CHICAGO — The Anti-Cruelty Society has reopened an adoption site, but another remains closed after another outbreak of canine influenza.
Tuesday, the organization, which helps secure adoptions of pets, announced its Everyday Adoption Center, located inside the PetSmart at 1101 S. Canal St., has reopened, but its adoption center at 510 N. LaSalle St. will remain closed "for several weeks" as it cares for affected dogs, said spokeswoman Manager Colette Bradley.
"Last week was spent deep cleaning areas of the shelter and the Everyday Adoption Center so we could take in dogs and avoid their exposure to the disease," she said, adding "uninfected dogs" have been moved to the South Loop facility and are "available for adoption."
Last week, VCA Lake Shore Animal Hospital announced more than "70 dogs have been exposed or shown symptoms" of the flu forcing the Anti-Cruelty Society to halt dog adoptions.
The highly-contagious respiratory disease, known as canine influenza virus or CIV, affects "nearly all dogs within a few days" of exposure. All dogs are at risk when they contact other dogs, the veterinarian hospital said via a press release.
In 2015, the fast-spreading canine flu impacted more than 1,000 dogs in Cook County and was linked to at least five deaths, officials said.
The hospital at 960 W. Chicago Ave. is offering a vaccine that can help reduce the risk of infection. The vaccine series, which is recommended for all dogs, should be completed two weeks before entering a boarding or grooming facility, according to the release.
