News and Events

It's a Party!
In celebration of our 130th Anniversary, the Wisconsin Humane Society is thrilled to announce Feasting for Fido. This fun evening on Thursday, July 16, 2009, will include restaurant tastings of creative cuisine, inspiring wines, locally-crafted beer, festive music and many raffles.

Lake Park Bistro, Unami Moto, Meritage, the Good Life, Roots, Swig, Bacchus, Tess, Kil@Wat, Carnevor... all in one place (plus many more!). The restaurants are outstanding and all proceeds will benefit the shelter animals. Learn more and get your tickets now !

Handmade Dog Toys Brighten the Day!

Special thanks to Michaela Powell who has been bringing handmade fleece dog toys to the Wisconsin Humane Society on a regular basis for over a year! The most recent donations were distributed among dogs in adoption, who loved the colorful toys. Not only do toys keep dogs active, they stimulate their minds and keep them happy! Are you a kid interested in ways to help the animals at the shelter? Click here to learn how!

Pup & Sup Dinner

On Sunday, July 19, bring your dog for a very special wine tasting dinner hosted by Bartolotta Catering at Pier Wisconsin. Dogs are invited to accompany their guardians throughout dinner, although crates will be available for dogs who would rather spend some quality time with a tasty peanut butter-filled Kong! The casual-dress event will begin at 5:00 p.m. and the cost is $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity. $20 from each ticket sold will be donated to the Victoria Wellens Memorial Fund at the Wisconsin Humane Society. Attendees are not required to bring a dog. All dogs must be current on vaccinations and well-socialized. Reservations are necessary and can be made by calling 414-765-8610.

Bring Buddy for Some Fun at Northpoint!
Custard, shakes, sandwiches, fries, and even Frosty Paws for your pooch! Looking for a fun excursion with your dog? Join WHS at Bartolotta's Northpoint Snack Bar at Bradford Beach, 2400 Lincoln Memorial Drive, on Thursday, June 18 from 5:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. Bring your well-socialized dogs for some fun on the beach and help raise funds for shelter animals. Bartolotta's Northpoint Snack Bar will be donating proceeds from food sales to WHS! Check out the incredible range of items, from portobella sandwiches and grilled tuna to shakes and fries, on the pdf menu.

Local Girl Scouts Donate to Help Animals

Troop #1421 (Brown Deer) worked to earn a Silver Award by making cozy fleece blankets for the dogs and cats in adoption. They also held a bake sale and raised money to buy products in Animal Antics , the WHS retail store. Not only did their new purchases go right back to help animals, but the proceeds from the store did, too!

Troop #1266 The girls ran a pet supply drive for donations to the Wisconsin Humane Society at Shepard Hills Elementary and Cedar Hills Elementary. The girls picked WHS as their service project to earn their Bronze Award, the highest award a junior Girl Scout can earn. Thanks to Lily, Alexis, Sara, Bianca, Caitlynn, Kayleigh, Savanah, Sami, Kayla and Abby!

Get Smart!
Raffle tickets are now on sale at WHS and OHS for very exciting prizes. This year's top prize is a 2009 Smartcar Passion Cabriolet with all the bells and whistles! Wouldn't you look perfect in this little red convertible, cruisin' along the lakefront? The second place winner goes home with a 42" flat panel HDTV and the 3rd place winner gets $500 cash! Tickets are only $5 or 5 for $20 and the proceeds go right back to help us save more injured, homeless and abused animals. The drawing will be held at this year's Hope's Lights event.

2009 Be Kind to Animals Celebration
Click here to see photos from the award ceremony, held on Sunday, May 3, 2009 at the Wisconsin Humane Society. Be Kind to Animals Week was started in 1915 by the American Humane Association and serves as a reminder of the debt humankind owes to animals, both wild and companion. Special thanks to US Patent Services in Grafton for generously donating all of the beautifully engraved plaques for the ceremony. Click here to see the winning posters, photographs and poems.

Victoria Wellens Memorial Service
The Wisconsin Humane Society hosted a public Memorial Service to celebrate the life of this remarkable leader and friend on Monday, April 13, 2009 at the Pfister Hotel, 424 E Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, (414) 273-8222. Special thanks to Marcus Hotels and Resorts and the Pfister Hotel, who graciously donated the space for the memorial service. Learn more about Victoria's life and accomplishments.

Click here to view the WHS Puppy Mill Video.

Stop Wisconsin Puppy Mills
Wisconsin is one of the few states left with no regulation to enforce basic standards for the humane care of dogs being used for breeding, or of the puppies being sold. Ask your legislators to co-sponsor an important bill introduced by Senator Kreitlow and Representative Smith, which requires minimum standards of care, protecting both Wisconsin consumers and dogs. Learn more.

Wisconsin Humane Society Appoints Interim Executive Director

Due to the passing of Executive Director Victoria Wellens, the board of directors at the Wisconsin Humane Society has announced the appointment of Ellen Clark as interim executive director. To read the full press release, click here.

Thanks to Area Students

UWM students Marla San Agustin, Zachary Kopplin, Christine Dargis and Christina Thanadabout recently dropped off donations at the Wisconsin Humane Society for the Furry Friends Pet Food Bank at WHS. With the help of the congregation of Our Lady Queen of Peace, they collected hundreds of supplies for Furry Friends, a program that provides pet food to families who are struggling financially.

A Round of A-Paws to Spay Day Volunteers!


On Tuesday, February 24, 140 animals were sterilized as part of the SNAP program. Volunteer veterinarians, vet technicians and assistants worked alongside WHS staff members to help reduce animal overpopulation in our area. A special thank you goes out to Bridget Kirkish, who provided funding for many of Spay Day's supplies. 

It didn't stop on Tuesday, though! With the help of the following volunteers and staff members, a total of 271 animals were sterilized during this outstanding week of initiatives. Spay Wisconsin, a program of the Wisconsin Humane Society, also received a grant which covered the costs of 51 additional surgeries for animals from low-income homes throughout the entire state. Thanks for your terrific work, everyone!

Peggy Volkert, Veterinary Clinic Administrator, Wisconsin Humane Society
Lora Marheine, DVM, Small Animal Hospital
Nelia Pacheco, Animal Emergency Center
Marla Lichtenberger, DVM, Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals
Lorin Shearburn, DVM
Pamela Radabaugh, CVT, Best Friends Veterinary Center
Nan Boss, DVM, Best Friends Veterinary Center
Randall Zeman, DVM, Wisconsin Humane Society
Jane Pohlman, DVM, Wisconsin Humane Society
Nancy Weiss, DVM, Wisconsin Humane Society
Kerin McClain, DVM, Wisconsin Humane Society
Patti Vollmer, Wisconsin Humane Society volunteer
Heather Ratzow, Animal Care Technician, Wisconsin Humane Society
Courtney Nicholson, Veterinary Assistant, Wisconsin Humane Society
Dayna Skrivanie, Veterinary Technician, Wisconsin Humane Society
Angela Stoetzel, Animal Care Technician, Wisconsin Humane Society
Shayna Bath, Veterinary Technician, Wisconsin Humane Society
Kathleen O’Connell, Wisconsin Humane Society volunteer
Sarah Mattix, Animal Care Technician, Wisconsin Humane Society
Tracy Kontny, Veterinary Technician, Wisconsin Humane Society
Ellen Pfeiffer, Wisconsin Humane Society volunteer
Megan Blomquist, Wisconsin Humane Society volunteer
Maggie Broeren, Wisconsin Humane Society volunteer
Katie Coffey, Wisconsin Humane Society volunteer
Cindy Meyer, Wisconsin Humane Society volunteer
Ilanit Binor, DVM, Wauwatosa Veterinary Clinic
Katie Heinrich, DVM, Silver Spring Animal Wellness Center
Teryn Glenn, Veterinary Technician, My Pet’s Vet
Elke Rudloff, DVM, Animal Emergency Center
Vanessa Brosseau, Veterinary Technician, Animal Emergency Center
Cindy Farris, Forest Home Animal Clinic
Erin Bishop, Forest Home Animal Clinic
Charleen Yaunke, DVM
Angela Patchett

Pet Food Bank Seeks Food Donations
These days, people aren’t only worried about putting food on their own table, but in Fido’s dish, too. Providing food for your cat or dog may not seem like a budgetary burden, but for many people struggling with constricted budgets, it can present a difficult dilemma: skip basic needs or surrender the animal to a shelter.

The Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) doesn’t want anyone to be trapped in this position, so they offer the Furry Friends Food Program to help guardians simply trying to keep their animals after a job loss or other financial struggle. For ten years, the program has provided food to qualifying families; today, Furry Friends has about 100 active participants.

The program, like the entire shelter, relies completely on donations. Those wishing to help the Furry Friends program can drop off canned or dry cat/kitten food, canned or dry dog/puppy food and cat litter at 4500 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee. To see if you qualify for the low-income program, click here. Interested in the full press release?

WHS Welcomes Dr. Patricia McConnell for Evening Lecture

Join the Wisconsin Humane Society in inviting Dr. Patricia McConnell, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and noted author, for this informative and entertaining evening lecture at the Milwaukee Public Library's Centennial Hall. Dr. McConnell has hosted "Calling all Pets" on Wisconsin Public Radio for fourteen years, providing her intuitive and expert advice to animal-loving listeners. Now, it's your turn to see Dr. McConnell in person!!!

Ever looked at your animal and wondered how much of her emotional life is like your own? The Emotional Life of Animals on Thursday, March 19, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. will explore the biology behind emotion in both you and your companion animal, and why it's reasonable to believe that all mammals share the emotions of love, fear, sadness, happiness and anger. This entertaining and informative presentation includes slides and videos that illustrate what emotions really are, what emotions we share with our animals, and what ones we might not. Included is practical information about how to handle problematic emotions like fear and anger. The evening ends in a celebration of the amazing emotional bond between us and our beloved pets.

The fee for this lecture is $15. To register, sign up online or call (414) 431-6156. Dr. McConnell will be signing books and DVDs after the lecture.

In recent months, the Wisconsin Humane Society has been contacted by clients, constituents, donors, attorneys and estate planners regarding confusion about the Greendale-based Humane Milwaukee, formerly Companion Animal Resource & Adoption Center (CARAC), and the Wisconsin Humane Society. For more than 130 years as the primary provider of lifesaving animal services in the Milwaukee community, many people refer to us as the Milwaukee Humane Society. We think it is in the best interest of the constituents of both organizations for Humane Milwaukee to change its name to something more distinct to end the apparent consumer confusion. We would hope they would do so without spending their resources on the legal action. A name change would bring clarity to the constituents of both organizations and better focus our attention serving our missions and helping animals.

Funds for our side of the legal action have come from a concerned couple interested in helping preserve our identity, so we can continue to serve animals in need for generations to come. No additional resources will be needed to support this action.

January 12, 2009

COLD WEATHER ADVISORY
Due to the extremely cold weather, the Wisconsin Humane Society encourages all animal guardians to keep your animals inside this week. Learn more about cold weather perils.

WHS Expands Hours to Accommodate Adopters

Hundreds of animals are up for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society, so we’ve expanded hours to include a Monday in December, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Stop by the shelter during these special hours!

HOLIDAY HOURS

Monday, December 22 from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 31 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Regular Adoption Hours
Tuesday-Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Breed Ban Concerns in New Berlin

UPDATE: GREAT NEWS! NEW BERLIN OFFICIALS ARE NO LONGER CONSIDERING BREED-SPECIFIC LEGISLATION.

The City of New Berlin is having a meeting to discuss adding Breed Specific Legislation to their municipal code. This would involve banning specific breeds from ownership. If you are a resident of New Berlin, please consider attending this meeting to voice your concern for this kind of legislation. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact New Berlin city officials and let them know that breed bans do not work and if they feel they need a vicious dog ordinance, it should include all dogs and hold the guardians accountable, without banning a specific breed or breeds.

NEW BERLIN SAFETY COMMISSION AGENDA
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 6:00 pm
New Berlin Public Safety Building
16300 W. National Ave.

01 08 09 Proposed changes to the City of New Berlin Municipal Code pertaining to vicious dogs 152-10 G. (1) - (4) to include prohibitions against owning specific breeds of dogs.

Contact New Berlin officials to let them know that breed bans are ineffective and can often lead to more problems instead of creating a safer city.

Jack F. Chiovatero, Mayor
City Hall, 3805 S. Casper Drive
New Berlin, WI 53151
Phone: (262) 786-8610

Residents of New Berlin are encouraged to contact their alderman or alderwoman:

District 1 - Alderman John Hopkins, 262-786-1213, jhopkins@newberlin.org
District 2 - Alderman Telesfore P. Wysocki, 262-782-0267, twysocki@newberlin.org
District 3 - Alderman Ronald Seidl, 262-784-1352, rseidl@newberlin.org
District 4 - Alderman Kenneth A. Harenda, 262-971-1048, kharenda@newberlin.org
District 5 - Alderman Joe Poshepny, 262-780-5440, jposhepny@newberlin.org
District 6 - Alderman William Moore, 262-785-9022, bmoore@newberlin.org
District 7 - Alderman Dave Ament, 262-544-4534, dament@newberlin.org

Breed Ban Concerns in West Allis

UPDATE: GREAT NEWS! THE CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY UPHELD THE VETO BY MAYOR DAN DEVINE. THEY ARE INSTEAD CONSIDERING A BREED-BLIND VICIOUS DOG ORDINANCE.

The City of West Allis is considering a pit bull ban. On Tuesday, December 2, the Common Council passed legislation that calls for a ban on ownership of pit bulls and other bully breeds. The ordinance, however, was vetoed by Mayor Dan Devine and the Common Council is considering alternative legislation.  The public is welcome to attend the next Common Council meeting on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at West Allis City Hall, 7525 W. Greenfield Ave, West Allis.

Please contact West Allis city officials and let them know that breed bans do not work and if they feel they need a vicious dog ordinance, it should include all dogs, without banning a specific breed. Let them know that everyone with a dog should be held accountable for their dog’s actions.  Your call or letter will help lawmakers understand and care about this issue.  If they pass breed-specific legislation in West Allis, more places may follow suit. Don’t allow this to happen to sweet-natured pit bulls in West Allis!

Contact Mayor Dan Device to show your support for his veto:

Mayor Dan Devine, City Hall Room 123, (414) 302-8290

In you live in West Allis, contact your alderman or alderwoman here:

West Allis City Hall
7525 W. Greenfield Ave
West Allis, WI 53214
(414) 302-8200

You can access additional numbers and emails by clicking on the names below:

Alderperson Gary T. Barczak

Alderperson Michael J. Czaplewski

Alderperson Kurt E. Kopplin

Alderperson Thomas G. Lajsic

Alderperson Richard F. Narlock

Alderperson Rosalie L. Reinke

Alderperson Daniel J. Roadt

Alderperson James W. Sengstock

Alderperson Vincent Vitale

Alderperson Martin J. Weigel

Move over, Lassie! Here comes Marley!

On Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14, all shelter guests will have a chance to spin the wheel and win either a free Marley & Me poster or movie pass for a special screening at Mayfair Mall on Thursday, December 18. Stop by this weekend to see adoptable animals, visit Wally’s Workbench, or pick up holiday gifts from Animal Antics. The Wisconsin Humane Society finds homes for 9,000 animals every year and we’re hoping to find homes for many great companions this holiday season.

The Wisconsin Humane Society's grounds were illuminated with more than 5,000 sparkling holiday lights during Hope's Lights on December 7, 2008. A round of a-paws goes to Karen Dalessandro from FM-106.1 and Wendy Strong from the Business Journal & FOX news, who helped us step into our 130th Anniversary year!

Our four-legged guests of honor, Sparkle and Shine, were accompanied by several other WHS alumni in festive spirits. The Gosling Guild kids club members sang fun holiday carols, attendees enjoyed behind-the-scenes tours and learned cool dog tricks, too.

Interested in giving a creative gift this holiday season? You can still purchase a white light in memory of a loved one or a colored light honoring a living person or companion animal. Lights are only $20 each and make unique gifts. Click here for more information.

Wendy Strong & Karen Dalessandro	Crystal Sharlow-Schaefer & Talon	Greg Bednarski, Dawn Zielke & Leo
Gosling Guild members sang carols.	Joyce Madsen with Jeffy & Hope 2002.	WHS Training Manager, Kim Rinzel, and Tango
Natalie Zielinski, Behavior Program Manager, and Cinder, expert hand-shaker.	Snow fell as the grounds were illuminated by thousands of lights.

Several animal representatives of the Wisconsin Humane Society gathered in the lobby of the Aurora West Allis Medical Center on December 3 to highlight the need for charitable giving through the Aurora Partnership Campaign. Taken by John Krawczyk, the photos below show Linda Steiner and Daisy; Frankie, a Newfoundland, with a crowd of admirers; Nurse Silky, complete with her medical bag; and Poppy, an adoptable dog-tor from WHS! Thanks, Aurora, for your support of the animals at the Wisconsin Humane Society!

Therese Holzem, Greg Branson and Billie Baker from Wells Fargo Advantage Funds dropped off several boxes of donations for the animals at WHS on Friday, November 7. Their fall fundraiser was a great success; the employees raised nearly $6,000 for WHS, in addition to collecting a myriad of Wish List donations. Thanks, Wells Fargo!

Honey Bear Greets Firefighter Who Saved Her Life

When Honey Bear was brought to the Wisconsin Humane Society, we weren’t sure she’d survive the night. The six-month-old puppy had been trapped in a Milwaukee house fire, unable to escape a basement, which was quickly filling with smoke. Firefighter Scott Rightmyre with Engine 24 made his way into the basement and spotted the dog hiding under the bed. He bravely pulled her out and brought her to safety.

Honey Bear was in really bad shape when she arrived. Her eyes burned painfully and she was constantly wheezing and coughing due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Honey Bear was given medicine to alleviate the pain and Dr. Marla Lichtenberger administered a thorough examination. The doctor was relieved to discover that Honey Bear’s lungs had no permanent damage or burns. After several weeks of recovery, Honey Bear is breathing well and playing even better! Rightmyre, his son, Aiden, and a few friends dropped by yesterday to see Honey Bear.

Thanks to the brave efforts of one local firefighter, Honey Bear’s future is looking brighter every day!

Northwestern Mutual Employees Nominate WHS for Donation

The Wisconsin Humane Society received a $5,000 grant from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation on behalf of Karen Gimbel, Diane Paprocki, Becky Klessig, Lorraine Huth and Holly Hopton, all Northwestern Mutual employees and active supporters of the Wisconsin Humane Society. The gift is part of the company’s second annual community giving program, Days of Sharing, which encourages all employees to nominate local nonprofits for grants. Pictured at left are Karen and Paul Gimbel, who have also been dedicated volunteers for nearly ten years!