Dane County Humane Society Reviews

The staff was very patient and made sure we were ready to add a family member to our household.

Wonderful experience and came home with our baby boy.

Went about a half hour before closing time to view a bunny to adopt as a companion for my current bunny. Found one that we seemed to really like, so we asked if we could meet her. They declined, saying they "just didn't have time" (there was no one in there besides us), and that they stopped doing viewings an hour before close. The young girl working the counter told us to come back another day, even though we said we couldn't (I'm finishing up a job in Madison this week before moving; she was clearly unfamiliar with real careers). We were told that bunnies often stay in the shelter for months, so you'd think they would jump at the opportunity to send one home. Really annoying and we won't be going back for that rabbit, that deserved to be viewed tonight.

Excellent reputation in Madison and across the country.

Puppy classes are super helpful to getting the puppy trained

Very helpful staff committed to the welfare of the animals in their care.

I saw a kitten I was interested in adopting online and called ahead to make sure it was still available. It was, so I head over to the adoption part of the clinic and met Ying. Ying had a cold and had to be tested for ring worms, but the results came back negative. They were forward with his medical history and answered every question I had. I ended up purchasing the animal, and will bring it back next week to be neutered (comes with the adoption fee). Please note, kitten adoption fees are $125 and includes shots, neuter/spaying and health care while it is in the shelter. If you're looking to save some money, bring a cat carrier with you. They have the option of providing a $5 box or $25 carrier on site, but wont let the animal leave without either. The staff was friendly and I had a great expereince. You can tell everyone there really loves the animals. I'm happy I paid a visit instead of buying a purebred Siamese cat like I used to.

If you want a pet this is the best place to go staff will help you and and answer your questions

Great people working to rescue animals of all kinds.

Great people doing great work. Take a look at the puppy classes

Adopted a senior dog from here years ago (RIP Watson). I like to visit here when I'm down since the animals themselves are great therapy. The nicest animal shelter I've ever visited. I like that they care for all kinds of animals, not just dogs and cats. It's clean and the animals have space and attention. The adoption program is good, I appreciate that they have pretty high requirements so weirdos don't go home with an animal they won't care for. Love the meet n' greet rooms for potential match-ups, and the wildlife center out back. During the cooler months there's a flock of wild turkeys that's always hanging around the front :)

Wow, 2 hour wait! Very disorganized place. We adopted two puppies and are very pleased. but $450 per dog? That's nuts compared to neighboring county shelters that have an $80 adoption fee.

We adopted a 3 yo orange tabby for my autistic son from here some 14 years ago. He was a shy guy, and literally was climbing the walls in the meet-up room, but my son (13 then) understood the cat s fear, and still wanted him, to love and give him a place to feel and be safe. It took time but Bob and my son became besties, and my son considered Bob his brother, and his nurse as Bob always came to my son when he would have a seizure, and either sleep in his hospital bed or in his wheelchair next to his bed. And Bob loved to watch the evening animated movie while lying on my son s bed with him.

On June 6, 2020 we all got up and Bob could not get up or even sit up. He had had a severe stroke and we had to have Bob euthanized that same day. It was traumatizing.

My son sat with Bob and sang favorite songs while holding Bob s paw. Bob was calm, peaceful and felt safe and loved as we waited for Dr Katie Hilts from Journeys Home.

Our hearts are broken by our loss but my son wants another brother to love and be loved by, to be part of our family. We know how to accept others as they are, how to allow time them to be who they are, for pets to get accustomed to everything and feel safe. To get used to their new family and home.

Family matters and everyone knowing it s their home too, and feeling respected and loved matters.

Thank God for these people and this sanctuary. Hey, Soglin, come see how humans could be "dealt with".

Great facility with great staff. It often is hectic on Sundays, but they make sure everyone gets a chance to make a new friend. The pet kennels are always clean and you can tell the establishment is ran with care. Consider the DCHS for your adoption!

The staff there were amazing, we brought home two brother kittens. Our adoption experience was very informative and pleasant.

I brought a kitten in and was attached already with her and as usual I couldn't control my emotions.She was a wild kitten in our neighborhood and worked very hard to get her tamed. She will be a wonderful kitty for someone. Who ever gets her please love her and be gentle. Thank you.

This is where you can take injured wild animals. I have taken at least three birds there. But be sure to call ahead since they make appointments.

They were so great took great care of our lost cat. So grateful for the staff there.

Great place to adopt a pet.. simply process friendly people.. very busy though be prepared to spend 2 hours plus there to visit a pet.. but they have same day adoptions in most cases..

Such compassionate people that really care about people's pets and finding furever homes!

Very enlightening always a pleasant experience to chat with the workers & to view the adorable pets. We are watching for a your's hire poodle to come along

This place is great and I've gotten a few cats from there as well as my dog. They are very accommodating and they love to share the experience of you getting your pet with you. The only drawback is that when we go to take a look at the dogs, they always seem like they don't have a lot of dogs. Maybe 5 or so almost every time we go. When I got my dog there I feel like I got very lucky because he was of course one of the best dogs there.

Great staff, friendly and knowledgeable about all the animals.

They are so friendly and really try to help. I did adopt 2 cats

If you want to see animals one-on-one on the weekend, you need to arrive early (noon). Animals are a bit expensive (I mean, still cheaper than a mill animal but high for a humane society in my experience) but they do take good care of the animals.

We have two sweet cats now thanks to the Humane Society. Thank You!

Got two rats here. It was a Saturday, so it was crowded, but everyone was helpful. Nice facilities.

I have taken injured wildlife to the wild life center, and they truly are compassionate about caring for whatever I drop off . They even stayed open late for me Christmas Eve day when I found a sparrow with a broken wing. So please donate to this wonderful facility be it large or small. Anything helps!!!We are so lucky in Madison to have such an organization.--tara icke-

Fantastic place, wonderful volunteers and staff, with animals that need home.

Cleanest humane society Ive EVER been to! Plus I could tell they CARED ALLOT about the animals... First time there and Id recommend it. First time i ever walked into a H.S. ANY where and NOT one dog barked one time.

The young girl @ the front desk was rude.. but besides that the puppies and kitties were cute and I wanted to adopt them all!!

Ass hats invading pet stores with pets to adopt. They completely ignored the dogs and shoppers, while visiting with each other. dogs barked uncontrollably - as if they are being neglected - which they were. Humane Society Representatives were an excellent example of what dog owners should NOT be. Store manager should of kicked them out for bad behavior.

Super nice people and very helpful.

Try to give you as much info as they know about the animal.

Always have a hard time leaving without adopting an animal. Staff is very friendly and willing to help.

We adopted our dog from DCHS and have been so impressed with the organization. I am a big proponent of adopting vs. purchasing, so I was sad to read the previous review. I'm sure that was frustrating having those vet bills right away. I do know that dogs over 6 months adopted from DCHS receive vet care that includes a physical exam, Distemper and Bordatella boosters, a microchip for ID purposes, flea treatment, Rabies vaccine, Heartworm preventative, deworming and spay/neuter as necessary. DCHS is a non-profit organization and they do an amazing job for the animals in their care.

They are the greatest around. Absolutely amazing group of people

We adopted the perfect pet and the staff were so helpful.

Love our newest family member, Maggie, staff was so friendly

Well maintained, clean facility. Friendly and helpful staff.

Very busy and they seemed helpful to those they where helping

Wonderful center full of love for companion and wild animals.

Clean and we'll maintained. Their adoptions are just too expensive.

Really Fantastic :')

I had to go here to pick up some doggo friends of mine and I was honestly really anxious leading up to getting there. I wasn't sure how the dogs were dealing with kennels around other dogs.

But when I arrived, I met Keely and she was so sweet and helpful; she really helped me hold things together when thoughts were all over the place. It was really simple getting in and out, she even let us go out the back because of one dog's anxiety!!

All and all, I couldn't ask for more caring people and genuine service than the lovely people at DCHS provided while I dealt with a hard time. I'm really happy the doggos were some place safe.

I love this place! This is where we get our pets from.

Great animals for adoption but also a fantastic wildlife center!

Good mission, friendly staff. Disappointed in lack of thoroughness in behavior observation and analysis for adoptees.

They are very helpful and friendly I love that we were able to surrender our Emma and feeling confident there she can find a new home with a family that adores her the way we did! If anyone is looking for a wonderful cat please call and ask for Emma. Warm regards to our pet friendly people(:

Awesome staff and very friendly environment yo get a new pet. Adopting a per from a shelter is a very comforting feeling. Saturdays are typically the busiest days.

In many visits, I find the staff very off-putting if you say you've owned and SHOWN any cats or dogs. Their attitude seems to be that owners of show dogs or cats are using up the homes strays might have. The fact is, I've taken many shelter pets over the years. And, doesn't matter if you have years of experience with cats, for instance, and you can prove it, you are still forced to go thru the same "owner training session" requiring at least two extra visits the last time I checked. I was talked down to, like I was a 12 year old adopting my first animal. I have taken my grandchildren but won't do that again because several animals were labelled to let you know how many days till the animal would be euthanised and those animals were more pushed towards you. The cute cats and dogs had 3 or 4 people each looking at them so they discouraged you. And, unless the new Humane Society has changed, it has never been a NO KILL shelter.

Don't ever get a pet here they are two timing robbers. My wife and I got a dog from here that was sick and wrecked our stuff and couldn't be left alone and tried to bite my wife. There is no way in hell I'll ever set foot in this place again. I hope all of your funding goes away and so do you.

Such a wonderfully run place. We adopted a cat from here about 11 years ago. Recently adopted our sweet Patchouli (pure bred chihuahua) from here. A great place to go when looking for the next fur member of your family.

Love visiting the animals waiting for good homes. Staff is very, helpful and friendly.

I just got rats from here and they are sweethearts! They even gave some of their bedding and food to make their transition to their brand new home easier. Ivy and Belina are so cute!

Love them and I like the fact that they have a wild rescue in the back

Got the most amazing dog ever from here...she has so much character and such a big baby...me and my wife are so happy with her...Luna is amazing!!! Go adopt!!!

... i cant process the fact that this is a kill shelter and my dog zanna could have been killed if we hadent addopted her.. wow... we waited 3 hours just to meet her and then another 2 hours just to do the paper work she was being trampled by her older sister and the staff didnt do anything about it. The dogs bark non stop like they are being abused. I cant even tell how many dogs had eye infections, my dogs coat turned from yellow to white when we got her, obiously a sighn of bad cleaning and low nurishment for the dogs, i cant belive that my small dog came from such a place she went from cowering in a corner to escaping to see her best friend bobby down the block. It shocks me how much better and different she is now that shes in my hands, the humane society really must have done her bad, i also wish i knew her back story besided what one of the staff blurted at me "she was found in Tennessee" well duh thats where all the dogs in this "shipment" came from.

The Humane Society is a great place to volunteer, meet new furry friends, and get acquainted with pet rules, regulations, information and etc. The only downside is that the building is located out of City Bus range, and therefore a car is needed to drive up to the building itself. (There is a sidewalk that goes underneath the 12 / 18 Beltline highway, but does not continue onto the street that's off of US 51.)

A callous person from this humane society just informed me they would humanely euthanize a generally healthy 4 yr old purebred dog, if it came to them because of the dog having a couple health problems. I will never recommend this place.

A huge shelter by any standard, there isn't a dull moment at the Humane Society. Employees and volunteers are unfailingly polite, upbeat, and obviously care a great deal for the animals they are matching with forever-homes. My partner and I have had the best luck meeting our soon to be pets at the remote adoption centers... The main location is quite remote, and adoptions happen so fast that you may miss meeting the pet listed online... They do update daily, but this is a no kill shelter, and they take that mission very seriously.

The wildlife center connected to DCHS is awesome. The volunteers there helped me save a baby cardinal that was blown out of it's nest. (pictured) The nest was too high to get the baby back into it, so they said if I brought it to them they could rehabilitate it. They also helped me when I found some injured ducklings that were left behind by their mother. If you are looking for a good charity to support this is a great one. You can even donate towards the care of the animal you bring in for help.

Unfortunately I had to surrender my dog and it was the hardest decision of my life. I contacted the humanely society and they ensured me that they would do everything they could to ding him a home. Some of the staff appeared kind and friendly and thought he for sure would find a home. I called everyday to check on him and I was ensured he was doing well and had passed the behavior tests. Then I had a funny feeling when I started calling Tuesday and no one would answer. I called every 30 minutes and still no response. Finally on Thursday I found out hthat had been KILLED. I had been assured if anything like this were to happen I would be contacted. No one called me. I miss my dog so much and I really just wanted a good home for him.

Just remember that 20 minutes to a volunteer is equivalent to 90 minutes and everything will be perfect.

The staff here are just amazing and they care so much about the animals. We found out forever home little guy there

They have little puppies and bunnies but smells like pee

The people that work at the Human Society of Dane County are gentle and very caring. They help ease the stress of a rough situation.