Dane County Humane Society

I was very specific with what I needed and they accommodated me so well. You can tell they genuinely love animals and take their job seriously.

I am new to Madison and wanted to rescue a dog/​cat to join my family. Since the Vet school is here I thought the Humane Society would be top-​notch. Unfortunately my experience at this shelter is so typical of most others I’ve worked or volunteered with in the country.
I asked for the dog and cat who had been there the longest. The volunteer asked me «why»? I mean really… We eventually got back on track and she went to pull files for a few animals. In the interim, I went looking at the animals in the back adoption rooms.
What I saw again no surprises; Dirty cages, cat rooms were musty, humid and severe ammonia smell and all of them of course craving attention. Dog rooms not so bad.
Finally after 1.5 hours found the sweetest dog and cat both older with medical issues, but that was ok. I had my application with lease all prepared for review and expected a day or two for approval. Nope, was told they could come home right away. She didn’t look at my application, only asked for picture ID, put my name in the computer, made sure I had a leash and carrier, took my money and said goodbye. No checking with landlord or vet for references.
Very glad Gracie and Emma are now part of our family. As an animal rescue advocate, I hope this society gets better but won’t hold my breath. It takes a lot to be in animal rescue; volunteer, foster, transport or simply working the desk, emotionally draining. There are wonderful organizations who do their best by putting the animals first. Dane has a long way to go…

We had a wonderful experience when we adopted our 85 lb. hound mix from this place about 2 years ago. We took him home the day we saw him which is unusual when it comes to adoptions, but I loved the fact that they allowed us to do this because we had fallen in love with this dog. When we got him he didn’t have a huge interest in food or toys but within a few weeks he really warmed up to us and now he loves his treats, toys, rides in the car, snuggling etc. He’s been healthy ever since we got him other than an ear infection that is typical for dogs with ears like his, and we are just so happy to have had such a great experience with adopting an animal.

I went to the main location to adopt a dog for my mother who is handicapped and cannot come in to get her own dog.
I had to see out help and I stood there waiting for someone to talk to me (I was looking at them like hellloooo) and they were all at the counter all socializing and ignoring everyone.
Why are they letting people wander around the place unescorted as well. I have lived in other places and NO ONE runs a shelter like this. You have to protect the animals from children who might poke fingers and get bit.
Finally I went to the counter and asked someone: Can you help me? The volunteer who was very distracted and bored to talk to me told me she had to come in to meet the dog otherwise they would not adopt a dog to her.
I was like THIS MAKES NO SENSE SHE IS A WHEELCHAIR.
I called later and a real employee apologized but too late I ended up getting a wonderful animal on Craigslist instead.
Dear DCHS train your volunteers better animals lives depend on it.
I was not greeted no one looked at me very unfriendly place for being such fancy building there is hardly any space for actual animals. I went to look at the cats and they were all out of their cages and you only had a small to view at the entryway.
I like their satellite centers the Mounds one on University is a great place to meet and hang out with a new fur family friend to be. I got a cat there and it was an awesome experience
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A few months back we adopted a second dog from DCHS and were once again thrilled with the level of service we received. It was a several hour process because my bf went to meet the dog first, and then after he fell in love with him, I came along with our other dog to meet him. We had adopted our first dog from DCHS a little over a year prior to this and absolutely love her (and yes, spoil her).
We thought the staff handled the introduction of the dogs flawlessly. They let each dog sniff out the room alone, and then had my bf and I watch through windows as they introduced the dogs. They kept the atmosphere positive and free from distractions, while slowly giving them more and more space to interact. The dogs were buddies from the start and have continued to be best friends.
Once again, we were thrilled with the staff and the whole process. Also like the resale shop set up in the hall, very cool!
Remember to support animal shelters and rescues! Buying an animal from a pet store or a breeder means denying a shelter animal a chance at life. Anyone who has ever adopted an animal will confirm that they are the best!

Okay so I just adopted a dog here. The experience was generally a good one. I visited twice, and both times the staff was helpful with the dog and answered my questions. They also seemed to really care about the animal. The fees were reasonable, and they are including dental care that they were going to do anyway (he just wasn’t in the shelter long enough for them to do it). The place looks clean and the animals appear to be generally healthy, happy, and well cared for.
There were a few unpleasant things about our experience though.
1) The lady who did our paperwork was different than the 3 women who worked with us during the visit. And she was a complete ditz. I mean like when we were going over the contract, she said we won’t provide any medical care. I asked/​reminded her about the dental work that all 3 other employees told me about for this specific dog and she said oh yea that’s right I’ll write it in. Then went on through the contract (fine by me). Then she asked me to sign it and I said not until you write in the dental work. She said oh ok right, and then got distracted talking about the dog needing to loose weight. And then asked me to sign again. And finally wrote it in after I said you need to write it in now. It was late on a Friday night, so maybe that was it but still it was funny to start with and then just annoying.
2) The dog had kennel cough. I know he didn’t get vaccinated until he got there and it takes some time to take effect and that happens a lot blah blah blah. I feel like they should either work out a system to isolate new dogs or provide care (he’s a senior dog so our vet recommended giving him meds which we did but added to the cost and was worrisome for me).
3) DO NOT BUY YOUR DOG LICENSE FROM THEM!!! They say it takes a month. It doesn’t. It takes them a month to send it to the city treasurer, who gets it out in like a day. Save yourself the hassle and do it yourself. You’ll get it faster. Maybe I’m just irritated by them telling me it takes the treasurer a month and blaming them while that’s not the case (the lady at the treasurer’s office is the one who told me they batch the license paperwork together and only send in things once-​twice a month). My neighbor waited 3 months for his license when he went through dane co humane society so it’s not a one-​off thing.

We had to surrender a dog here after a horrible experience getting one from a different rescue. On the phone and in an hour and a half interview along with our vet calling, we stated the dog was not to go back to the rescue. We waited and waited to see our dog come up on the website and she never did. After a week, I called DCHS and found out that pretty much immediately after I had left, the worker who had checked us in called the rescue and our dog was picked up the next day. DCHS didn’t even have her for 24 hours and even admitted they knew nothing about the rescue they sent her back to. Over a month later and she still is not adopted from the other rescue and our feelings and needs were totally dismissed. NOT humane treatment in this case.

As much as I love the idea of saving a poor helpless animal from being put to death this place could use some work if they intend to adopt animals out! First and foremost the customer service here is terrible. My parents have visited the shelter on more than one occasion to view the dogs ready for adoption and have yet to be greeted with a friendly helping hand. If they had they would have a dog right now. Its hard to enquire about a dog when no one or information is available regarding the dog. In addition I believe adoption fees ranging from $ 175.00 to $ 350.00 are a bit much especially considering the funding the Dane County Humane Society receives. Perhaps they should consider arranging discounted fees with vet services they use. I understand it does cost a great deal of money to home an animal which should be taken into consideration by the adoptee however you shouldnt have to spend hundreds to get a dog. I mean considering they put thousands of dogs to sleep each year!!! Nonetheless if you can rescue a animal from here… There is no greater gift than the gift of life!

Keep up all the good work at the Humane Society.

Website updated on the hour. Clean. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Odd location.