essential nonprofit
DANE COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY Centennial Celebration
Give Shelter
A crisis was in the making as Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) approached the 20th year in its first permanent shelter at 2250 Pennsylvania Avenue. Even with a 1969 addition that doubled its original size, the shelter was experiencing wear and tear—about 600,000 paws' worth, according to 1984 DCHS Director Carter Luke. DCHS announced a fund drive of which $100,000 would be co-sponsored by The Capital Times newspaper with the tagline “Dane Humane Campaign.” Work would begin the summer of 1984 and completed in four phases: 1) remodel the kennels and add a ventilation system; 2) build office
space, an admitting room, and adoption counseling room for people to get to know a prospective pet adoptee; 3) add an infirmary, treatment room, food storage, and garage; and 4) remodel the current garage and current office area. The fund drive kicked off during Be Kind to Animals Week, May 6 through 12. In addition, a photography contest with a theme of Kids & Animals— Forever Friends was featured. Winning photos were displayed at East Towne Mall. The community came through, and the DCHS shelter was remodeled and expanded to meet changing needs. More
by Jeanne Engle than $500,000 was raised from local corporations, foundations, individuals, and several large bequests. A January 27, 1985, open house was attended by several hundred people. Less than 15 years later, the shelter was once more running out of space. “We had animals housed in closets, hallways, and the bathrooms at one time,” says DCHS Executive Director Pam McCloud Smith. “The facilities were quite worn down and infested with mice and roaches. We remodeled a few times with staff doing the work. We converted part of the original garage into an office and a medical treatment area, and a closet into a surgery room. We added additional cages to house sick animals so we could quarantine them from the rest of the population. We rented a mobilehome trailer parked on the front lawn that we used for meetings and summer camp kids’ programs. We knew we could do more for the animals and our community with a better facility.” DCHS announced the capital campaign Give Shelter in 1997 with a $6 million goal. But this time, a brand-new facility would be built on Voges Road in Madison near Highway 51 and the South Beltline—the site of a former
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