2026 Charity:
Safe Humane Chicago

Midwest FurFest is excited to announce that Safe Humane Chicago is this year’s charity beneficiary!

Safe Humane Chicago’s mission is to build safer, more humane communities by strengthening the bond between people and their dogs at every stage of the journey—in the community and from shelter to foster to adoption and beyond.

For the past 26 years they believe that saving a dog’s life doesn’t end at rescue or adoption. Lasting change happens through the ongoing support, training, and connection that keep dogs and their people together. Through Safe Humane Chicago’s many programs, hundreds and hundreds of animals have been given a new life.  Two such programs include Lifetime Bonds and Court Case Dogs.

The Lifetime Bonds programming provides continuous transitional support, positive training resources, and mentorship to foster families and adopters, ensuring that every dog has the tools and relationships needed to thrive in their home. By investing in this full continuum of care, Safe Humane Chicago works to reduce returns and relinquishment, break cycles of trauma for both animals and people, and demonstrate that safety and compassion go hand in hand.

Court Case Dogs have “done the time but not the crime” — these pups are victims of neglect or abuse who have been rescued by police and animal control from abuse and are associated with criminal court cases against their abusers. They are part of a program in which Safe Humane Chicago assesses them, engages volunteers and interns to socialize and train them to be irresistible family companions, transfers them to partner rescue groups, and continues to provide them lifetime behavioral consultation or support.

Committed volunteers and community ambassadors from neighborhoods where Chicago’s neediest dogs come from help Safe Humane Chicago carry out this work. Organizational and corporate partnerships back them, helping build the lasting infrastructure these programs require. Through community engagement and advocacy, Safe Humane Chicago promotes the humane treatment of animals and provides Chicagoans with the knowledge and support they need to build lasting relationships with their companion animals. Safe Humane Chicago’s next step is working to expand this programming beyond Chicago.