoon on Feb. 1, Lady dug under the backyard fence and escaped – as dogs will do – from Buck’s yard in Chicago’s Parkview neighborhood, across the street from St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Evergreen Park.

Minutes after realizing Lady was no longer in the backyard, Buck got in his car and began driving the around the neighborhood looking for his dog.

“He looked for her all night, walking the alleys and streets calling her name,” his daughter told Patch.

The next day, Buck asked his daughter to get on “the Facebook” and start posting that Lady was lost, and they were looking for her.

“My father doesn’t use a computer,” Adamiak said. “I joined all the [Facebook] groups, Lost Dogs Illinois, Lost And Found Dogs and Cats On The South/Southwest Side. I put her on Paw Boost, all the things you’re supposed to do.”

Buck filed lost dog reports with Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park and Hometown police. An hour later, they received a phone call from Oak Lawn Animal Control that Lady was found in Oak Lawn a few hours after she got out of Buck’s yard. The dog was taken to Animal Welfare League, 10305 Southwest Highway, Chicago Ridge.

“The shelter was closed on Sunday, but we still called ten times,” Adamiak said. “We called at 11:01 a.m. Monday [Feb. 3], right after they opened. We were told to look on their website for strays.”

But Lady’s picture wasn’t on there yet.

“I told them she’s not on there and Oak Lawn police said they had my dog,” Adamiak said. “They told me to keep checking the website.”

Animal Welfare League wanted proof of ownership, a reasonable request. Despite dozens of time-stamped photos of the dog with Buck and with his grandchildren, the family said AWL wouldn’t release the dog without vet records. Having found the dog right before Thanksgiving, Buck hadn’t found the time to take Lady to the vet amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Buck diligently went to Animal Welfare League 13 times in 15 days, to see if he could reclaim his dog. Buck claimed the staff kept giving him the runaround. By then, Lady had been posted as a stray.

“They keep telling me it’s not my dog,” Buck told Patch.

Adamiak began posting about her father’s dilemma in neighborhood and lost pet Facebook groups, including Reform AWL, that was created in 2018 after photos and videos were leaked to news media showing animals sick and bleeding out in cages.

Kristen Adamiak also went to the shelter, but admits she wasn’t as calm as her father.

“She was posted as a stray, but they wouldn’t let us see her. We didn’t even know if she was there,” Adamiak said. “I was inside screaming Lady’s name. There was not one bark or meow in the facility.”

An attorney friend of Adamiak suggested a template for a demand letter when Lady was kept beyond the 7-day stray hold, per Illinois statutes, that AWL return their “property” by the end of the day. In the eyes of Illinois law, pets are considered property, not “fur babies” or beloved members of the family.

“My dad has been offering money since day one,” Adamiak told Patch. “He’s the only parent I have left. He’s a senior citizen and [AWL was] taking advantage of him.”

Patch also reached out to AWL director Christine Higens via phone asking for comment.. Higens sent Patch a written response, stating that Lady had been brought in as a stray by an Oak Lawn police officer on Feb. 1.

“It was impounded as a stray and processed in compliance with the IL Animal Control Act and the Animal Welfare Act,” Higens stated. “The dog was posted as usual for 7 days on online so that any owner has a chance to claim their dog. All laws were followed which requires adequate proof of ownership be presented such as vaccine records, medical records, bill of sale, etc.”

“Paul Buck and Kristen Adamiak alleged it was their dog and which they advised they had recently found as a stray in Tennessee,” Higens further stated. “They stated the dog was in very poor health and brought it back home with them to Illinois. Unfortunately, they never brought the dog to a vet and had no legal license or health record connecting them to the dog. They have no vet records, proof of vaccines, microchip, dog license or valid written proof of ownership. Just some photos contained on their telephone.”

According to the Illinois Animal Control Act, owners reclaiming lost pets at an animal care facility or shelter, must produce a government issued photo ID, proof of ownership, such as vaccination/veterinary records and pictures. A current rabies certificate and proof of spay/neuter may also be produced, if applicable.

“It is my dad’s dog,” Adamiak said. “He doesn’t have the papers, but he meets all the other state requirements.”

Higens also told Patch that if the dog was not legally claimed by another, Buck could fill out on application to adopt his dog, after it went through statute required exams, vaccinations and needed procedures, including spaying/neutering.

During the week, Adamiak helped her father fill out AWL’s online adoption application in the hopes of getting Lady back.

On Friday, Buck was told he could come back and adopt his dog on Monday afternoon.
This is not the first time Animal Welfare League has come under fire for not reuniting a lost pet with their family, according to pet owners.

In 2022, Patch was notified about a family, who never gave up searching for their lost dog for over a year, eventually located their dog after intermittent postings on the Lost Dog Illinois Facebook page. The dog was apparently being held at Animal Welfare League for 18 months. The family further alleged that they were not able to get their dog back even after they brought in documentation of ownership, including pictures and vet records. When they finally did get their dog back, the dog’s tail had reportedly been amputated.

Ashley Tamburrano, of Bartlett, also claimed her family experienced a similar aggravating ordeal trying to reclaim their Maltesse, Missy, after she had been taken as a stray to Animal Welfare League.

“My dad tried showing them pictures of our family dog along with vet records showing she needs her medicine as she has congestive heart failure, but they still turned him away and would not accept the medicine,” Tamburrano told Patch in 2022.

The family was able to get their dog back, but not without “causing an uproar” and persevering to get Missy back.

“This is not a shelter where you want your fur baby,” Tamburrano said.

On Monday afternoon, as promised, Buck was able to adopt his own dog. The process took about 20 minutes. After Lady was freed, Buck, his family took Lady to the Glen Maker American Legion Post in Chicago Ridge for a celebratory beer. The veterans were happy to see Lady back with her family.

The dog has been spayed, chipped and vaccinated. Buck said he paid a $190 adoption fee.
“But I did get the senior discount.”