My name is Joette Hagen and my husband Jon Hagen assisted last Friday night in the rescue of the some 200 animals from the Munroe house in Rochelle. My husband will be taking a test next month to get an Animal Cruelty license so he can assist TAILS Humane Society in animal cruelty cases.

Since he is working with TAILS to obtain this license they called him last Friday and asked if he would volunteer on this particular case. He accepted. He was so excited to be involved in his first case, even though he was only a volunteer and not an investigator. He left at 4 p.m. and didn’t come home till almost midnight.

He said that on Friday, they didn’t get all the animals, because of lack of light and would return on Saturday morning. He said that they were all in for a ride, they expected to find 100 cats and maybe 50 dogs. They found a lot more than that. Almost twice as many, if you consider the ones who were dead. He said the first thing discovered was the horrible smell from the house: “You could smell the ammonia about 25 feet away.”

Volunteers and TAILS personnel had to wear rubber gloves and face masks. He said the house was filthy and animals were everywhere. He said it was a very sad sight to see all these poor animals in such terrible conditions, but he was also very happy and excited to get those animals out of there. He said some of the animals that came out of the house acted like they had never been outside.

He said one cocker spaniel was so excited, he was rolling around in the dirt and flipping around with excitement. Some, he said, were skittish and very weary of human contact. Overall, he said this experience only made him want to become an animal cruelty investigator even more than before. He said, “Though it is so tough to see animals suffering and hurt, that is all the more reason to help them.”

Joette Hagen
History/ecology major


I received urgent e-mails last weekend from TAILS requesting help. My daughter is a TAILS volunteer. I took my children, 8 and 10 years old, to the airport hangar on Monday. I was concerned with contagious diseases the animals may carry and was hesitant to have my children in close contact with them. We decided to take supplies over and just look, but not touch, the animals.

When we got there, I could not believe the magnitude of the situation. I did let my children pet (with gloves) as well as take the dogs for walks. I think TAILS has an overwhelming situation and is handling it very well. My children have sent out flyers at their school to take a collection of items needed. I will be taking the items to the shelter as long as needed. It looks as if TAILS could be in for a long haul and will need continuous help for a long period of time. Overall, TAILS is doing a wonderful job.

Janet Gianfrancesco
DeKalb resident


I took some dog treats out to the DeKalb airport last night and stayed to volunteer by walking the dogs. It was very heartwarming to see to see the outpouring of support for these defenseless creatures. There has already been lots of food, newspapers and paper towels donated. I don’t know how much money has been donated, but I hope the enthusiasm doesn’t lessen as the time goes on. They need volunteers not just now, but continuously.

Sue Brammerlo
NIU alumna and employee

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