When volunteers at One Tail at a Time, a North Side animal shelter, arrived Sunday to walk the dogs housed at the shelter’s behavioral training center, they were met with a shock — part of the room’s ceiling had fallen in, leaving chunks of debris on the floor and inside two of the dog kennels. Parts of the room were also flooded, and an agitated beagle was pacing around a piece of concrete that had fallen inside his kennel.

       Justice gets a treat July 12, 2021, from Maggie Hudson, the animal shelter development manager at One Tail at a Time. Justice was headed to the shelter but is instead being held at an isolation house on Western Avenue due to water damage and a partially collapsed ceiling at the shelter. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

       Despite the damage, none of the six dogs housed in the room was hurt. They have since been placed in temporary foster homes, and the training center has been temporarily shut down as the shelter assesses the damage and works with the building’s landlord to understand what caused it. In addition to the Irving Park training center at 3927 N. Elston Ave., the shelter has veterinary, isolation and adoption centers at other locations.

       The training center housed only six of the more than 300 animals in the shelter’s care. But the shelter is keen to avoid the “ripple effect” the shutdown could have on other aspects of the organization — namely, One Tail at a Time’s ability to take in more dogs, as well as the strain this is placing on its network of foster homes, said shelter Director Anna Johnson, who has worked there for three years.

       The shelter, which has been around since 2008 and also takes in cats and rabbits, is seeking donations and foster parents.

       Although the six dogs from the damaged training center were evacuated, these placements were largely short-term and the animals still need foster homes.

       It’s also “equally as helpful if people can foster a dog from other facilities,” said Johnson.

       Those interested can fill out a foster survey application form on the organization’s website.

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