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14 Celebrity Chefs at Big Night on September 1414 Celebrity Chefs at Big Night on September 14Jackie Shen, originator of our Big Night celebrity chefs event, has a record 14 fabulous chefs on board this year to serve up delicious dishes of all kinds. It’s a culinary feast you won’t want to miss! The “who’s who” list includes: Fred Ramos (Angelina Ristorante), Koren Frieveson (Avec), Jackie Shen (Chicago Cut Steakhouse), Stephanie Mazzone (Coco Pazzo Restaurant), Frankel Pacini (The French Pastry School), Alan Yuen (Friendship), Victor Newgren (Lawry’s the Prime Rib), Jill Barron (Mana Food Bar), Joseph Rosetti (Market), Dan Vogel (Phil Stephani Signature Restaurants), Ryan Pitts (RL Restaurant), Roger Herring (Socca), Curtis Wierbicki (Tin Fish), and Joel Nickson (Wishbone). Big Night 2011 is here
BIG NIGHT just might be the biggest night of the year for Chicago’s neediest animals. It is an amazing evening filled with fabulous food and entertainment that provides most of the funding for projects undertaken by the Friends of Chicago Animal Care and Control to benefit animals from the City of Chicago’s shelter facility at 28th and Western. For seven consecutive years now, the legendary Chicago Chef Jackie Shen gathers about a dozen of her well-known celebrity chef friends to cook for our guests at Big Night. Each one prepares an intriguing and delicious specialty dish for guests to try as they listen to good music, indulge in fine wine or one of our famous “Cosmopoodletons” from our signature “Muttini” bar, and peruse amazing silent auction items. Watch this website for a list of the award-winning chefs our friend, Chicago Cut’s Executive Chef, Jackie Shen, is gathering together for us this year. We don’t know for sure yet who is on the list—and just what they’ll all be dishing up will remain a secret until the night of September 14! This year the Geof Bradfield trio will be providing music for the event, as guests mingle, nibble, sip, and converse their way through an evening where virtually every guest cares deeply about the welfare of animals—and most specifically about those 20,000+ who come into the City’s custody each year at the 28th and Western facility. All of this will take place again this year under the fabulous Tiffany dome of the Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Randolph streets. The date is September 14. The time is 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. The donation per ticket: $90 with a suggested gift of $10 to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Proceeds from the event will be used to fund our Friends foster care program, which will be just 2 years old this fall. We’re proud to say we have helped rescue nearly 800 animals at this writing. But we couldn’t be doing this work without the generous support of the Big Night sponsors and guests from our community. Our partnership sponsor this year is once again the amazing Chicago Wolves hockey team—also responsible for adopting out nearly 1000 dogs over the past 8 years at their once-a-month home game Dog Adoption nights. We also have to thank our repeatedly generous leadership sponsors, an anonymous family fund and Brenda Lang & Peter Valaika. In addition, our friendship sponsors mean the world to us; Blum Animal Hospital, Chicago Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center, Richard & Charlotte Cody, Jim Dickes DVM, Ann Gerber, Chris & Robin Melvin, the Propsom family, and the friends and family of Quincy. Remember to book early for your Big Night tickets this year! |
Friends of Chicago Animal Care and Control steps up to help Best FriendsYesterday afternoon, FCACC took approximately half a dozen puppy mill rescue dogs into our foster program to help Best Friends, the folks who also depend on us to help find foster homes for the Court Case dogs at ACC.
June 12, 2011 - 43 Dogs from Missouri puppy mills arrive in Chicago. More pictures here.
At 6 or 7 years of age, most of our family dogs don't look much different than they did after they left their puppyhood behind. Not so for puppy mill breeder dogs. Confined to cages to breed one litter after another until they are too old to produce, these sad dogs look old and beaten up beyond their years.
Television news coverage of the Best Friends puppy mill rescue van's arrival at Anti-Cruelty on Sunday, June 12, was hard evidence of the abuse these animals suffer. Kat B, Friends foster care coordinator, was there to take about a half dozen of the dogs into our foster care program on behalf of Best Friends. (We regularly partner with Best Friends at Animal Care and Control by helping find foster homes for many of the Court Case dogs.)
Friends volunteers Lori L and Lauren R were there to help too. Lauren photographed this part of the animals' odyssey. You can find more of her images on our Facebook page. Check out NBC 5 and other news channels on line for filmed coverage of the event as well.
All pups in our custody were taken immediately to Animal Care Center veterinary clinic for vet checks and a bit of R and R before heading for their foster homes. Our thanks to all those caregivers who opened their hearts and homes for these most deserving animals. We'll have them posted for adoption fcacc.org and petfinder.com as soon as they are ready. Vaccine Clinic a Success!On December 28 and 29 Chicago Animal Care and Control sponsored a low cost vaccine clinic for urban dogs and cats. The rabies, parvo virus, leptospirosis and distemper vaccinations were only $22.00.Friends volunteers and other community partners were on hand to help direct pet and people traffic during this very successful event. The next low cost vaccine clinic is being held on January 15th 2011.
Protecting his pups from Parvo is Roderick with "Roxy" and "Roscoe", pictures with an ACC veterinarian and volunteer
Aiken had his hands full with "Laddie and Bugsy". The whole family will be back on January 15th so "Bugsy" can get his distemper booster shot (due 3 weeks after initial vaccine)
"Cookie" and Virgil both came out for the ACC vaccine clinic on December 29th. It was a long wait but they were patient and now "Cookie" is protected against some very nasty diseases
This happy duo just received their low cost vaccinations when we snapped this photo for the Friends scrap book! Clearly "Virgil" (left) and '"Clyde" (right) weren't bothered a bit by the needle Puppy Confiscated From 3 Time FelonChicago Animal Care and Control Officers were called to a house of a convicted felon. Once they arrived at the scene and executed their search warrant they found Teddy, a four month old puppy sitting in his own waste, emaciated from starvation, and cracked paws from living in a cage with a wire bottom. Teddy's owner had 3 prior felony convictions and was not allowed to have unsterilized dogs. He was arrested and pled guilty to animal cruelty and neglect. Teddy was confiscated that cold day in February of 2010 and spent 5 months in a cage without ever being walked or seeing the outside of a cage. Teddy "did the time but not the crime" and was rescued this summer and went into foster care through the Court Case Dogs Program. His foster family loved him so much that they decided to adopt him forever. ACC, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (BFAS), Safe Humane Chicago and FCACC work diligently to save Court Case Dogs that come into Chicago Animal Care and Control. BFAS recently published a news article about Teddy and other dogs rescued through Court Case Dog Program. To rescue more court case dogs you can donate here, if you are interested in adopting or fostering a court case dog please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.
Teddy (left) shown here with his new "BBF" "Georgia"
Meet Bruno an "Evidence Dog"Meet Bruno. The Idyllic setting you see him in here is his summer home where he spends weekends with his adoptive family. They say he loves romping in the woods and swimming in that stream. What a difference generous people like you and his foster caregivers have made in his young life! This picture wouldn't be possible without you.
Bruno was an "evidence dog". Our big boy was just a little guy when he was placed into custody at Chicago Animal Care and Control (ACC) in January of 2009. Police were called because his owner was beating the 4-week old puppy "to toughen him up," according to people who know this story. While the court case against his owner dragged on, Bruno spent his puppyhood confined to a cage at ACC. Because he was evidence, he could not legally be put up for adoption. But Bruno's day finally came. He was the second dog evaluated in February of 2010 for admittance into the Court Case Dog Program sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society and Safe Humane Chicago. Bruno was the first dog to go to rescue after spending over one year in a cage at ACC. He went into foster care within days of Friends of Animal Care and Control (FCACC) meeting him. With ACC, FCACC, Best Friends Animal Society, and Safe Humane Chicago working together, innocent evidence animals like Bruno are getting out of ACC and back into life. Trainers with Best Friends helping to realize the mission spent some time socializing Bruno to help him adjust to life "on the outside." Our Friends of Chicago Animal Care and Control (FCACC) team lined up the perfect foster family for him. Little did we know just how perfect they would be! It was only a matter of days before Bruno stole the hearts of his foster family and they asked to adopt him. Bruno is now enjoying a well-deserved but belated puppyhood! If you are interested in adopting a court case dog, fostering a court case dog, contact
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. Your tax free donation can help rescue more Court Case Dogs who have "done the time but not the crime". To learn more about dogs being held as evidence check out our Court Case Dog Fact Sheet or visit Safe Humane Chicago's Facebook page. |
