08/05/2025
Dear Sweet Potato,
We don’t know your real name, sweet girl. We tried — we really did. About 50 of them, in fact. We called out Bella, Luna, Daisy, Maggie, Cookie, Porkchop, Miss Wiggles… anything that might make your ears perk up or your tail wag. Nothing felt right. So we’re sorry we settled on Sweet Potato. It was never meant to stick, but it fit your warm, soulful eyes and that gentle, lumpy way you curled up in your kennel while we tried to figure out what to do next.
When you were brought to us as a stray, our hearts immediately broke for you. No collar. No chip. No one calling or coming for you. You were failed by people long before you ever made it to our doorstep. When we reached out for help, our local city animal control said no. Cage space. Overload. No help.
But St. Clair County Animal Control — when one precious cage opened up — said yes.
Thank you, St. Clair County Animal Control, for stepping up when it mattered. For making space when there wasn’t any. For being the safety net Sweet Potato didn’t have.
To everyone reading this: we are tired. The vet staff, the humane workers, the animal control teams… we are emotionally and physically exhausted. There are more animals than there are homes. More emergencies than there are solutions. We are stretched painfully thin — and it’s not because we don’t care. It’s because too many others don’t.
Please:
🐾 Spay and neuter your pets.
🐾 Adopt — don’t shop.
🐾 Microchip your pets.
There is a heartbreaking overpopulation crisis happening right now. Shelters are overflowing. Kennels are doubling up. And every "oops" litter, every unchipped stray, every backyard breeder adds to the problem. We simply cannot rescue our way out of this.
And Sweet Potato… we haven’t given up on you. Not for a second. We believe someone will see you and just know you’re theirs. That there is a couch, a warm bed, and a forever love in your future. You deserve that, and so much more.
While you wait, we want to make sure you — and your shelter-mates — have comfort and joy:
Peanut butter. Canned pumpkin. Yogurt. Fresh or frozen fruit. Enrichment toys. Kongs. Puzzle feeders. Snuggly blankets. Soft treats.
Because every dog deserves more than just a cage. They deserve care, stimulation, and dignity.
💛 If you'd like to help Sweet Potato and the other animals waiting at St. Clair County Animal Control, you can send or drop off donations directly to:
St. Clair County Animal Control
1250 S. 11th St.
Belleville, IL 62226
Or drop them off here at:
Davis Pet Hospital
816 S. Morrison Ave.
Collinsville, IL 62234
—we’ll make sure they get delivered with love.
With tired hands, full hearts, and never-ending hope,
— Your friends at Davis Pet Hospital 🐾
"Every paw matters. Every soul counts."
