Puppies and kittens are a universal source of happiness. Children especially seem to find joy and amusement from spending time with animals. For that reason, Wright-Way Rescue partnered with the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to launch ConnectUS, a program that allows patients to view puppies and kittens from Wright-Way Rescue’s shelter through a live stream.
“We are hoping this program will bring smiles to the faces of the kids that are receiving treatments,” says Lisa Aiken, Wright-Way Rescue’s Director of Development.
Launched in May 2015, Aiken says ConnectUS has already received overwhelmingly positive remarks from the hospital. Currently, patients can only view the puppies and kittens on a screen, but later this year ConnectUs plans to release a closed circuit private link (an online portal), which will allow them to playfully interact with the animals. Kids can press certain keys on a computer keyboard to control toys hanging inside the animals’ shelter rooms.
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Not only do the patients at Lurie Children’s Hospital benefit from this program, but for a limited time, the public can partake as well. By visiting Wright-Way Rescue’s website, people can try out the program’s iPet Companion technology, which allows you to interact with the animals on the web. They recommend the program for kids who have dog or cat allergies or for people thinking about adopting a puppy or a kitten who want some prior experience with an animal.
“We wanted to unite homeless pets and people in a meaningful way,” Christy Anderson, Executive Director and Founder of Wright-Way Rescue, says. “This concept provided us with a way for homeless puppies or kittens to give back and spread their playful spirit.”
Wright-Way Rescue saves 100 animals from euthanasia each week. Homeless or abandoned animals are rescued from rural towns and then brought to the shelter’s facility in Murphysboro, Illinois, where they are nourished, vaccinated and groomed. After, they are brought to Wright-Way Rescue’s facility in Morton Grove where they await adoption.
The Morton Grove location is a fairly new home for Wright-Way Rescue. Their former location in Niles was severely damaged as a result of a bus crash in 2013. Fortunately, no animals or people were harmed in the accident. The new facility in Morton Grove, which provides both an animal shelter and also a veterinary clinic, opened in September 2014, and has been working to generate positive change for the animals and for the community.
Community support is always welcome. Just last month, 46 New Trier students spent the day in Morton Grove helping the site prepare for its ConnectUS program launch by making blankets for the animals and painting the room. For more information or to learn how to volunteer, please visit Wright-Way’s website.
To virtually play with adoptable animals, click here.
