Dodge County Humane Society / Rescue Organizations

[CarolsCritterCare]

http://dodgecountyhumanesociety.org/


Dodge County Humane Society
210 Stoddart St. | Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Tel: 920-887-7447 | Fax: 920-887-7947

The Beaver Dam Humane Society was established in 1968 by a group of Dodge County Citizens that recognized the need for a central facility to house abandoned animals.The first meeting of this group of approximately fourteen individuals, including Edwin Nehls, Sheriff of Dodge County, was held on February 6, 1968, at the Hotel Rogers. One of the founding members of the Dodge County Humane Society was Mrs. Anne (Rogers) Pfeffer of the Rogers Hotel.

Even though the name Beaver Dam Humane Society was chosen, the founding members did not want to exclude surrounding communities, so the articles and by-laws were written to encompass other areas.In 1968, individual memberships were $2.00, student memberships were $1.00 and Patron memberships were $25.00.

The first main item was to find a location for the Beaver Dam Humane Society. First, in 1970, a building at 200 Prairie Street was purchased for $8,000.00, but the Humane Society ran into a problem with zoning with the City of Beaver Dam and the property was eventually resold.After much effort and struggling, the site where the present Humane Society is located, 210 Stoddart St., was purchased from the City of Beaver Dam for $1.00.

In 1970, plans were drawn and approved by the State Humane Society and the City of Beaver Dam for a building to be constructed on the property.A builder, Mr. Dale Schmidt, was contracted to build the building from between $15,000-$16,000.The building was completed in 1972 and is still in use today.

Some of the initial goals of the Humane Society were:
1) To improve the conditions of stray, injured or mistreated animals
2) To provide a rabies control program
3) To conduct a program on the need for spaying and neutering cats and dogs.
4) To provide a program of humane educations not only in schools, but for the general public.

In 1997 the Humane Society faced one of its most challenging moments.In July, 1997 nearly 100 dogs and puppies were moved from a puppy mill outside of Dodge County. The animals were placed in 11 shelters in 10 area counties. The Beaver Dam Humane Society was able to take in Purdy, a Dalmation nursing 11 puppies. BDHS could not take in more dogs because of financial difficulty. The puppy mill raid brought the situation of BDHS to the forefront and the community rallied with support. The Humane Society, which relies heavily on donations, was able to keeps its doors open and continues to provide a vital service to the area.

In 2002 the Humane Society purchased a building downtown, located at 108 Front St., to house its Thrift Store.The Thrift Store has been a great success. The community supports the Thrift Store buy donating unwanted items to be sold and the profits help offset the operating costs of the shelter.

In the spring of 2005, The Board of Directors decided that a new name was needed, so we became The Dodge County Humane Society.Our existing building has served us well, but after 30 years, the concrete was cracking, the air circulation was poor, and there was severe overcrowding. The Board of Directors decided it was time for a new facility. In May, 2005, we were very lucky to find a great building, located at W6839 State Road 26, a few miles north of Juneau, Wisconsin. This building has 9,600 square feet of needed space, is located on 6.6 acres of land and is more centrally located in Dodge County.We anticipate being in the new building by the fall of 2006.

Since its creation, the Dodge County Humane Society has continued to serve area communities by providing a shelter to unwanted and stray animals. In 2006, we took in 875 animals. We anticipate our 2007 intake to be out 950 animals. We currently spay or neuter all animals (that have reached the proper age) before placement. If the animal is not altered before placement, a $50.00 deposit is required and follow up is done to make sure the agreement is honored.