We offer quarterly group Pet Loss and Grief Seminars at the WHS Milwaukee Campus, open to all who are grieving the loss of a companion animal. Led by WHS volunteer and licensed psychologist Dr. Douglas Higbie, this free 1.5-hour seminar will cover the following topics, as well as offer the opportunity to share about your beloved pet:

• Review the stages of loss
• Defining quality of life
• Factors to consider about humane euthanasia
• Ways to survive and cope with your loss
• Options to consider for memorializing your pet
• Decision-making around welcoming home a new pet
• Helping children cope
• Opportunity to ask questions

Attendance is limited, so we ask that you kindly RSVP.

View our events calendar for upcoming dates and to reserve your spot.

WHS offers dignified cremation services to the public at all of our sheltering locations. This can occur after utilizing our humane euthanasia services or as a standalone resource after your pet has already passed away.

Service Options

Communal Cremation | Your pet will be cremated alongside other animals, and their remains will not be returned to you.

Private Cremation | Your pet will be cremated separately, and their ashes will be returned to you in a secure container.

Scheduling Your Services

If you do not require euthanasia services, walk-in visits are welcome for cremation services. If possible, please use the relevant location information below to call ahead so we can prepare for your arrival and offer our assistance.

Lorraine’s Garden, located at the Wisconsin Humane Society Milwaukee Campus, is a final resting place that honors the affection and joy that our precious companions play in our lives. This lovely setting includes a Meditation Garden, Memory Walk, and Columbarium to inter your companion’s remains.

Lorraine’s Garden provides a beautiful, respectful way for you to acknowledge the importance of the bond between you and your beloved animal.

Your animal’s urn will be in his or her own niche in one of the Columbarium Garden walls. A granite plaque engraved with your message in his or her memory will cap the outside wall. You can also consider adjoining multiple vaults to keep your animal family together.

Fees start at $600 for each 12″ x 12″ granite niche. 

Cremation

For those who purchase a niche in Lorraine’s Garden, the Wisconsin Humane Society offers private cremation services for your companion animal under the caring supervision of compassionate veterinary staff.

The cremation takes place at the Wisconsin Humane Society, and their remains are placed in an urn. 

Lasting Memorials

Providing a memorial gift to honor a loved one also helps animals and families served by the Wisconsin Humane Society.

You may desire to make a lasting tribute to celebrate anyone – person or animal. There are several options to consider, including one or several of the following:

• Memorial donation for a person or animal
• Personalized tribute to a person or animal on a brick on the Memory Walk
• Naming opportunities for items like benches and statuary

The Wisconsin Humane Society provides compassionate, low-cost euthanasia services to the public at our Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, and Green Bay Campuses. While you are not able to be present during the procedure, please know that it will be performed by trained staff who have dedicated their careers to caring for animals and will treat them as their own in those final moments.

Our hearts go out to you during this incredibly difficult time and hope you find some solace in the treasured companionship you’ve shared.

Service Options

Humane Euthanasia with Communal Cremation | After the procedure is complete, cremation will occur alongside other animals; communal ashes are not returned.

Humane Euthanasia with Private Cremation | After the procedure is complete, your pet’s ashes will be collected and returned to you in a secure container.

Before scheduling an appointment, please note:

• This service does not include a veterinary consultation.
• You will be unable to accompany your pet beyond the Arrivals lobby, as owners and visitors are not able to be present during the procedure.
• We cannot return your animal’s intact body to you after euthanasia, as home burial is not legal in many municipalities and can pose a safety risk to other animals and the environment— cremation is required for all animals utilizing humane euthanasia services at WHS.

Scheduling your Services

Appointments are highly encouraged, as we may not have certified staff available to perform euthanasia during all hours of operation.

Find the location nearest you below for information on how to schedule an appointment. In Milwaukee, you can book online, and we can take scheduling requests over the phone at our Green Bay, Racine, and Ozaukee Campuses.

---

Looking for in-home euthanasia services? Please contact your veterinarian for references or search inhomepeteuthanasia.com or inhomeeuthanasiadirectory.com; please note that these resources are not affiliated with the Wisconsin Humane Society in any way. We do offer stand-alone communal and private cremation services if you so choose after your pet has passed.