Many people who post (negative) comments here clearly do not understand how the humane society operates; it's fairly common that the general public has many misconceptions about it.
-It astounds and angers me that there continues to be a small, organized core of people who spread misconceptions and ill-will about this organization. Get on with your life, you are only hurting animals. You should be ashamed!
-The humane society is a private shelter that offers service contracts to local municipalities for stray animal pick-up; the municipality can choose to accept the contract or not. The name "Rock County" only denotes location, not government affiliation.
-When a municipality does contract with the HS, the HS has an obligation to shelter the animal for 7 days until it's owner comes to claim it. Unfortunataly, this only happens a fraction of the time. After that, the shelter may be caring for the animal for days or months.
-for those living in a town or township without a contract for animal pick-up, ask your town leaders why not. The shelter is not part of a county, town or city budget otherwise and cannot afford to take in the vast number of stray animals out there, nor do they have space.
-Why on earth do you think the high euthanasia rates exist? Because there are far more animals than prosepctive owners. You can sing the praises of other no-kill private rescues, but once their 20 allotted spots are full, they say no more until one goes out the door. But what about the hundred other animals running around outside starving? That's called looking the other way.
- I have had the honor to help out at the shelter and can assure ANYONE who asks that they are nothing but frugal with their money.

We need to help the RCHS, but hopefully the city manager and council will not build a road that allows direct access from I-90 to the humane society.

Hey, aren't the food pantries complaining that donations are down?
. 2 birds with 1 stone, as it were.......

I'm not here to defend the RCHS as I know nearly nothing about them but realities are realities.

1924- Well, MOST shelters are "high-kill"....There is NO other alternative....what else are you going to do when you're overrun with homeless animals?....there are only going to be be so many rescues....Most so-called "no-kill" shelters just end up shipping the excess animals somewhere else to be killed....sorry, but its just the reality.
...
Until the ROOT CAUSES are addressed, this will NOT change....... ANYWHERE.......and the root causes are:
People not getting their cats fixed and disgusting, morally bankrupt people who breed even MORE dogs deliberately to line their own pockets, the puppy mills both large and small.
I've seen the youtube kill videos, its a NATIONAL DISGRACE.

1924grant, you are way off here. My son-in-law works there and makes right around $8 to deal with poop and bites and god knows what else. He does it because he loves animals and it is a job. No one is getting rich off of the humane society in Rock Co.

Ti, I can provide no physical proof. I can tell you that I have known hurleyj for sometime, and maybe some forfeitures in pay could be in order? Maybe some cutbacks like everyone else. Run it like a buisness, with people who know buisness, and deserve the salaries that are paid. Ti, call them, and ask how many freezers are full animals waiting to be cremated, see if you get an honest answer. Last I knew, there were 2, and for no more reason to get euthenized other than thier full. RCHS is a high kill shelter, period.

evansvillehousewife: I didn't say you weren't helping the issue.

Also, Rock County needs to be stricter on licensing animals even those kept indoors. That might deter someone from getting an animal in the first place that they cannot afford.

I understand evansvillehousewifes posts. Most of us cannot afford to pick up a stray and take it to the humane society. They charge you to take it or you can call and have it picked up for free, but by then who knows where it will be? This will continue to be a problem til people learn how to control the animals they have by neutering, spaying and keeping them in the house.

li73- Um, I am feeding and caring for cats that never made it to the shelter. That money comes directly out of my pocket. How is that not helping the issue?

1924grant: Can you provide proof or a source for the things you said? I am a supporter of the RCHS, and if those things are true I would like to know (please take note, I am not implying they are not true, I'm simply asking for proof of the claim).

If everyone spent half as much time volunteering to help their local shelters as they do bashing each other on this website, maybe this article would never have had to have been written.

joeysmom backpedals and says "As far as RCHS not taking all animals part of that I am sure has to do with not all towns , cities have contracts with them."

But wait.... I just said this how many posts ago and you called me a liar. How interesting you change your tune when the RCHS operations manager shows up... When I called (before the first of the year, obviously) there WAS no contract.

RCHS is foolish with its money. Everytime they get an endowment from someones estate, they spend it instead of investing it for long term care of the facility. I never will, and never have supported RCHS and thier freezers full of "euthanized" animals. Shut it down, or lets have the city run it.

joeysmom- What do i have to GAIN by this? I would be *thrilled* to never have to deal with errant cat feces on my farm again.

Still waiting for you to produce the posts where I said I was a RCHS volunteer.

Still waiting for you to show that I never called, given you have no date, time or location (They didn't ask for my location when I called, and i never gave it to them, they just know I am from Rock Co.)

Perhaps you should go make up a new username with a new yahoo address?? Or is it gmail?

RCHS handles ALL of Rock County. Give them more money or give them a bigger building to house all the unwanted animals here. That is only common sense which most are lacking nowadays.

Scooter47- It is exactly the request for money that I suspect people treat my dairy goat pasture as their own personal drop-off point.

Oh look- JHurley- duh. Operations manager at RCHS. THANK YOU for chiming in here. I am grateful that you did, and am glad to see why you know about the Town of Center contract status.

I am also glad to see an explanation for the information I received, thank you. I must admit I am surprised to see that this contract was put in place- it means I was not the only one in this situation. And it is good to see it is NOT the same age as the article.

HurleyJ- I will be sure to call my town chairman and ask about the contract.

HurleyJ- They have always had a contract for dogs. Again, I suspect the contract of cats is as new as the article.
However, thanks for the info, this is good to know.

You new posters need to stop making this article into an arena for slander. Evansville is right, sometimes RCHS does not take the animals, you have to pay them to take them even if they are not yours. As for this Angel whatever, not one facility can take 10 to 15 cats at one time. Quit slandering people, atleast Evansville is being truthful and taking care of the cats she finds. So, LAYOFF will you? It is getting tiring reading it.

And also Joeysmom, Angel's Wish will be THRILLED to hear that you speak for them. (Regardless of verbage on website- you obviously have more authority than THEY do regarding this!) They will also be THRILLED to hear that based on what you have posted, they can be expected to take in *every* dumped cat from here on in.
Whoever your 'aunt' is, she will be SO happy you cleared this up!

The Town of Center has had a signed contract since the first of the year.

Which covers the pick up or drop off of stray dogs, and the drop off only of stray cats.

HurleyJ- You are right. Town of Center did not have a contract for stray cats when I called.
And they still don't. This taking in cats from this area is a new thing, as new as this article I suspect.

qt1=queenb=joeysmomsays Any who attacks like she does and thinks she needs to go through and address each poster she does not agree with has too much time and anger."

Your slowness at the keyboard and pedantic thought process is not generally germane.
Thank god.

qy1- ie, joeysmom or queenb or evansville proud=all the same person.
qt1 JUST registered today-within the past half hour-and has a total of 4 posts. With the same stilted writing style in her 4 posts! Hmmm... interesting!
********
I am the one with anger problem? I person that feels I need to create four imaginary friends to drum up fake support. It's very sad that you do, and don;t even realize how easy it is to identify your horrendous writing.
*****
Again, that's nice about Angel's Wish computer logging.

Are you going to explain how you were able to verify that I didn't call given that you have no name, location, or date?

Until you can explain that to me, you are still the crazy liar- the one making up new profiles and imaginary friends to pat you on the back. You can CALL me the crazy nut, but the fact is you are still making stuff up.
***
All the info on Angel's Wish, and where I got it is irrelevant as it's ALL TRUE... my last post addressed the fact that you have no info and yet feel you have proof. Again, explain how you are so *sure* you have proof I never called.

And I am *still waiting* for that post where I said I volunteered at the RCHS. Produce, please.

evansvillehousewife- at the time you called the Town of Center may not have had a contract that covered cats.

If an employee said what you claim, it is counter to what they are trained and should say. If anything we were directing people to contact their town board or chaiman with these concerns.

And off of Angel's Wish website:" We accept only animals we have space to care for, and euthanize only for severe medical reasons."

So, joeysmom, this is RIGHT OFF THEIR WEBSITE. So whatever your "aunt" says, and whatever YOU say about Angels' wish, what I claim THEY SAID TO ME is SUPPORTED by what THEY say.

Joeysmom- Just looked, Angels wish has been around 10 years. It's amazing your aunt went back through ten years of calls with no identifying info to verify that I never called. Really, you should work for the FBI.

aaronrodgersfan- I am glad you opened your home to these two cats- sadly, there just aren't that many people around who say "Gee, I don;t have any cats, sure I can take them." Cat lovers usually have cats already. I am talking about 10-15 cats a YEAR that get dumped by me. They eat expensive food i purchase for my animals and there is a disease risk to my animals as well since you can't vaccinate for everything. Not to mention the potty issue!!!
*********

The thing about rehoming on Craigslist- standard ad:
"hi, I have these cats for whatever reason, I really love them ,they are the light of my life. Yet I can't keep them because 1) I am moving and can't find a place that rents to pet owners 2) have allergies 3) have another baby, and no one else in the world manages to keep their pet and a baby, that's impossible 4) lost my job and can't afford cat food

But these are the best cats in the world and you MUST PROVIDE A FOREVER HOME (I have the right to judge you to do something I can't- hmm- sounds like joeysmom and queenb) so give me your info and i will see if you deserve my little darlings."

No offense, but I am not going to deal with Craigslist flakes.
**********
Am I the only person that has been around long enough to remember when that guy from Jville was putting cats thru the disposal in front of his kids?

Also, am I the only one who remembers when the RCHS euthanized TEN WEEK OLD pit bull pups because they said they were from a fighting mill and could not be rehabbed?
********
These are experiences that color my perspective.

Joeysmom- Let's see your evidence....
You have no idea of my name, the time frame of WHEN I called, my location (hint: I didn't say I was from the Town of Center when I called- I said that the RCHS would not take the cats because there is no Town of Center contract.) but yet you are SO SURE I never called. Well, my call is in those logs if they truly exist, and you are libeling me. You are not interested in actually verifying info, just making me out to be a bad guy here. Way to be a nice person that helps and solves a problem.
************
No, what I need, as a resident of this county is a place to bring friendly dumped cats to where I know they will be treated humanely WHEN THEY ARE DUMPED, not weeks or months later. For the record, did you ever wonder WHY people choose to dump them instead of taking them somewhere else?
*****
I never lied about what RCHS said, again, you have no idea of when I called. It was queenb who said they "know who i am" which anyone can see is a lie. She calls me a liar while she makes up totally false info. I actually feel kind of sorry for her. It's obvious she loves animals, yet supports puppy mills (she claims she bought a cocker spaniel from that arabian lady in Fort Atkinson) I'd never do something that stupid as I research my breeders FIRST.
********
So in the end, again, this is not about the cats, it's about joeysmom and queenb just trying to demonize me and create drama. I am thrilled for you that you two soap opera stars have the time to do such false 'investigating' and making up lies.

Peachy- you talk about losing dogs once they get out. THis is where i would heartily endorse the HomeAgain microchip system for your animal. Make sure you register the chip and have your vet check it occasionally to make sure it is still transmitting the number.
It's a great network and the animal can be located thru a vet's office, it doesn't have to be an animal shelter. Some sheriff's offices have scanners as well. If you lose a pet, you can report it and an email goes out to members in the lost pet area. It's a neat-o service.

Alrighty, queenb, sounds mighty interesting that once a NEWS STORY with publicity breaks, all of the sudden they want the cats! What a coincidence!

You say that RCHS "knows who I am." I have received no correspondence, and I still stand that dumping the cats was what they told me to do. THere is no Town of Center contract.

Regarding Angels Wish, notice what they said to you. "No other alternative," well having them lounge around on my property is apparently a good alternative as they told me to PURSUE OTHER OPTIONS before they could take the cats. Please note what you yourself wrote:"Starting with Angel's Wish, had you bothered to call them back, with no other alternatives they would take them." So how many times am I supposed call and to plead?

Call me a liar if you wish, you have an anger issue along with a revenge problem.
You can demonize me all you want, but I am not the enemy, as I CARE for my animals. I am not the problem here, it's the people that have dumped their once cute kittens.

If you wish to keep harassing Angel's Wish on my behalf, go ahead. I know you would LOVE my name and address (the general consensus is that it's across from the Citgo in Evansville)

Still waiting for you to produce that post where I said I was a RCHS volunteer. Have fun with your phone games!

luvmy6boys - you would be devastated!! if they got hit by someone, because they got out by accident.

You don't want to pay a lot or anything if they end up at the humane society, because they got out by accident.

Which they probably have to charge you more money since the city doesn't pay enough?

Where are you going to find your dogs, if they get out by accident and if there is no contract?

Ezoner, charge a deposit for the animal and make sure it is only one animal. Being a landlord such as yourself, before renting to someone, I would go see where they live now. You cannot depend on your "first impression" of someone, you need to see how they live. JMO

The RCHS does what they need to do to keep animals safe and healthy. It is the pet owners responsibility to take care of their pets. I agree with giving them more money. If they are doing the job that they are meant to do and are running low on funds, GIVE THEM THE MONEY! My son-in-law works there and is quite happy with what he does. But the place is not big enough for all the pet owners who are not responsible when it comes to having pets. It especially pains me when people get pets because "awe, they are soooo cute" and don't think about the cost of upkeep. I give all you pet lovers a big hand, I wish I could have a cat but allergies prevent that. My daughter is an animal lover and has been since childhood. Yes, RCHS may get donations, but that is a far cry from what they really need.

Tommy you are wrong..... The cat Urine go into the wood. The tennant did not clean it up. When we went to resand the floors, the odor was so bad that you could not stand it.

Also -- you can clean all you want. I -- as the property owner -- cannot afford to replace the carpet every time someone moves out. I cannot afford to locate and sue each tennant that does not cover the cost of replacement.

Although you may be responsible there are 50 that are not and its just not worth the cost and the risk.

In response to several comments posted by others concerning my previous posting ...

Yes, owner released pets have records -- I specifically said veterinary records which are accurate and proven for my adopted Lhasa.

Also, there are reputable breeders ... breeders that will only sell to people they have checked out thoroughly before they sell to them, who have a clause in the sales contract that if something happens that the purchaser cannot keep the pet, the pet will be returned to the breeder. Also, responsible breeders know the history and pedigree of their animals. That doesn't mean one of their puppies or kittens could not have issues, but they do know as much as possible about their dog's or cat's history to minimize problems.

Puppy mill pups are much more prone to physical and social issues and problems ... not always but frequently.

It is up to the purchaser to do his/her homework on the seller/breeder, breed you are interested in purchasing, training, etc.

Queenb- Please. since you know how to do such extensive searching, enlighten me. Angel's Wish of Verona would not take them. They are not feral- they are friendly, proof they were DUMPED- so Dane County Friends of Ferals will not take them. I've heard Country Animal Haven in Stoughton are hoarders and I wouldn't take an animal there anyway. Dane county wants $30 per cat to bring them in, that would set me back about $120. So pray tell, let me know a rescue or a shelter I can take these cats to that don;t want money. You already know what RCHS said.
I'd also like you to show me the post where it said i volunteer there. Happy searching!

I don't know what phone book you refer to but there aren't any rescues in the J-ville book aside from the RCHS, and they didn't want them due to Center Township not having a contract.
peachy- That's great that they said that to you. It's not what they said to me. It's a little coincidental, I wonder of they got a few calls and decided to change their tune after they figured out it made them look bad?

evansvillehousewife - called they said to bring them in.

For anyone complaining about the cost of how much it is to bail your animal out, think about it like a spanking for not being a responsible animal owner because that's what you deserve. And if "it wasn't your fault" why they have your animal in their possession, think about it like a kid. Quit putting the responsibility/blame onto others to raise your brood! And unless they're stealing your pets only to have you have to pay for their return, you were at fault.

...and what the adoption fees would be, what fines and fees would be automatically charged to owners whose pets are picked up for running loose, and what the kill policy would be.

The RCHS regularly holds fundraising events and has help in doing so from businesses in the community. If you follow them on facebook or check their website regularly, you can see the events posted. Unfortunately, they probably do not have the funds to advertise much on tv, radio, or in print. The Dane County Humane Society was lucky to have very large donations to provide them with a new facility, and clearly has a higher operating budget than RCHS. I don't think that is a comparable situation. I think it is important to remember that the RCHS is merely providing a service to the cities in Rock County. The City of Janesville does not support the shelter financially, they simply pay for the services they use. If the city of Janesville doesn't like what the RCHS is asking for with this contract, they can opt not to renew the contract and come up with their own animal control solution. I wouldn't support that since the city manager said in the article that the charges for the services offered by the RCHS have been "very favorable" to the city and probably "could have been higher". Clearly he recognizes that the city has been under charged for the services provided by RCHS under the current contract, which would explain in part why the RCHS has had problems covering their operating expenses. That is not the fault of the city, but its not out of line for the RCHS to want to raise their fees in the next contract. I fail to see how it would be possible for the city to come up with its own animal control facility and a full time qualified staff (to which city benefits would have to be provided) to run it 24/7 for less than the $290,000 the RCHS wants to charge. I hope when Eric Levitt says that the issues needs to be studied further that is what he is referring to. I would be very interested in seeing an estimate done by the city of what it would cost to provide city run animal control.

The Dane County Humane Society is always fundraising. They are always on the Madison news channels talking about one fundraise after another. They aren't just going after the wealthy people since a lot of their fundraisers don't ask for large sums of money. There is something for everyone, from black tie events to calendars. What does the RCHS do for fundraising? I don't see much going on at all. They're either not advertising well or they're not doing much at all. An annual rummage sale isn't going to cut it.

luvmy6boys Posted on October 9 at 5:55 p.m

hey everyone, so how would you feel if your dog accidentally got out and then you find out that someone purposely HIT it? I would be devastated!! About a week before this happened i let my dogs out into my FENCED IN area and someone walking by opened it and let them loose (good going pre-teen girl). All i could think about was how glad i was that they weren't hurt! I couldn't even imagine if something like that would happen, especially to a dog that has never done anything wrong! You guys that agree with this kind of behavior have no heart at all! you should all take a look at yourselves and think about maybe getting a new outlook on life! You make me sick!

HL_Mencken Posted on September 26 at 11:09 a.m.

As for you poor souls that equate an animal’s life to that of a human and believe your pets are your “children” – I feel sorry for you and your irrational projection of humanity to your pet. If it is not beyond your capabilities check out the definition of ANTHROPOMORPHISM!

Nice to see you each understand eachother.

Happycamper/ Wanted to let you know, be careful about what you say. Proposing an 'open season on ferral cats' twice in this blog is risky. I guarantee you there is a silent group of animal lovers that will make your life very difficult in strategic ways you would never expect. Just wanted to let you know they're out there.

meh, if I won, I'd do the same. :) I SO agree with adopting not buying. And I also urge for spay/neutering. I like wishing for no kill sheltering, but reality is that it's a problem. Cats are less noticable, feral colonies pop up, and bam. And as for pets getting out, they can be very very sneaky and unnoticed. It isn't always a "bad" owner at fault for a pet getting outisde. I always make it a point to account for mine, but just today the screendoor blew off and my cat Tada got outside while I made a trip to the garage. Luckily I live in a rural area and I don't need to wrry about the fine and all, but then, as I said, I do always try to make sure they're in the house safe and sound. But yes, someone wanting to help and cut down ferals can always take them in, at a cost. An ear gets snipped, so there's your cause for getting a pet tagged and or chipped! Spay and Neuter people, don't have litter after litter, it's insane and also irresponsible. There are alternatives for those who cannot afford it, also, if you look. Go ogle and google about, compare costs, and just do it. Cuts down on bad things happening, too. Spraying, yowling, etcetera LOL. And yes, I got Tada back inside immediately.

People need to check out "missouri puppy mills" online to get an idea of the REAL problems being created in EVERY state and county.

kimshana, there is no such thing as a "reputable breeder".

baer- ..lol...nope, they're not trained to do that, they're "companion" animals thats why they do that, they're mean't to be our companions instead of locked up and possibly later, killed for lack of a home to care for them....I must confess I didn't realize in the past how important it was to get your pet fixed until I saw the youtube "kill" videos from shelters...PLEASE GET YOUR PETS FIXED AND STOP THE PUPPY MILLS.
These shelters have HORRENDOUS MESSES to pick up from people who cause more animals to be created through irresponsibility and greed.
ADOPT pets, DON'T "buy" them from stores or breeders.

While I truely belive we need to have an open season on ferril cats in Janesville, I have called the Humane Society for cats I have live trapped. They showed up promptly, acted professional, took the ferril cats and showed concern for the problems of ferril cats in Janesville's greenbelts.
I have no problem with the humane society and the cost they charge, I believe every pet should have a chip AND collar. If the pet is caught outside the owner recieves a $1000. bill. Maybe then all the pet owners would learn to be responsible.

The picture of the cat on the previous page brought me to this article. I swear every time I go to one of these shelters there is at least one cat that reaches out and grabs my finger tip with its paw. How the hell do I walk away from that? I do, but I always laughably wonder if they are trained to do that...

The Humane society would be the number one place I would give if I won the lottery. Then I could give them more than I can now.

Winnebago County is a county ran facility. Owned and operated by Winnebago County.

I'm not sure what RCH does, but I know of other shelters who receive free food from companies such as Purina, free shots from animal pharmaceutical companies, and free microchips. They then only charge a minimal fee for their adoptable animals.
*
In fact Winnebago county shelter in IL will usually give huge discounts for animals that have been there a while, or who are already spayed/neutered and up to date on shots or if they have on going medical issues such as diabetes etc... We adopted one of those types of dogs for only $35. She was a wonderful companion. Their main goal was to get the animals adopted as fast as possible to forever homes...

Kimshana- owner released animals do come with a known record; perhaps they need some shots or altering, perhaps not. I imagine fees at RCHS work just like regular health care for people. We all pay in the same premium, I may have perfect health and rarely use my insurance. I am however paying in for my next door neighbor who might need an expensive surgery or daily medications. The fees paid in to surrender or adopt an animal go into the general fund and help those animals that may be in more need than others. They can't charge $25 for one animal and $600 for another, depending on what medical care the animal amounted to. By the time they alter the animal, worm it, update it's shots, microchip it and perhaps treat it for a skin or respiratory infection, I imagine they easily have $300-$400 into the animal.

Kimshana - its nice to hear that you donated extra money to help out of the goodness of your heart - whether the Director took too long to come out shouldn't be the issue - you are doing this for the animals - not the people that work there. I have to comment on something you mentioned in your blog - just because puppies come from mills does not mean they have behavior issues. Its quite possible that a dog residing in a mill being bred over and over for a long time may have issues. You should try rescue fostering -to see a mill dog be rehabilated into becoming a house pet is a rewarding experience. Puppies are puppies - even in a great blood lineage from a reputable breeder -these puppies may turn out to have behavior problems or health problems - you can never be too sure.

luvmy6boys, perhaps you are accustomed to paying for lodging by the hour, but the Humane Society, like most motels and hotels, charges daily rates.

Another expense people might not be considering is the paperwork. I'm sure they have to record the time and conditions under which they receive each animal from the police or pick one up by request, all the treatments, health care and medications, the disposition of the animal, etc. Then the have reports, possibly weekly, monthly and annual documentation of all their work. They have to charge enough to cover capital expenses as well as operating costs.

My dog was owner released; her previous owner paid $50 to release my Lhasa to the humane society. They had her complete vet records from 6 weeks old, her vaccinations records were completely up-to-date and she was already microchipped. I paid $125 and adopted her the first hour she became adoptable (I believe a 3 day waiting period). I, also, gave a donation of an additional $100 to help out RCHS a week later. I had to request the director come out of her closed office to accept my donation. My little girl certainly didn't cost RCHS what they received for her. Pets from a pet store are usually puppy mill pups with an outrageous mark-up with many health and behavioral issues. Also, if you contact a reputable breeder, often times they may have a registered dog they would like to find a good home for for a very reasonable amount or possibly free.

luvmy6boys: I doubt very highly they weren't fed given that the RCHS would have no way to know how long they'd been running loose. I've also picked up an animal from the impound cages, and there was always water in cage. It would be inhumane to withhold water from an animal that had been running loose for god knows how long. Its not the fault of RCHS that your animals were let out of your yard, that they were picked up, or that they were taken to RCHS for safe keeping until you were able to pick them up. If they were kept overnight chances are RCHS had to pay an employee (possibly overtime) to meet a police officer there during non-business hours in order to take in your dogs and keep them safe. The RCHS can not survive on volunteers alone and has to pay employees. The health condition of your dogs was checked and recorded upon intake to determine whether they needed immediate veterinary attention. They were probably checked for microchips in an attempt to locate an owner, if they were not wearing tags. None of those things are free. The second your animal stepped foot in the RCHS it cost them money. I'm not saying that $75 per animal isn't high (I said the adoption fees were not too high), but you can't claim it cost them nothing to hold your animals. Be glad we have a place like RCHS that was willing to take them in and keep them safe until you were able to find them. My dog is a member of my family and I would be heartbroken if she was lost or hurt because she had gotten loose. Maybe if they were taking in enough money to cover their expenses, they wouldn't have to charge so much to owners to get their animals back. At this point, they need all the money they can get. You should have asked it they would consider it a donation so at least you could write it off on your taxes...and I didn't need to look it up, I know what it means. That was for your benefit. I understand that in business every penny that comes in goes to cover your expenses. At this point they are not covering their expenses. So despite the high fee for holding your animals safely, they didn't "make money".

Ezoner, I have 9 indoor-only pets. NONE deficate anywhere but where they should. Not saying all animals are like mine, but lets face it, it's good parenting or the owners that matters. And I've been lucky to have a landlord that's "humane". Why should I buy a house? I'll be relocating for employment purposes eventually anyway! And that's why some landlords charge extra, if needed, it pays for replacing things like a carpet. What's wrong with a new carpet? And smells do NOT stay long afterword. Did you use water and dish soap? There's affordable cleaners that make it vanish. (think enzymes) I think it's a laziness of not wanting to do anything at all which makes the more money-hungrier landlords not see the big picture; childless people likely have pets, have decent jobs, can afford the extra fee and, in the end, you either get more money or new furnishings. Without the more lenient lords of land, there would be MORE pets on the streets, after all. IMO.

Open the season on cats and save a lot of money. The ferril things are everywhere.

Thank you Pack, valuable information for all.

luvmy6boys: Actually the definition of profit is "The positive gain from an investment or business operation after subtracting for all expenses. opposite of loss." Look it up.

Also...I would guess that the funds the cities are taking in for pet licensing fees, unlicensed animal fines, pet at large fines, etc. are going to the RCHS. I would think that is where the cities get the money to pay RCHS for the services they have contracted. So when the city says that's where the money is going, it probably is. The catch is it isn't extra money to the shelter, its money the municipality has already agreed to pay to shelter for it's services. Imagine what those fees and fines would go up to if the city had to have a program to provide its own animal control. I'm guessing the city will raise those next year to help off set the increase in the cost of the services provided by RCHS, but that increase would be far less than if the city had to provide those services on its own.

If you adopt a pet from RCHS it comes spayed or neutered, micro chipped, dewormed, and current on required vaccines. If you were to take in a stray yourself, or adopt from a breeder, these out of pocket expenses are significantly higher than the adoption fee at RCHS. I know this from experience. RCHS is not simply taking in animals and adopting them back out. They have a vested interested in adopting healthy animals to homes where they will stay for the rest of their life. There is a lot of care put into these animals, in addition to the cost of meeting the animals needs. The adoption fees they are asking are not unreasonable. If a person cannot afford to pay the adoption fee they probably cannot afford to care for the animal. Do you know what a trip to the vet costs? Even just for regular check ups, vaccines, flea and tick care, heartworm prevention, etc are very expensive. If you adopt an animal from the RCHS, your first vet trip to Janesville Veterinary is free (I'm not sure if other vets also participate in this program as well). The other thing to consider is that the RCHS will care for an adoptable animal as long as it takes to find it a home. They cared for a pitbull mix for a year and a half before she was adopted out to a good home. There are many shelters out there that would have put the animal down in that case because of the cost of care. The RCHS is a non-profit. They are not in it to make money. They are in it to care for animals and they can't do that if they cannot cover their operating expenses. The bottom line here is that it is not the responsibility of the RCHS to provide animal control services to the municipalities in Rock County, but they do provide these services, and at a rate far less than what the cities could afford to do themselves. If the cities don't like it, they are free to develop a city or county program for animal control. As long as they use the RCHS services, they must pay for those services. I don't get to tell the city what I would like to pay for water. I don't get to tell Alliant what I would like to pay for gas and electric. Why should the city get to tell the RCHS what they think they should pay for animal control services? RCHS has determined what the costs are and if the city doesn't like it they can either try to negotiate, or they can seek the services elsewhere.

I can't believe people are complaining about the cost of an animal at the RCHS -Really? The mention of a breeder being less expensive. Come on. These animals are well worth it and I am hoping you read Neweyes blog about where the costs go. Go check out Petland. You will double the cost of your pet going there AND donate to the puppy mill industry. And vet bills alone are outrageous - so - that $200.00 isn't so bad Kimshana. Who else is going to take care of these animals if we don't have a facility like RCHS?! Unfortunately the rural areas have to call the Rock County Sheriff's department who frankly don't have any training in animal anything - alot of them could care less about animal complaints. Anyway - my point is - its ridiculous to complain about the cost that is going to a very necessary service for animals welfare because of irresponsible people.

TommyRay -- Landlords will never let up on the no pets. Lets face it.... Animals deficate in the house. Maybe not on purpose... they have accidents. But the scent remains long after the pet is gone. Then when another pet comes in, it marks its territory. Plus cat urine, actually gets into wood flooring (say the floor is covered by carpet) Then you remove the carpoet and sand. The odor is bad. No animals will ever be allowed in any home I rent. If you want a pet, buy your own house.

Yada- try it yourself. Call and say you;re from the town of Center and have three stray cats to bring in. See for yourself hat they tell you.

I live on a very popular county road out in the country. People who don't have there cats fixed end up having 6 to 12 cats in there home. They find it cost big bucks to bring them to the shelter. So they drive along my road stop and drop them off in hopes that will come into the farm yard. Now I have a couple of dozen cats and in most case get hit by cars speeding by. The cats cross the road looking for food out in the woods. I can not afford to feed all these cats so I just let them look for there own food. This is just one farm in rock county. Almost every farmer can tell you the same story.

When I do a search online for something, I use goodsearch.com. and have RCHS as my organization of choice. It is a place where you can choose an organization that will receive money every time you search for something. It doesn't get a lot of money, but the more you use it, the more they get. I use it many times each day. It is a safe place just like google search, But I prefer to at least do a little each day to try and help RCHS.

Remember that the humane society doesn't drive around randomly looking for stray animals, phatfly. They are obligated to respond to citizen calls about stray animals. Furthermore, all strays must be vaccinated because you cannot risk the health of all for one that may or may not need them. So yes, it probably costs MUCH more than $25. My last dog I adopted there was microchipped as are all animals. RCHS does participate in a lost cost spay/neuter program. I always find it dismaying that people blame the Humane Society for what is ultimately the fault of their human counterparts!

Phatfly/ Obviously you are not a business person. It does cost RCHS $25 a day to keep an animal. Transportation, wages of each person that handled the pet that day, food, cleaning products, kitty litter, cat box, cage, tags, paperwork, pens & magic markers, percentage of utilties, and phone bill. Probably more than $25, I think you got a good deal for return of your pet. As for the $150 fine, keep your pets inside is all they're trying to teach you. Cats are natural hunters and do like the neighbor's flowerbeds for a litter box. Make sure your cat has a collar and tag just in case they do get out. Keep your cats safe and healthy by keeping them inside.

evansvillehousewife - are you saying that someone from the humane society in Janesville told you to dump the stray somewhere in the country? I am not questioning the truth of your statement, but knowing many of the workers at the facility would be shocked to hear any of them say that. I know if they would have said that to me I would have gotten their name and followed up on it. What did you do with the cat you brought in?

There is an increasing problem at a dramatic rate, as the population of strays/ both of the human kind and of the animal nature increases. The costs to control, maintain, and care for these animals also rise with economic balances and inflation.
This being obvious, I am still convinced that the Ice Coat Commitment required to aid the few, exceeds the real, important, and proper necesity of animal care.
The sidewalks truely are more important than the sickness and illness of rapid ferel.
I know I am speaking somewhat out of context, yet stay alert to the final out-come of the request. When you listen to WHY it was reduced, or recinded, be reminded of the values of the City/ over the peoples best interests. (I say that with quite personal abandon and frivalty.)
Serously IT IS IMPORTANT the role that the Humain Society plays in our community and the near by surrounding area. It is a thankless job they perform. Yet they should be supported and honored for their efforts. They have struggled for years to meet their goals. They know how to budget. This would be a positive thing and I would hope the City can clear their heads from all the ____ so they can agree with this contract that promotes and preserves our community with good-sound animal care.
psssst Hey! 5 Year Study Guy, thinking that reduced is proper? Did you happen to notice the 140% jump in 1 (thats ONE YEAR off-set) Well? Did you?
My gaud someone has to get that guy out of office........shesh and other profane words deleted/or back-spaced.

Spay/Neuter programs to help low income pet owners are in place in other counties. Dane has Friends of Ferals going. Takes money, volunteers and a few professionals willing to donate to the cause I would imagine. I need to start getting lottery tickets. And it'd help if landlords let up on the no pets deal, reasonably of course. After all, some kids DO cause more destruction than an animal does LOL! But I do so agree on the costs being way too high. Fido can be like a son who you just spent 3 weeks pay on for the vet and your eating noodles while he eats special expensive food, then wham, a fine. Yikes. Just sayin. IMO and all.

About 10 years ago I was living in Beloit. My cat got outside and was picked up by someone and taken to the Rock County Humane Society. They charged me $25 for the day they kept him. Then five months later I got $150 ticket from the city for having a cat at large. Both ridiculously high amounts to pay for what happened. It never cost the RCHS $25 for keeping my cat for a day. Also, if the city of Beloit is charging that high of a fine why isn't that money covering the cost of taking care of the cat? Maybe part of the problem with taking care of so many strays, is that they are not strays! Stop picking animals off the street that are not posing a risk or problem! Stop wasting everyones time and money! It's funny that in the neighborhood I lived in the "stray" animals were never as big a problem as the kids running through yards, vandalizing, shooting things with bb guns, and such as kids being kids. I saw a bunch of "stray" kids. hmmmm. Maybe start taking them to the RCHS see if you can't get free help and then charge their parents for babysitting.

State-wide, or even nationally, we should consider laws requiring pet stores, breeders, vets and humane societies to embed RFID chips in animals and track ownership. If Fluffy or Rover turn up on a remote country road once, they are returned to the owner who is assessed a substantial find-and-return fee. If the pets are abandoned more than twice, the owner gets a huge fine and the pet is confiscated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequ...

I've had good experiences. I actually got my cat there and, even though the cat couldn't "meet" my dog beforehand, they are inseparable, by chance.

They seem to really try to do what's best by the animals and communities served with the limited resources they have as a nonprofit.

RCHS is a non-profit organization that survives solely on donations and any monies received from contracts. They are NOT a government agency and are NOT supported by tax dollars. The cities of Janesville and Beloit have ordinances against stray animals, they happen to contract out to RCHS for animal control. Other towns and rural townships either have no animal control or elect to do their own; one has to wonder what happens to those animals? RCHS has to be available 24/7, 365 days a year. They have employee wages, utilities, building and auto maintenance just like any other business. Have you taken your pet to the vet lately? Everytime I go for any routine check-up and a few shots, it usually costs around $250-$300. RCHS must incur all those same costs for any incoming stray animal. It's hard enough keeping 1 animal at home healthy, try keeping a few hundred together in close proximity in an antiquated building meant to hold far fewer. If you ran a business that charged 1/3 of the actual cost of your goods or services, how long could you stay in business? A smart business manager would quickly assess the situation and decide prices must go up, which is what happened. Frustrating or unfair as it may seem, RCHS does not have the space or money to take in every stray there is because they are not tax subsidized. Wouldn't it be wonderful if their services were no longer necessary because people made a commitment to their pets and spayed or neutered them?

I don't think the rate of adoption has dropped due to the cost of adoption. Go to any pet store and try to buy a kitten or puppy, the cost is many times more than the cost of adoption. The economy has caused many responsible pet owners to have to surrender their pets to shelters all across the nation. This isn't just a local problem. I guess the city council wouldn't be 40K short of what the shelter needs if they hadn't spent 40k to figure out we don't need a second sheet of ice.

TJ- Thank you for caring for those animals. Without people like you(us), those COMPANION animals would most likely end up getting the "kill needle"...
Puppy mills are a major cause of these problems...in case everyone doesn't know, HUNDREDS of puppies every year from puppy mills cross STATE and COUNTY lines to end up taken care of on our dime when owners no longer want them and also displace those that would have been adopted in the first place thereby taken OFF our dime...Puppy mills need to be addressed on a NATIONAL scale to alleviate these problems.

RCHS also doesn't take in animals from rural areas. I have been told to my face to go dump the stray I had out "somewhere in the country." THis STINKS because the whole reason I was there was because some loser dumped the cat out in the country in the first place!!!

I think it's crazy that anyone remotely involved in humane management of domestic animals would advocate such cruel behavior. Heck, paying $7 per shot would be fine by me to put the poor things to sleep. I just can;t have a cat farm on my property.

I agree with Kimshana that the adoption fees are too high and prevent people from giving these animals a good home. To pass the cost onto the person rescuing a pet (and rescuing the RCHS) is not the answer.
The costs are real. No matter how you analyze it, there are no frills here. The employees are 24/7 rescuers and caretakers. The animals are multiplying in the city due to irresponsible owners who let them go outside and disappear. I have rescued over 50 stray cats myself. I kept 2, found homes for others and took some to live happily on my cousin's farm. Every year there are more and it breaks my heart to see these little faces looking up at the kitchen door, happy just to have me come out and hold them.
The solution is to neuter and spay, period. There is a great low cost program at RCHS that makes owning a pet affordable.
They need a benefactor in the form of a few bucks from all of us.

Why don't people just fix the problem themselves, by spaying/neutering their pets? Then RCHS wouldnt be overrun with strays.. Also, I don't know exactly how the whole taxes work, but since its the ROCK COUNTY Humane Society, should ALL residents of ROCK COUNTY help pay for this?? They do pick up strays for the City of Milton too...

The cost of animal control services is ultimately the responsibility of local government. RCHS is NOT a government agency. If RCHS doesn't cover its costs of doing business, how can we expect them to function? If RCHS doesn't provide animal control services, local government will have to pick up the tab for their own respective programs at a cost much greater than what RCHS is requesting.

I was told by the city that the fees we have to pay every year for are animals is to go to RCHS. Which was 5 dollars the first year then 8 the second year. So where's the money?

Unbelievable ... with today's economy the RCHS wants an increase of 140% for funds it receives from the City of Janesville?
In the past year they have dramatically increased their adoption fees. I adopted what would be considered an Adoption Guarantee Fund Adult Dog 16 months ago for $125 from RCHS ... she would now cost me $200 if I adopted her today. The adoption fees range from $140-$250 for a dog or puppy. Maybe if RCHS made the adoption fees reasonable, more dogs would be adopted much quicker because people could afford it which would lower the cost of care. You can go to a reputable breeder and purchase a purebred, registered pup or dog for what RCHS is charging. I've always been a supporter of RCHS but from what I've been reading and seeing, personally, I'm questioning the value of RCHS.

All this plus the cost for a new reptile facility- it's no wonder they're in the red...

I heard that a wealty person from Dane County stepped up and bought Dane County new building and some land for their Humane Society. This city has a lot of wealthy people in it - wouldn't it be great if one of them did something like this for the animals. What a thought!! The Rock County Humane Society has been under stress for years and definately needs an upgraded building. If I had the money -they would be the first on my list. In the meantime - here's hoping I will win the lottery someday so that I can help until then - I will do what I can.