We are still here for you

*1/12/21 update: We definitely didn’t think we would starting the New Year and still in the middle of a pandemic, but here we are. We have the same precautions in place and have been able to continue to serve the animals and humans in our community. Please contact us directly at 715-845-2810 if you have any questions about services!*

*8/1/2020 update: Masks are required to be worn by employees, volunteers and those visiting HSMC*

HSMC is still offering services by appointment only for the time being and our front doors remain locked as we are not accepting casual visits to the shelter. We are in the process of welcoming volunteers back into the building and want to make sure everyone is comfortable and that our staff remains healthy and able to care for the animals.

Available animals are able to be viewed online at www.catsndogs.org and applications can also be submitted from the site. Visitors wanting to see adoptable pets must have an active application on file before entering the facility. We are still taking appointments for surrenders and reclaims and accepting strays. You can contact us directly at 715-845-2810 and we would be happy to advise you further.

If you will be visiting the shelter via appointment we ask that you not come in if you are sick, have recently traveled by plane or recently attended a large gathering.

If you are looking to drop off donations we have a sign out front where you can leave them and we so appreciate it. If you would like a receipt for your donation please call us or wait for a staff member to come to the door.

We have so many pets adopted right now and going home in the coming days and we are so thankful for that. You remind us over and over again how wonderful of a community we live in.

We can’t wait for things to get back to their new normal but we aren’t in a hurry to get there if it means jeopardizing the animals, volunteers or staff.

Who will care for your pet?

While it’s not fun to imagine, now is an important time to create a plan for your pet in case you get sick. This weekend, we strongly encourage you gather any members of your household and walk through the following steps to ensure your animals will be well cared for in the event of an emergency.

1. Know the facts: According to the CDC, there is no evidence that people can get COVID-19 from pets. The best place for your animal is inside the home they know and love. If you aren’t feeling well but are still able to provide care for your pet, please keep them at home with you where they’re most comfortable.
2. If you do become too ill to physically care for your pet or you need to be hospitalized, who can take over for you? Is there anyone else in your home who could help? Maybe a neighbor, friend, coworker, or family member who could take them in? Even a groomer, daycare, or boarding facility may be able to help in your time of need with advance notice. But the most important thing you can do today is come up with two potential pet plans and talk directly with those people so they’re prepared in case they’re called to action.
3. Prepare a pet supply kit. It may not seem necessary today, but we promise it will be hugely helpful if you find yourself in an emergency situation without the ability to track down the proper supplies. Your kit should include the following, as best as you’re able:

• Name and contact information for the person who can care for your pets
• Name and contact information for your back-up in case your go-to is no longer able to help
• Food, treats, a leash, a couple of toys, and any other supplies necessary to care for your pet for at least two weeks
• A crate or carrier to transport your pet
• Vaccination records
• Collars with ID tags (and don’t forget to make sure your pet’s microchip information is up to date)
• Medications and prescriptions, along with a list of instructions
• Daily care instructions
• Contact information for your veterinary clinic

With your whole family on board and a plan in place, you’ll feel a bit better about your pet’s safety knowing they’re in good hands no matter what challenges may arise. ❤

If you’re planning to visit us

In addition, we ask you not visit the facility if you:
• Travelled to an area where coronavirus is spreading within the past 14 days. This includes both international travel to Level 2 and 3 countries with widespread illness and domestic travel to states with more than 10 cases. The CDC updates this information daily.
• Had direct contact with anyone who has been confirmed to have COVID-19 or visited a high risk area within the past 14 days.
• Have a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, including older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions.
• Feel sick, especially if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing or any flu-like symptoms within the past 14 days.

We will continue to monitor the situation and encourage you to read some of the resources below.

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

WHO: https://www.who.int/emergen…/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

We have some exciting news!

HSMC has partnered with Eastbay to open a mobile store fundraiser for the shelter! You can get your paws on HSMC Adopt gear and show your support wherever you go!

For our first ever store launch we decided to stick with the basics- hoodies and t-shirts. We are happy to offer adult and children’s sizes! The sweatshirts are Gildan brand and are true to size and unisex. T-shirts come in men, women’s and youth sizes and HSMC receives a proceeds back on each item sold.

The store will be open until February 7, 2020 so get your orders in before it’s too late. Once the store closes orders will be processed and shipped directly to your door. Items are expected to arrive at the beginning of March. We are hoping to open and close the store regularly throughout the year and offer a variety of products. If you do order an item, we would love your feedback on the item itself and the process!

You can do your part to help support homeless pets and look great while doing it, visit the store by clicking here and place your order today!

It really is the most wonderful time of the year. The snow is falling, the holiday music is playing and the decorations are up. What better time to share with you some ideas for the pet lover on your list?!

There are a number of gifts for the pet lover on your list that can be purchased at HSMC! HSMC adoption decals look great in any car window and can be yours to gift for a $15.00 donation! We also have a Donation Station that is constantly being replenished with must-haves for your furry family member- from leashes and collars to sweaters, booties and more! Items from the Donation Station can be yours for a donation of your choice but you better stop in soon because they go quick! Donations received from both go directly to supporting the operations and programs at HSMC.

You can also purchase a microchip for the pet lover on your list! Microchipping is an easy, cost-effective way to help your pet get home safely if they happen to get loose. Microchipping can be done for $10.00 plus tax during business hours at HSMC; come in today and purchase the gift of a microchip to help keep your loved ones furry friends safe this holiday season! Remember to keep your pet’s microchip information current and tags updated, especially during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Maybe the pet lover on your list already has everything they need- we still have options for you! You can sponsor the adoption fee for a pet currently waiting for a home in their honor! Adoption fees vary from $5-$250 and fees can be sponsored partially or in full. How great it would be to help find a home for a shelter pet AND warm the heart of someone you care about this holiday season?

Maybe you aren’t looking to shop or even spend money; you can give your time and your talents to the animals at HSMC. Sign up to be a volunteer when our program re-opens in January, stop out to visit the animals, share our Facebook posts, attend one of our events and tell the story of the animals and people you meet. Every little bit helps!

You may also choose to give a homeless pet a home this holiday season. Applications for adoption are available online or at the shelter and we have a number of furry friends hoping their holiday wishes will come true. Please know that HSMC does not do adoptions as gifts, as we do require each family member to be active in the adoption process. Gifting an animal can teach children that animals are material items and not a valued family member.

A visit to the shelter is sure to put you in the holiday spirit and will raise the spirits of those around you, too!

HSMC serves the biggest county in the state and has been doing so for over 60 years!  In that time as animal welfare has changed and developed, so too have the policies, procedures and services of the shelter.  Though no major changes have been implemented since 2013, there’s still a lot of confusion as to what services we are able to provide and we would like to offer some clarity in that arena.

HSMC is contracted as the designated impound facility for stray dogs and bite quarantines (cat or dog) within Marathon County.  This means that any person who finds a stray dog within the Marathon County line is able to bring said dog to our facility free of charge and there is no charge back to the associated municipality or police department.  The costs for caring and providing for that stray during the required hold time is covered under county contract and placed back on the owner if identified.  Pretty straight forward, right?

When it comes to stray cats it can get complicated and confusing; we see residents frustrated on a daily basis.

Rewind to 2013 to a time when HSMC was seeing approximately 2000 animals coming through our doors annually; there were days when 25+ cats were coming in to a shelter that was already busting at the seams with cats.  Space was limited, overcrowding was always a problem and the health of our population was rarely in a stable state due to the high volume and constant arrival of new, unvaccinated and already sick animals.  The shelter had to consider the financial stability of the organization and the writing was on the wall- we couldn’t keep going like this.  For years we had been taking in hundreds of cats with no reimbursement for their sheltering and care (aside from the handful of return to owners where we were excitedly able to get a cat back to its family).  Caring for cats is expensive (as every cat owner knows) and that’s before you add in the stress of the shelter environment, compromised immune systems and overcrowding.

HSMC approached the county to request increased funding under the existing impoundment contract to account for the increased spending for housing hundreds of cats and to secure our future in this business to enable us to continue to help our four-legged friends.  After further review at the county level the resolution was that the municipalities themselves are responsible for stray cat services on an individual basis and that state statute only mandates involvement at the county level for stray dogs.  So here we are, 50+ years into the business and a wrench is thrown into the system that changes everything.  For the first time, municipalities would be required to pay for a service that had otherwise been provided for free.

Next came a lengthy process of communicating the change and developing a contract for stray cat services.  A tiered system was developed based on years of data collected by the shelter to establish the average number of cats typically received from any given area.  Those accounting for the most cats would have a higher contracted rate while those with fewer cats would be contracted at a lesser rate.  It was also made clear that HSMC was not the only rodeo in town; if a municipality so chose, they could reach out to other shelters, veterinary clinics, boarding kennels or private parties to enlist the same services we were offering to provide in search of a different rate or arrangement.

We provided service documents to each individual municipality; think of every city, town, village in the county.  To be specific, there are 40 towns, 16 villages and 6 cities in Marathon County; that’s 62 municipalities!!!  There was a brief period of time where no contracts were in place and we were not accepting any stray cats- can you imagine?!

It wasn’t long before the major players (bigger municipal areas) started contract negotiations and before long the cats were coming, but not from the whole county.  Of the 62 municipalities that were presented with documents for stray cat services, 9 contracted with HSMC.  What about the other 53 municipalities you ask?  Good question.  As we mentioned earlier, each municipality was given the option to seek the same services from other vendors.  For example, the Village of Maine contracted with the Lincoln County Humane Society for their stray cat services and the Village of Spencer contracted with the Marshfield Area Pet Shelter.  Some municipalities, for budgetary reasons or otherwise, chose not to provide services at all.

So what happens when someone brings us a cat from an area that is not contracted?  To take that cat would be in violation of all of our other service contracts, which could result in a loss of revenue and financial instability in our organization.  Simply put, we cannot take that animal.  What we can do is scan that cat for a microchip.  What we can do is check our lost reports to see if the owner has called us.  What we can do is take down detailed information about what the cat looks like and where it was found in the event that an owner does call us.  What we can do is take a picture of the cat and post it to our Facebook page and Lost Cats of Wisconsin’s page.  A small percentage of cats are reclaimed by their owner from our facility and facilities across the nation.  Though it can be hard to see a cat outside, if the cat is collared and appears to be well cared for it is more likely that it will find its way back home on its own than be reclaimed by its owner once in shelter.  In the event that a finder is willing to hold onto the animal, we are able to schedule the cat to come in as a surrender when kennel space is available.  This may require a commitment from the finder to hold the animal for at least 7 days but there is no fee associated.  In the event that a finder surrenders an animal that they have found stray and had cared for until space was available, it is not in anyway held against the finder for future adoptions or dealings with the shelter; the situation is thoroughly documented internally and the same intake procedures are still in place which includes scanning the cat for a microchip and checking lost reports.  We know that not everyone who finds a stray cat is in a position to care for it.

We understand that this is frustrating to the concerned citizen who found a cat out in the Town of Berlin and drove all the way to the shelter to do the right thing, just to be told we cannot accept that animal.  We wish that we could.

So what can you do?  If you are in an area that does not currently have stray cat services with HSMC, start the conversation again.  Reach out to your township directly and ask if there are services in place for stray cats; there may be arrangements in place that HSMC is not aware of and your municipality’s representatives would be best able to direct you appropriately.  If your township does not have any services in place for stray cats, express your concerns and ask them to revisit the issue.

We are constantly searching for ways to enrich the lives of the canines who pass through our doors each year.  Though their stay at HSMC will be temporary, we want to make it as comfortable as possible.  We may not able to offer the comforts of home, but we can offer them routines, stimulation and socialization while they’re here.  Our efforts are aimed at tending to the mind, body and soul of our canines, all while learning about and falling even more in love with them!

Each day at HSMC begins the same way; 7 days per week, 365 days per year.  Each dog in our care is taken out by a staff member for a potty break.  Not only does this help us maintain a schedule for the housebroken dogs in our care, but it helps us to establish a routine with those that aren’t so we can help them to be more successful in their new home.

We are working on implementing enrichment time with staff and volunteers where each dog will have play time with a feeder toy or puzzle game.  The toys we have require the dogs to put their minds to work to figure out where the treats are hiding and how to get to them.  It’s a great way to keep their mind off the stress of the environment and focus positive energy on getting a reward!  Most of the toys we currently have are plastic so the dogs need to be supervised when playing, but it’s an enjoyable experience for the dog and the human!

Another enrichment item that we like to use are frozen Kong treats and ice balls.  Staff or volunteers will fill a Kong treat with peanut butter and kibble or treats and then stick it in the freezer until frozen.  Once the Kongs are frozen, they are ready for the dogs!  This treat can keep the dogs busy for hours!  It’s especially nice on hot summer days when the dogs will be getting shorter walks and spending more time inside.  Ice balls are an even better option for these hot, hot days!  We’ll take some sturdy rubber toys and a dental stick or raw hide treat and freeze it into a hard plastic dog dish.  Once the dish is frozen we can offer it to a dog to work on.  Another option, which we haven’t tried yet, is freezing beef or chicken broth with treats or toys in it.  The main goal is to keep the dogs occupied and their energy focused on something positive!

Our volunteer program is a HUGE part of our enrichment plan, too.  The role our Dog Advocates play in this process is crucial to the success and happiness of the dogs at our facility.  Dog Advocates receive special training during their orientation and work on not only exercising our canines through walks but also on training them!  We want to provide structure and routines to help our dogs be successful once they leave HSMC.  Our Dog Advocates are encouraged to really get to know our dogs and to tell people what they love about them!

We also like to take our dogs out of the shelter environment; whether it’s a ride-along with a staff member to pick up lunch, a trip to Briq’s Soft Serve with a volunteer for a pup cone or an offsite visit with a volunteer at an event.  This helps us learn even more about the dogs!  We can find out how they do in the car, how they are around strangers or in a crowd and how they handle adjusting to new environments.

Whenever possible, we also like to form play groups so our dogs can socialize.  During our behavior evaluation process we can identify which dogs are dog friendly and we can allow them supervised playtime in our fenced in play area!  Sometimes we will receive bonded pairs of dogs, which makes this process easy.  But it’s even more rewarding when we find two shelter dogs that can form a bond and keep each other fulfilled during their stay with us.  It’s a really great tool for use on social media to demonstrate how great our dogs are by posting a video of them playing with another dog!

We are here to help the dogs be the best they can be and you can help us!  Sign up to be a Dog Advocate and start enriching the lives of shelter dogs today!

We are also currently looking for more puzzle and feeder games, as well as metal or silicon muffin tins!

Visit www.outwardhound.com or www.chewy.com and consider donating a toy, treats, puzzle or game to our canines today!