June 2006

Once upon a wishful time, 25 years ago
A group of women had a dream to change the status quo

Far too many homeless pets were headed towards demise
There had to be a better way to save these precious lives

Shelters? There were far too few; most needing overhauling
And soon these four gals realized that they had found their calling

They quickly got together, aligned with just one vet,
They wrote some bylaws, begged for funds, and formed Adopt-A-Pet

A concept yet unheard of -- a shelter without a nest?
But they took the chance and forged ahead and put it to the test

Their goal was very simple; they started kind of small
They knew that realistically they couldn’t save them all

Quality, not quantity, and careful adoption screening
They broke the mold and gave the catchphrase “foster home” new meaning

Saintly vets and volunteers have helped the mission grow
Into one of the most successful Chicagoland does know

First one cat and then a dog... then two, then five, then ten
Now 14,000 once-doomed pets have breathed new life again!

Although our leader Gloria is not with us anymore
Her spirit has inspired us to carry on this urgent chore

With her example as our guide, we keep working toward a day
When every cat is cherished, and no dog “thrown away”

So as we bid farewell to days gone by, the challenges we have braved,
We say hello to the coming years, and more animals to save

Until the world’s a better place for little mews and pups
A huge job lies ahead of us – We never will give up!

As long as there’s a hungry dog left homeless and to roam,
As long as there are kittens that are born without a home...

As long as man thinks it’s okay to abandon his best friend
We’ll stay and do our darndest to reverse this shameful trend

We offer our sincerest thanks to all who’ve shared this dream;
We always hope for more kind hearts to come and join our team.

Our gratitude we send to those too important to be missed:
Our loyal supporters -- that means you-- without whom we’d not exist

Old friends, new friends, friends to be, and all our volunteers
Thanks to you we’re on our way to 25 more years!