Sauk County Humane Society

Brian Eisold

2024-01

I brought up a boatload of cats to get spayed/neutered, and they took great care of them. It was easy to schedule, and easy to make sure their vaccines were up to date. The cats complained the whole ride there and back and would give the whole experience one star. However, they have no opposable thumbs and can’t leave reviews.

Shannon Housman

2024-04

Was able to adopt Pace 2 months ago (a month & a half after putting my 13 yr old down) It had costed me close to $132.00 to adopt her. If they had put the price on their website, I would've gone somewhere else that didn't cost alot to adopt. But being that I wanted Pace & had filled out the adoption forms, I had to follow through with it. Pace is a very playful kitten & is loving. She is a good fit for my little family.Pace is now 1 yrs old. She enjoys her toys and looking out the window at them birds.

Anna Cowan

2023-05

PLEASE DO NOT SURRENDER ANIMALS HERE!!!For the love of God please heed my warning, because I did not heed others.Adopt whatever animals you can from here, but please do not surrender unless you want that animal to be euthanized.I took in a beautiful sweet, gentle and living stray 6 MONTH OLD KITTEN here who they killed only 7 days later. NOT for health concerns, but because she was "too feral" and had scratched people.This cat had been staying in my home for a month and I had worked for at least 3 months building trust.My husband does not like cats and despite my efforts was made clear keeping her was not an option. I called every rescue within 30 mins, none could take her. She had went to the bathroom in the house and that was my husband's last straw. I did not want to take her to Sauk because of the reviews and stories but when I read the explanations, their reasons for previous complaints seemed reasonable.When I got there I was crying, the lady at the desk assured me she would get adopted being she was so young. She did mark her as a surrender instead of stray, which I don't understand but I was hoping that would just help Charli. (I did sign the paper that they make the decision to euthanize for the wellbeing of the animal.)After following Larry the cat, I NEVER thought they would murder a healthy kitten. Especially when they are always posting the 3 day, 3 week, 3 month decompression rule.I had emailed photos of Charli and wanted to help her get adopted. Yet no response was ever given.I waited patiently for a sign of her thinking, medical exams take time. 3 weeks later I finally got tired of waiting I called after sending a FB message (deep down knowing what happened).Had I known what they were planning I would have gladly come picked her back up and tried to find her a home myself.I have been bawling for and distraught for days and don't think that I will ever be able to forgive myself. I took her to a terrifying new environment just to be murdered. All because she had a litter box issue. This is one of the biggest regrets of my entire life and it makes me sick to think about. Had it not been my involvement in trying to "save" this kitten she would be alive. I should have tried so much harder and I failed.I will NEVER EVER support sauk county humane society again (I gave donations as often as I could).Adopt these animals. DO NOT surrender here. You don't want to live with this guilt, there is a reason they removed their Kill Number from their website.RIP Charli, forgive me

Lana Lopez

2024-05

Below is the sick excuses the owner made. Shows her true colors and why you should adopt from them to save these poor animals 😞With all due respect, you do not understand shelters. Your statement implies we only take in animals so they can be euthanized. That makes no sense. We are what's called an open admissions shelter which means that we take in any animal no matter how sick, injured, diseased, aggressive, or otherwise in terrible shape. No kill shelters turn those animals away. Would you have us turn those animals away? Do you want us to turn away a severely injured bird? What about a cat that's been hit by a car and is lying in the middle of the road suffering? Or a dog with a broken leg lying in the ditch at 2:00 in the morning? We will never turn those animals away. We try our best to save them...in fact, last year alone we spent over $50,000 at the emergency clinic on animals just like these. But sometimes the most humane thing we can do for those animals that are suffering greatly is to relieve their suffering.We suggest you do your research.

Kate Nielsen

2024-02

Dropped a dog off that was dropped off at our house. We called the shelter telling them the situation, they completely understood and were nice of us to drop off the dog. We couldn't keep the dog at our house cuz we didn't know the gender and didn't want to leave it out in the cold. They understood and they took the dog in. Found out the next day owner contacted me, contacted the shelter and the dog was home safe with its owner. I recommend them!

Madalyn Garlich

2023-08

I saw Flo (pictured on the chair) on the site Adoptapet. There wasn’t an online application to do so I emailed them and in a day they responded I’d have to call to set up an appointment. Within several days we were able to see her and hangout with her in a kitty play room. It was a great way to meet her. Everyone was very inviting and informative and honest. We ended up really loving her and at the appointment did some paperwork and headed out. I personally love that typically they are not same day adoption as they want to ensure the adoptees are diligent, caring, and the right home. Through their process we could tell how much the employees and business cares to find good homes for their rescues. They are very thorough! We had an amazing time, and I would recommend any good family/person(s) that is ready to adopt to check this rescue out.

Elizabeth Hyser

2023-06

I've wanted to share this experience for 3 years. This place is the absolute worst. They will belittle and abuse you.3 years ago, I came in looking to adopt a kitten as the cat I adopted from this very same shelter in 2008 had passed away. He was my very best friend he had been through so much with me. And I was completely broken. My dad suggested to me that we check out the humane society and what a mistake that was. I found a kitten that I liked and felt a connection with. I filled out an application (which was more like filling out an application to go to the moon than to adopt a new companion). I was excited when they asked to set up an interview with me. I went in for my interview around 8 am. and was told it would be a few minutes, so I sat and waited and waited and waited. It was no joke almost an hour later when someone finally talked to me.The lady who spoke to me was cruel to the point I left in tears.First, she kept misprouncing my previous cats name, Lucian (it was pronounced Lu-Shun), not how she said it (Lu-c-ian).Second, she said almost point blank that I killed him. (I did not kill him he had developed clots in his lungs, which escalated to him having seizures)Third, she said he should have lived to be 18. (That's not very probable even with top quality care.)Fourth, she stated that I had not properly mourned him. (Granted, I went in the day that he passed. I was just so broken to having to say goodbye to him and wanted to try to patch the gaping hole in my heart and the empty space in my bed. To this day, I'm still mourning him along with other pets I've had in my life)Fourth, she said I wasn't willing to pay enough for vet visits in a year. (I was blessed with having a vet in my family. So I'm not too familiar with "vet bills" they will stop over and check out the animals and have a talk or whatnot.)I wish this place would get shut down they are cruel to animals and people alike how anyone can support this place is beyond me.I did get a kitten from a friend. And he is the happiest, healthy little boy. Who is very well taken care of and loved very much.The grey white cat is Lucian (RIP) the orange and white is Thane

Christine Stokes

2024-02

Sauk County Humane Society is the worst place to go. My cat got out and they wouldn’t give her back to me because apparently I’m an animal user. They told me the only way I could get my cat back is by filling out an application to adopt my own freaking cat! I will never get an animal from them!

Stump Getting

2023-12

Went in to adopt Guinea pig or 2 for a middle school ag class and was denied because apparently dogs at home aren’t spayed and was told this is a tell tale sign of bad pet owners. They have 12 Guinea pigs sitting there some over a year and they denied an ag teacher where they would stay in class.

Katherine Walker

2024-02

One star becuz they exist; how theycontinue is a mystery. What are they trying to hide? A "shelter" thatwon't allow visitors to come in and see the dogs. They only schedule appts. Want you to puck a dog off the internet. We recently stopped to visit and were turned away. We are older & retired. In 2022 we had to put our beloved little schitz-poo that was 6wks.short of being 20yrs.old.Now feel ready for a dog. We don't have internet. Prior to our last dog we adopted a cocker spaniel when we lived in Florida at our HumaneSociety. They let you go through to see& interact w/ all the dogs. Anyone who knows dogs- knows that often the dog chooses you!Pretty sad to know this place continues as is. They have been under scrutiny in the past.Guess itssame old thing... .!

Tami Patchin

2023-10

Hard working staff - truly wanting the best situation for the animals in their care! Make sure you call to make an appointment to see their sweet animals (I did not do this, but Jon at the front desk graciously allowed me some time to see two sweet kittens) - Jon was so very helpful and kind during a pretty busy time. We brought home the kitties on 9/10 and they are thriving in their new home. We are so happy with our experience at Sauk County Humane Society - check them out - they have so many loving animals that need loving homes.Their names were "Sonny and Cher"....they are now "Daisy" and "Duke":)

Erin Flaherty

2023-05

I adopted my cat from this shelter. When they got her, she was near death, frost bitten and ~3 pounds as a full grown adult cat (estimated around 2 or 3 years). They wanted to give her a chance because even as sick as she was, she had a will to live. They stuck by her through multiple complications - when she had begun to stabilize, a volunteer had been giving her attention & pets one day when a large patch of skin over her shoulders tore open due to her severe malnutrition! They got her emergency surgery and tested her for all the possible preexisting diseases/health issues which might have caused this (I spoke to my vet prior to adopting her and she said that Sauk County ran all the tests she would have to check for other potential underlying conditions, which is stellar!). Luckily, all the other tests were negative and her skin tear was determined just to be due to malnutrition. They nursed her back to good health and she had been at the shelter for almost a year when I saw her and fell in love with her. Now she is doing very well (actually on a diet because she's gotten a little chunky, but very close to her goal weight of 10 pounds) and I still keep in contact with the staff and send updates on my sweet girl, who they still remember :) This animal shelter does everything they can for their animals and gives their animals every chance they can to have a good life!

Bonnie Kelly

2024-03

Don't like kill shelters. I feel if I were to adopt an animal from there, that I would just be donating for the next one to be put down.

Daniel S.

2023-10

If I could give them no stars I would. I turned in my cat because I could not take her where I was moving. A couple days after I called to see how she was doing come to find out they put her down because she was scared. She wasn't sick, she wasn't dieing just scared. Is this really how you take care of animals you are disgusting and I hope no one ever trusts you to shelter there loved pets in hard times. Everyone who works there your disgusting human being, and I hope you have to feel the pain someday that I feel writing this reviewDon't ever use them

Tina Marie

2023-08

My daughter had chosen a kitty that she wanted to adopt. She called and they told her yes, he was available and we set the time and day to go see the animal. The day comes and we arrive only to be told the kitten my daughter wanted, was shipped to another facility an hour away. So we looked at others and she found another she wanted. My children played with her and made up their minds, they wanted this kitten. A few hours Later i played my voice mails to listen to the humane society tell me that the kitten my kids had picked out and played with had a pending adoption so she wasnt available either!! Bad business and just unacceptable. Nothing like telling your children twice in the same week that the animal(s) arent available AGAIN

connie heitke

2023-08

They are awful. Took my moms 2 cats here(she had passed). Told them if they could not find anyone to take them please contact me. Called the next day to see how they were, they killed them within 3 hours of getting them. Said they were old (2 is old). Told me their teeth were bad, (no they weren't). STAY AWAY NOT A HUMANE SOCIETY.To people asking why I took them there. My brother executive of estate said I couldn't keep them even though I was in my parents home. Another story.

S Wieten

2020-05

Adopted my lil fur-baby here, they were accommodating during the whole process. They took good care of her after she was spayed. They have strict guidelines in adopting rabbits which I really appreciate.

Amanda Hendricks

2023-10

Y'all suck. A family member surrenders 2 cats that were healthy and only 6 and 7 and y'all euthanize them in 2 days. She would have been better off letting them out in the wild they would have survived longer.

Kathleen Scott

2023-12

Even if you don't agree with their management, I encourage you to adopt their cats and dogs - let's get them out of this shelter to reduce the 58% euthanasia rate.However, DON"T take any stray cats here. If you find a stray, look around at the other rescue organizations - you may have to go to Madison but explain why you don't want to bring them to your local HS and they will likely work with you.And reviewer Frederick Minshall is clearly ignorant. You can't say you are supportive of animal welfare if you aren't willing to educate yourself. I worked with a low cost spay/neuter clinic to assist lower income pet owners. We also handle adoptions. SCHS euthanizing a huge percentage of healthy animals is not fixing the problem. Educating, spaying, neutering is the start to reducing populations over time. In the meantime, be smart about who you adopt to.

Ashley Kreul

2023-05

Last week we had put in an application online for a kitten. Shortly after set up a meet and greet on Sunday. The visit went well and we were informed we needed to follow up with a manager the next day with our questions as the staff member was uncertain on many of them but were where told we were the first applicants for this kitten. It was suggested they wanted the kitten to be adopted with a sibling or two. We stated we were open to adopting more than one cat but we’re currently only interested in the kitten we applied for.The next day I followed up with the manager and she stated she would need to check with another manager/staff member if we could only adopt 1 kitten and would follow back up. I didn’t hear back so I followed up the next day she stated if we decided not to adopt a sibling we would need to have another cat in the household. I let her know we had a meet and greet the day before at another humane society that went well and we will be picking up the cat this Friday. Sauk county stated that will work and they would verify that information with the other humane society and said they would see when they can get her spaded than follow back up on a date we could pick the kitten up. I also offered to provide payment at time but they said they did not need payment in advance.I received a phone call today from Sauk County stating they decided to go with another adopter. Their reasoning was they have worked with this adopter before. I expressed my confusion as we were told we were first in line to adopt the kitten and had everything set up. I’m happy the kitten will be going to a good home but just extremely displeased with the customer service experience.

Josi Rick

2023-05

I went into Sauk County Humane Society and had a new addition to my family within a week! The workers are so friendly and very helpful when answering questions. They are short staffed (which is normal at these times) so I stayed in contact with them about following up on the status of my application. The owner is extremely knowledgeable about pet ownership and I actually really enjoyed the thorough adoption process. Most places adopt out any animal to any person without actually getting to know the adopter, but she was passionate about making sure that the pet you wanted would be a good fit for you and your lifestyle! Highly recommend this place if you are serious about adding a fur baby to your family!!

Brad “Slim”

2023-05

The trainer was very professional, but when I was in the greeting room with the dog, the owner opens the door and he got out and she never tried to stop him. So because he got out and wander the halls for a brief moment, she told me to leave. When I asked if I could still fill out an application, she with disrespect told me no and that it was over. You would think that instead of putting a wonderful dog through more stress of living at a kind of shelter like that she would let someone that knows what they are doing and that would love him always take him home, or at least go through the process of an adoption..either way I don't recommend this place at alll.

Andreina Ruiz Serrano

2023-05

If I could give 0 stars I would. My husband called inquiring about several dogs on there website and was informed that they all had people with appointments to meet them so they were not available. They told him if any became available we would get a call back. Weeks passed and we saw a dog that we really liked. We immediately called and had an appointment scheduled to meet the dog. We were super excited to meet him only for them to call a few days later to tell us the dog was adopted. We asked why the dog was adopted since we had an appointment and they told us the other person had an approved application. Which makes no sense because we had already had an approved application. What I find even more frustrating is that the dogs we inquired about the first time are still on the website listed for adoption. This has been by far the worst experience I have ever been threw. If you really want to adopt an animal look somewhere else and save yourself the hassle this organization is completely disorganized and there costumer service is atrocious.

Cora Dunnum

2023-06

Every time we've gone to this location or tried to, it's been a disaster. This last time, both my mom and I called separately. I was told there weren't any appointments avaliable today, and then my mom, who called minutes later, was told they could get her in half an hour after they opened. They also refused to let me make an appointment because I'm not yet 20, despite me turning 20 in a few days. They then denied my mom an appointment because of her relationship with me and hung up on her. Terrible experience. I do not recommend going here.

Hilary Stone

2018-05

Adopted a cat from the SCHS. Asked to see about 10 cats to find one that was the right fit for our family. The staff worked patiently with us and we could not have been happier with the result! The facility is clean and has a friendly vibe. Definitely recommend!

Sue Schwar

2023-05

wonderful compassionate people who do everything they can for every animal dumped on them and despite many folks' unrealistic expectations. critics/trolls should publish their addresses so animals regardless of personality, health and age can be handed in to you to be responsible for. not only would you not cope but you wouldn't be able to handle the public and their demands. shelter work is hard, for the greater good of future animals and their welfare sad and hard decisions have to be made all the time, this shelter at least makes the right ones. keep up the good work guys 🤩

Sharon Rowlen

2023-05

Don't bother. I was refused because my cats record wasn't up dated. I had used a mobile vac discount. Vet and no longer had record. My cat is indoor cat. I was using noble hound. When Melissa was I'll you never knew when they were going to reschedule it. Finding a new vet. Is hard now that it's closed. And all are just overbooked. Anyway. Sauk will not work with you at all. The lady with long grey hair is a absolute b...rude. Snotty. The counseywho showed me the dog even told them how quick we bonded. At first the nice girl put my ap on pending. Then the b. H. Just kept saying we're. Taking aps repeatedly. I made a appt with a vet for my cat. Can't get in till Jan. Still they don't work with you. Won't take deposit. We weren't even out the door and the rude one leaned.overto. The nice one whisper and shaking her head my friend said she ain't going to approve it. I even showed proof of getting my cat a minor surgery to them. Didn't matter. Something is very unsettling about this operation. I feel so bad for the pets here but. Chances are they are going to find some lame excuse and not adopt to you. Spend your time and money at a more. Reputable place. I'm going to start doing some. Digging myself. This has been going on for years here.

Q Bert

2022-05

Thank you for the adoption of our dog! They were very nice to us. They gave us plenty of time to play with her outside and to fill out the application, and was able to talk to someone about the adoption. Our dog we adopted was a surrender they had for almost 6 months and shes so sweet. Thank you for helping us with our adoption after we lost our last dog. We love her so much! Shes such a big Cheese Curd!

Jan Wussow

2023-05

I wanted to get a kitten and was told to come in for counseling session. I assumed they would counsel me on how they expected the kitten to be trained. Instead it was all about humiliating me! Not only was I told that because I had never had my cats teeth cleaned, I most likely caused my cats death at 15 years old. (The Vet in Middleton told me there was nothing that could have been done) If your cat ever eats a mouse your a horrible cat parent. That is instinct and even if they never leave your house they may still get one! Using a water bottle is inhumane, they are not about helping people learn and become better pet owners!! I guess killing animals is somehow the way to go!!!!!!

Tina Briggs

2023-05

If you are disabled and cannot make it to the shelter for a meet & greet they won't allow you to adopt. Said no to me sending a friend in my place and also no home visit.Meanwhile, the sweet senior dog has been stuck in the shelter environment all summer long when she could have a good home. I have stellar references and volunteer & foster for a well-known cat rescue in the area.What a disappointing experience.This was never looked at through the eyes of the dog.