An animal shelter is under fire after graphic video surfaced showing dogs caged in horrifying conditions.

Heartbreaking video shows a dog barely able to breathe in a kennel cage. The video was supposedly taken at the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge.

The shelter has indefinitely suspended adoptions because they say there’s been an outbreak of kennel cough.

The videos were taken by a woman who said she volunteered there and was horrified by the conditions.

“You would see animals with respiratory distress…dogs laying in feces,” said Shannon Gaglione, animal activist.

She was among dozens of others staging a candlelight vigil Thursday in protest of the shelter’s treatment of the animals.


“We’re here peacefully to let them know that we know what’s going on behind closed doors and we will not stand for it,” said Nikki Ormsby, animal activist.

Shelter director Linda Estrada invited our cameras in to see the shelter up close.

“We have nothing to hide, but we have the dog flu,” she said. “We love our animals and we are spending thousands of dollars to save our animals.”

Linda gave us a tour of the shelter, which passed the eye test. The cages were clean, and then we went into the quarantine room where the sick animals were being held.

Linda says she’s surprised by the protests.

“I’m sad that…if we didn’t quarantine the public would be coming in here and their animals would be going out there and getting sick,” she said.