Right now in Chicago, healthy and adoptable pets are able to euthanized within hours of being surrendered. Not because they’re aggressive. Not because they’re sick. But because there’s simply no space left to keep them.

Chicago Animal Care and Control is beyond capacity. Rescue groups are overwhelmed. And the pets most at risk—those surrendered by owners who can’t afford to keep them—are often the first to be put down.

This is more than a sad situation. It’s a citywide emergency.

Soaring vet bills, rising pet rent, and the basic cost of food and care are pushing families to the breaking point. At the same time, the city has slashed support for animal services. Low-cost clinics have closed. Outreach has stalled. There are fewer options than ever for people trying to do the right thing.

And when people have no support, they’re left with impossible choices: keep a pet they can’t afford and risk neglect, or surrender them—knowing they could be euthanized the same day.

That’s not a choice any family should have to make.

Chicago must step up. We’re calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council to declare an emergency and immediately invest in our city’s animal care system. That includes emergency shelter funding, restoring affordable vet services, and expanding resources that help struggling families keep the pets they love.

Without action, more animals will die. More families will be forced to give up pets they never wanted to lose. And more Chicago residents will be failed by a system that claims to care but won’t act.

If you’ve ever loved a pet, you understand what’s at stake.

Sign this petition to demand real solutions—not just for the animals, but for the people who love them.