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Benefactors Buy Some Time For Dogs At City Animal Shelter

(CBS) – A dog-fighting ring broken up, but contributing to a serious overcrowding problem at Chicago's Department of Animal Care and Control.

A last-minute effort saved at least a handful of dogs, for now, CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.

Eleven lucky dogs are spending the night at the Petsmart PetsHotel, giving the city shelter a little breathing room after about 10 were dogs were brought in following the dismantling of a dog fighting ring Thursday morning.

There are too many dogs at the Animal Care  and Control shelter -- roughly 300, a number that's forcing shelter leaders to consider euthanizing some of the animals to make room.

Charlie Propsom with Friends of Animal Care and Control has been scrambling to save as many dogs as she can.

The shelter is so bloated in part because of the local rescue organizations that opened their doors to animals displaced during Hurricane Harvey.

"The Good Samaritans that normally come here on a regular basis to take animals were headed down south to help those animals. It made a huge difference here. It meant that we were overcrowded consistently," Propsom says.

Propsom and her group are footing the bill to keep some of the dogs at the pet hotel.

"It's a little breathing room. It's like a couple days' worth of breathing room, maybe."

Rescue groups are being offered a $100 incentive for every vetted dog that they take in that has been spayed or neutered and $200 for those dogs who aren't.

The shelter also looking for foster homes and adoptions, as always.

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