Bellwood Stray Crew

Bellwood Stray Crew We are a 501c3 Non-Profit Animal Welfare Organization dedicated to helping stray animals near Bellwood, IL and surrounding areas.
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We are also a resource for law enforcement on cruelty and neglect cases pertaining to the Humane Care for Animals Act.

๐Ÿฅƒ ๐€ ๐๐Ž๐”๐‘๐๐Ž๐ ๐€ ๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐…๐Ž๐‘ ๐๐„๐‹๐‹๐–๐Ž๐Ž๐ƒ ๐’๐“๐‘๐€๐˜๐’ ๐ŸฅƒItโ€™s Bourbon. Itโ€™s Dogs. Itโ€™s a true win-win. Hereโ€™s how this will go down..For j...
06/19/2026

๐Ÿฅƒ ๐€ ๐๐Ž๐”๐‘๐๐Ž๐ ๐€ ๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐…๐Ž๐‘ ๐๐„๐‹๐‹๐–๐Ž๐Ž๐ƒ ๐’๐“๐‘๐€๐˜๐’ ๐Ÿฅƒ

Itโ€™s Bourbon.
Itโ€™s Dogs.
Itโ€™s a true win-win.

Hereโ€™s how this will go down..
For just $20, you'll be entered into our ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐›๐จ๐ง ๐š ๐ƒ๐š๐ฒ ๐ซ๐š๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ฅ๐ž, where we'll give away ๐Ž๐๐„ ๐๐Ž๐“๐“๐‹๐„ ๐„๐•๐„๐‘๐˜ ๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐’๐“๐€๐‘๐“๐ˆ๐๐† ๐‰๐”๐‹๐˜ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ•๐“๐‡ ๐“๐‡๐‘๐Ž๐”๐†๐‡ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐Œ๐Ž๐๐“๐‡ ๐Ž๐… ๐€๐”๐†๐”๐’๐“. That's a hell of a lot of chances to wake up and find out your bourbon collection just got a whole lot cooler.
Every ticket purchased for Bourbon a Day automatically enters you into our Grand Prize drawings. And for those of you who buy tickets to the original raffleโ€”you'll have the opportunity to buy additional tickets for the Big 5 bottles we'll be raffling off the last week of August.

Listen, we're not talking about bottles you grab off the bottom shelf while buying gas station beef jerky. We're talking:
๐Ÿฅƒ Blue Run 40th Anniversary '85 Bears Edition
๐Ÿฅƒ Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof
๐Ÿฅƒ Yellowstone 7 Year
๐Ÿฅƒ Penelope "F**k Cancer"
๐Ÿฅƒ Redwood Empire Bottled in Bond
๐Ÿฅƒ Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year (*Big 5 offering)

This is your chance to turn that bourbon obsession into an opportunity to help the shelter dogs at Bellwood Stray Crew.
So while you're daydreaming about sipping Van Winkle on your back porch and pretending you know how to describe "notes of oak and leather," you'll also be helping dogs get the care, food, medical treatment, and second chances they deserve.

๐•๐ˆ๐’๐ˆ๐“ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐™๐„๐…๐…๐˜ ๐‹๐ˆ๐๐Š ๐๐„๐‹๐Ž๐– ๐“๐Ž ๐†๐„๐“ ๐˜๐Ž๐”๐‘ ๐๐€๐Œ๐„ ๐ˆ๐ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐Œ๐ˆ๐— ๐…๐Ž๐‘ ๐€ ๐‚๐‡๐€๐๐‚๐„ ๐“๐Ž ๐–๐ˆ๐.
๐„๐๐“๐‘๐ˆ๐„๐’ ๐๐„๐†๐ˆ๐ ๐“๐Ž๐ƒ๐€๐˜, ๐„๐๐“๐„๐‘ ๐€๐“ ๐€๐๐˜๐“๐ˆ๐Œ๐„ ๐“๐‡๐‘๐Ž๐”๐†๐‡๐Ž๐”๐“ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐Œ๐Ž๐๐“๐‡ ๐“๐Ž ๐‰๐Ž๐ˆ๐.
๐–๐„๐„๐Š๐‹๐˜ ๐๐Ž๐“๐“๐‹๐„ ๐ƒ๐‘๐Ž๐๐’ ๐–๐ˆ๐‹๐‹ ๐๐„ ๐€๐๐๐Ž๐”๐๐‚๐„๐ƒ ๐„๐€๐‚๐‡ ๐’๐”๐๐ƒ๐€๐˜ ๐€๐“ ๐Ÿ•๐๐Œ. ๐Œ๐”๐’๐“ ๐๐„ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ+ ๐“๐Ž ๐„๐๐“๐„๐‘.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/a-bourbon-a-day-for-bellwood-strays

06/18/2026

Cody, Rumor, and Whisper. ๐ŸŒบ๐Ÿฅฐ

Three dogs. Three different personalities. Three amazing souls.

Let's start with Cody.

Cody is golden retriever in a big black dog body. This dog is so happy it borders on being annoying. Not to us, but to all people that are trying to have a bad day. He loves toys. He loves people. He loves dogs. He loves being alive. He'd probably love your grandma and grandpa as much as you!

The best part? Our shy girl Whisper is absolutely obsessed with him. Cody came and made this girl feel happiness ๐Ÿฅน

Speaking of Whisper...

Whisper is still a little shy with humans, but if you've got a dog, she's in. Dogs are her emotional support animals. Her life coach. Her therapist. Her social circle. She absolutely needs another dog in her future home because watching her confidence around them is like watching someone discover tequila for the first time.

Then there's Rumor.

Rumor is the dog equivalent of that friend who quietly sits in the corner, watches the drama unfold, and always knows exactly what's going on. She's sweet as hell and walks on a leash so well it's honestly shocking. We've spent years teaching dogs how to walk nicely and this baddie just showed up knowing how.

Also, we have officially confirmed that Rumor and Whisper are not bonded. Friends? Sure. Roommates? Absolutely.

All three dogs are dog friendly. All three have shown incredible growth since arriving. All three deserve better than staring at kennel walls. Rumor and Cody are developing happy tail so sooner rather than later for them please!

So if you're a rescue looking for good dogs with wonderful personalities and not whatever genetically confused merle abomination the internet is obsessed with this week, give us a shout.

Interested in Cody, Rumor, or Whisper?

Email [email protected]

Sometimes rescue isn't about saving a dog from abuse, neglect, or some horrible situation.Sometimes it's about helping g...
06/14/2026

Sometimes rescue isn't about saving a dog from abuse, neglect, or some horrible situation.

Sometimes it's about helping good people through a s**tty situation.

Meet Achilles.

Achilles is 14 years old. Fourteen. That's approximately 97 in pit bull years. His second picture is what he looked like in his prime. ๐Ÿ˜

His family loved him very much. Unfortunately, life threw them a curveball in the form of housing restrictions, and despite exhausting every option they could find, they were faced with a decision no family ever wants to make. A friend reached out hoping we could help, and if you've been around here long enough, you already know we have a soft spot for the gray-faced oldies.

So Achilles came to us last week.

And today, we're happy to say he's already on his freedom ride and officially headed to his new life through It's A Pittie Rescue!

We aren't here to judge anyone and neither are you. The reality is that housing discrimination against pit bulls is still a massive problem. Every year, families who love their dogs are forced into impossible situations simply because their best friend has a blockhead instead of a Chihuahua head. It's unfair, and it breaks hearts on both ends of the leash.

What matters is that Achilles was loved, his family did right by him, and because people stepped up, this sweet old man gets to spend his golden years where he belongs: on a couch, spoiled rotten, collecting snacks and farting wherever the wind blows!

Thank you to everyone who helped make that happen.

Happy tails, Achilles. You handsome son of a gun!

Go enjoy retirement, buddy. You've earned it. โค๏ธ

Update: the remaining two dogs have rescue!๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿค˜๐ŸฝLong post ๐Ÿ˜€A few days ago I was sent a message about four dogs living i...
06/12/2026

Update: the remaining two dogs have rescue!๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿฝ

Long post ๐Ÿ˜€

A few days ago I was sent a message about four dogs living in an encampment near Foster and Pulaski. I responded responsibly:

"Have they contacted Anti-Cruelty or Cook County?"

Because this is Chicago proper and we stay in our lane.

Then the post showed up again.
And again.
And AGAIN.

I learned more about the situation. A man had brought these dogs there in crates and would disappear for long stretches of time. The people actually living in the tent city ended up caring for them the best they could. They gave them food and checked on them while also trying to survive. Shout out to the people with the least in society doing the MOST for these dogs within the means they had.

Chicago rescuers have been monitoring for the past week with the hot weather and finally the owner said the dogs had to go immediately. Well, cool. But now what?!?!

So after seeing that update, I soberly commented that we would take one.

Didn't care which one.

Just one.

So, today Cody rolled into Bellwood courtesy of Claudia's personal Uber service and immediately made us fawn ๐Ÿฅฐ

And what a freaking lover boy.

This dude wants pets. He wants friends, snacks, stuffed fu***ng animals and every ounce of love he can get!!! He took his vaccines like a champ too.

I'm pretty sure Cody is currently enjoying luxuries such as:
โœ” Clean water
โœ” Food
โœ” Air conditioning
โœ” A bed
โœ” Not having flies using his as***le as an airport

You know. The finer things in life.

The good news is all four dogs have been removed from the encampment and are temporarily safe.

The bad news is TWO of them still need rescue or shelter placement ASAP. They're currently being kept in a fanned garage and don't have much time before going to CACC. And if we can help save two kennels at CACC with this post. It's worth it.

Email us if you can help the other two who have great dispositions and are friendly! [email protected]

Thanks to the Chicago crew for being advocates for animals and not giving up. Because of y'all they are not living in crates anymore. Yes the little girl with deformed legs has rescue. The other two do not.

Welcome to the s**tshow Cody!

Well, this is depressing.Meet Whisper and Rumor.Whisper is the white girl. Rumor is the tan girl. They came in together ...
06/10/2026

Well, this is depressing.

Meet Whisper and Rumor.

Whisper is the white girl. Rumor is the tan girl. They came in together as strays, and despite the fact that these two seem to think the other one hung the moon, not a single person has come looking for either of them.

Whisper's current life strategy is to pancake herself into the ground anytime she's unsure about something, which is often. Rumor is a little braver. She's still timid, but she'll come over for affection and actually walks on a leash.

The thing about these girls is that they're scared, but they're not shut down. They WANT to trust people. They WANT love. You can see it all over their faces. They watch you with those eyes that say, "I'd really like to believe you're nice, but life hasn't been nice to us". We've seen this many times before and we are actually really fu***ng good at dealing with these dogs. Just watch - they will be totally different dogs with time here.

Both girls tested with a male and a female dog today and did great. A little shy which is expected but no negative reaction at all. Just two little ladies trying to survive this bu****it.

We estimate them to be between 2 and 4 years old, and both have had puppies at some point. Shocker. Good enough to have babies, not good enough to love. F**kers.

We don't know yet if they're truly bonded or if they're simply finding comfort in the only familiar thing they have left. For now, we're keeping them together while we get to know them better. We ask that any rescues interested keep them together until it's known for sure if they are bonded or not. Time will tell us whether they're mom-daughter, best friends, sister wives, or some combination of all three.

So if you've got some spare good vibes, send them their way. These girls deserve a soft landing after what was clearly a pretty rough ride.

Whisper and Rumor are available for rescue transfer. Email [email protected]. Test videos available as well!

And to whoever let these sweet girls end up out on their own... your mom's a hoe.๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ’•

Ronica update!The good news: Ronica is officially done with her 2-3 times a week bandage changes and has healed up beaut...
06/10/2026

Ronica update!

The good news: Ronica is officially done with her 2-3 times a week bandage changes and has healed up beautifully. ๐ŸŽ‰

The bad news: Ronica recovered a hell of a lot faster than our bank account did.

To date, we've spent about $5,200 on her care after this incident. Worth every penny? Absolutely. But now we need to build those funds back up before the next emergency dog comes through our doors because let's be real, it's never if. It's WHEN s**t will hit the fan.

Case in point: this past weekend a dog came in with one of the worst prolapses our ER vet had ever seen, running a 106ยฐ fever too. Unfortunately, humane euthanasia was the only option. Had she been stable enough for treatment, that's exactly the kind of dog these emergency funds are meant for. The ones that need immediate help while we scramble to find a rescue willing and able to take them.

If you'd like to help us refill the OH S**T FUND, you can donate here:

๐Ÿ‘‰ https://freeanimaldoctor.org/campaigns/ronica/

Now, what have we learned about Ronica over the last few weeks:

โ€ข House trained โœ”๏ธ
โ€ข Crate trained โœ”๏ธ
โ€ข Toy hoarder โœ”๏ธ
โ€ข Lives for Dunkin' bacon on her Sunday morning coffee run โœ”๏ธ
โ€ข Has an arch nemesis named Curtis, a neighborhood stray cat who chooses violence โœ”๏ธ

And despite all the medical care, all the healing, and all the treats, she still has one official statement:

"F**k them vets." ๐Ÿคฃ

Ronica is now medically ready for rescue transfer and is looking for a place where she can be integrated with resident dogs and finally find her forever home.

Next week marks 9 months since she was found.

Nine. Freaking. Months.

She's now the third-longest resident of the Bellwood Inn, which is criminal considering she's only 35 pounds of spicy and sweet.

Please share her. Somewhere out there is a rescue that needs a toy-stealing, bacon-loving, vet-hating little s**t, and we're hoping they see this post.

๐Ÿ“ง [email protected]

Alright, yes... it's Bandita again. ๐Ÿ˜‚At this point, her face has probably shown up on your timeline more than some of yo...
06/08/2026

Alright, yes... it's Bandita again. ๐Ÿ˜‚

At this point, her face has probably shown up on your timeline more than some of your relatives, but we're hoping you're not tired of seeing this gorgeous girl because we're REALLY trying to get her out of the shelter.

Bandita is the queen of being unbothered. She's nonchalant, super chill, and perfectly content just hanging out with her people. No drama. No chaos. No need to be the center of attention. She's just looking for someone to relax with, binge-watch some TV, take a few leisurely walks, and enjoy life together.

Unfortunately, shelter life isn't doing her any favors. This sweet girl absolutely refuses to potty in her kennel. Turns out sheโ€™s more of a lady than we thought.. who wouldโ€™ve guessed? ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ While we appreciate her commitment to cleanliness, it's causing health issues because she's holding it for way too long.

And honestly? A dog this good shouldn't be sitting in a kennel anyway.

Bandita deserves a couch. She deserves a backyard. She deserves someone who appreciates a low-key best friend who's happy just existing by your side.

So if you've been thinking about fostering or adopting, consider this your sign. If you can't take her in, please share this post. Somewhere out there is the person who's been looking for a calm, easygoing companion, and Bandita is over here waiting like, "Whenever y'all are ready." ๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿพ

Let's find this girl the home she deserves.
Interested? Shoot us an email - [email protected]

Bandita is ready to meet her new family here at the Baird & Warner - Plainfield Annual Pet Adoption Event! Stop by our t...
06/07/2026

Bandita is ready to meet her new family here at the Baird & Warner - Plainfield Annual Pet Adoption Event!

Stop by our table, give Bandita some good good lovinโ€™ and grab some Bellwood Stray Crew swag - weโ€™re here โ€˜till 3pm !

Happy to announce that Indie has officially been pulled by after ONE WHOLE YEAR FROM THE DATE SHE WAS ABANDONED! She ha...
06/03/2026

Happy to announce that Indie has officially been pulled by after ONE WHOLE YEAR FROM THE DATE SHE WAS ABANDONED!

She has found the perfect place with a daddy, a grammy, a kittie and doggie buddie!

Happy tails sweet Indie - the crew misses you but off to your final forever home โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’•

Welcome BANDITA ๐ŸŒถ๏ธIf Bandita was a human, she would have three ex-husbands, a carton of ci******es in her purse, banned ...
05/29/2026

Welcome BANDITA ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

If Bandita was a human, she would have three ex-husbands, a carton of ci******es in her purse, banned from at least one casino and has at least one warrant in a county you've never heard of.

We love her. She suits us.

This senior, tri-colored pittie sausage came in as a stray. The crazy part is that she looks taken care of! Over 8 years old for sure. Yet no one has come looking for her. Not one ping on her found dog posts at all.

Her teeth....
Friends. We try not to judge, but this girl has clearly never seen a toothbrush. Her dental plan appears to have been "f**k it." ๐Ÿคฃ

Bandita now sits in her kennel yelling about why she's in here. And honestly, we don't blame her. If she had a human voice, she'd sound like Roz from Monsters Inc. after a three-day bender with some old guy from the VFW hall. Frankly, if I got abandoned in a concrete box after spending years in a home, I'd be talking s**t too.

We leash tested her with Neeno and the interaction was so boring we almost fell asleep. Videos in the FB comments.

A couple little old-lady lumps and bumps.
Dog friendly.
Available for rescue now!

Bandita is ready for retirement. ๐Ÿ‘ต๐Ÿฝ

Preferably somewhere with a couch, snacks, a toothbrush and people who won't dump her in her golden years.

Email us if you can help her!

[email protected]

Address

11914 S. Route 59, Unit 100
Plainfield, IL
60585

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