Mayor Johnson defends choice to lead city's Animal Care and Control, despite conditions at city-run shelter

Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday rallied behind his permanent choice to lead Chicago’s Commission on Animal Care and Control, amid concerns about high euthanasia rates and shelter conditions that neglect and endanger dogs, cats and volunteers.

Susan Capello spent three years as acting executive director before Johnson gave her the permanent job on Feb. 12.

Six days later, 17 alderpersons signed letter to Johnson at a City Council meeting demanding that the mayor meet an April 1 deadline to launch a national search for a “dedicated, knowledgeable executive director with a proven track record.”

The letter was circulated by Alds. Gilbert Villegas (36th) and Ruth Cruz (30th). They cited a host of concerns raised by animal care advocates and current and former volunteers at the city-run shelter at 2741 S. Western.

They ranged from high euthanasia rates and poor living conditions to three years of “steadily increased” dogs bites that have jeopardized public safety. The letter also claimed that Chicago police officers are frequently asked to cover animal care and control duties that are best handled by trained employees.

Despite those concerns, Johnson’s stood firmly behind Capello, and blamed the challenges she faces on the affordability crisis in Chicago and around the nation.

“Between 2023 and 2025, intake increased by nearly 5,000 additional cats and dogs. Higher food and veterinarian costs have led more Chicagoans to make the tragic decision to relinquish their animals, contributing to this intake growth,” the mayor said.

With intake rising, transfers to the city’s rescue partners have surged to their highest levels in a decade. Euthanasia rates remained flat from 2024 to 2025, when adoption rates rose to their highest rate in department history, the mayor said.

Cappello described said the pressure the high-volume municipal shelter is under as “real and constant.” Dogs and cats arrive every day, “often in crisis.” No animal gets turned away.

“Our doors are open to everything that comes in. We do take sick animals on a regular basis. Sometimes, sick animals stay here too long and can get sick. We don’t have the option of closing our door and saying, `We’re not going to take those today,’“ Cappello said. “We do our best… But with that sheer number of animals, you’re going to have illness. It’s going to happen. Our medical staff is on top of that. They look at it as much as they can. ”

Cappello acknowledged that many of the 240 dogs at the city-run shelter are only being walked once a week. They spend most of their time cooped up in cages. Her goal, she said, is to change that.

“Every dog gets a walk every day. That can only help. The fresh air. The outside. The interaction with people. Make them more adoptable. Make them more visible. That’s our goal for this year — and it’s a big one,” Cappello said.

Cruz said Capello was warned about the lack of exercise and dog-walking at a City Council hearing on shelter conditions last year, and waited until now to do something about it.

“I don’t understand waiting three years for the mayor to appoint someone that he describes as a remarkable,” Cruz told the Sun-Times.

Cruz said she’s been bombarded with complaints from animal rights advocates and volunteers, who have described “unsafe and unsanitary conditions for the animals” and a “toxic” environment for volunteers.

“At any point, if volunteers disagree or bring new ideas and the leadership doesn’t agree with them, then they’re asked not to come back again,” Cruz said. “There’s a toxic culture... and fear of retaliation.”

Villegas acknowledged that there have been chronic complaints about conditions at the city's animal shelter for decades under a host of different leaders, as well as complaints about funding for the facility. But he said when volunteers demand a nationwide search, the city owes it to those animal advocates to conduct one.

"We're talking about volunteers who have been fired by Animal Care and Control. It's a toxic environment there. Volunteers there are not wanting to volunteer because of all types of issues there," Villegas said. "Volunteers, organizers and animal advocates have brought concerns to us. All they're asking for is a national search to determine what type of talent is potentially out there."

WGN Radio's Steve Dale, a certified animal behavior consultant, joined the mayor Wednesday to defend Cappello, saying many landlords prohibit dogs or require a fee for dogs over a certain weight.

"That's a national issue — it's not only a Chicago issue," Dale said. "And there are lots of individuals working to try to do something about it."