Chicago's Hidden Gems: Nonprofit Wild Hearts cares for dogs with disabilities
CHICAGO (CBS) – Some dogs need a very special kind of love and care, and they're finding it at Wild Hearts.
It's tucked away in Logan Square, and it's one of Chicago's Hidden Gems.
Speaking of hidden, you can't even see the building from the street, near California Avenue and the Kennedy Expressway. It's also quiet; that is, until you get inside.
At first glance, Poky, Josh, and their buddies seem like any cute canines, but it's worth taking another look.
They're off and running at Wild Hearts, a nonprofit for "special" dogs and the humans who love them.
"Some of them are born with abnormalities, like Poky here," said Erin Kowalski, founder of Wild Hearts. "And then there's other dogs that come to us that have spinal trauma, they get hit by a car, different conditions that happen as pets age. There's neurological conditions."
Kowalski founded Wild Hearts back in 2014 after adopting Bialy, another mobility-impaired dog.
"At the time, there were little or no resources out there," Kowalski said. "In addition to the financial commitment that I had caring for her, I couldn't find anybody to watch her when I would want to go out of town."
She added, "This whole thing was basically born out of out of a niche area that I felt needed to be filled."
Kowalski said the need started to grow as more people wanted to make dogs with disabilities part of their families. So she studied up and got down to business.
"If I could help one other person have their life be a little bit easier by passing on my knowledge and experience, that's what we did," she said.
But Kowalski will tell you she doesn't do it alone. There's a team of veterinarians and other specialists on board; and the specially-made carts, harnesses, and custom prosthetics they use were donated or bought at a discount from manufacturers. CBS 2 watched as she placed Josh into his cart.
"It's built custom to his body," she said. "Feed his back legs through the saddle, lock him in, clip across here to keep his front end in, and then he's all ready to go."
It's a little complicated, but it sure works.
Wild Hearts also offers rehabilitation services. Grits was getting a post-surgery workout.
"He is working on getting stronger," Kowalski said.
"Years ago, dogs like this never would have had a chance," said Carolyn Giannopoulis, of Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue. "They would have just been euthanized."
Giannopoulis said Kowalski is the real Hidden Gem.
"Her organization has been able to help us take in dogs like this, and give them great lives, and give them hope," Giannopoulis said.
Donlon: "It's amazing to me when you see them on these carts, how resilient they are and how quickly they pick it up."
Kowalski: "They're just so adaptable and amenable to, 'Oh, this is cool. It helps me go from A to B a little bit quicker.'"
Donlon: "They don't seem to know something's wrong with them."
Kowalski: "Right! Yeah. They see their adaptive equipment as part of their bodies."
And she sees that what began as a tiny dream nine years ago is growing fast.
Donlon: "This is your new nine-to-five?"
Kowalski: "It is. Well, I would say 24-7, but yeah."
To learn more about Wild Hearts and Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue, visit gowildhearts.org and cbbr.org.