cvtdanelvr- On the term "killed",you are totally wrong...."Killed" is the correct word to use....."Euthanasia" is for sick/dying animals with no hope, NOT the word to be used for animals that have to be killed JUST because there are too many....Puppy mills around the country are the reason all those dogs have to be ***KILLED***

Check their garage across the parking lot for kittens.

I have to admit I haven't been to the RCHS in years. The last time I went there when my family was looking for a dog, I was so offended and turned off by the staff, policies etc that I vowed to never return. I am glad to hear there have been changes and I hope they are ones that will facilitate more adoptions.

Seems like some of you have alot of "bark" but no "bite". You talk the talk - but can you deliver? If so many of you have all these ideas on how to make the shelter better, jump in! RCHS is part of the Rock County community, and needs strong minded people to help back it up. Yes, changes are being made and maybe they aren't the best ones yet. Give it time, Rome wasn't built in a day!

I wish the Gazette would stop printing the term "killed," when referencing euthanasias. Euthanasia is a humane, quick and pain free death that sadly in some cases isn't warranted but it's better than being "killed."

My only suggestion to Ms. Rhodes is that she needs to embrace what her local veterinary clinics can do for the animals and work harder at keeping a positive relationship with the vets and their staff.

It is not o.k,, it is cruel to crate dogs for more than 8 hours a day. If a dog is properly trained they should not need to be crated for lengths of time like that. But some people don't want to take the time to train their dogs, just crate them. Lazy. Horses and dogs are two different creatures and can not be compared. I think its great people who want to foster but those who do need to use common sense and ask, do I have the time to take in a dog that may have social issue, or need training? Will they have to be crated for most of the day? How many other animals do I have in the house, do I need another one and how will my own animals react? Can I afford another, ( as for private rescues the foster parent picks up a good part of the tab for food and sometimes medical.) It is nothing to be taken lightly. But seriously people get your animals fixed, help control the population is the best thing you can do. Don't buy from breeders, go to the rescues.. WE just adopted a 10 year old lab from a rescue and he is the biggest sweetie. (he was a victim of foreclosure)

Crating is neither illegal nor inhumane. Once crate trained a dog sees his crate as a den. A dog retreats to its crate for rest or calm much as a teenager retreats to his room. They are helpful for housetraining dogs and essential for dogs who need to travel, like show dogs. They are no more confining than a stable is for horses.

*rollseyes* yes, I am sure to be this woman with all these dogs. Yep you got me. I am glad you finally found me out.
(This poor woman working fostering these dogs is now going to wonder why everyone calls her Evansvillehousewife)
Just because another neighbor has her panties in a bunch doesn't give you credibility. You still sound like a bored busybody with no life except monitoring the people with a life...

I wish that RCHS did more fundraising and advertising, like Dane Co. does. Dane Co. is always promoting the Humane Society and always raising money. I don't want to hear anyone say that nobody in Rock Co. has the money to give. It doesn't take much. The RCHS could have 12 fundraising opportunities a year and someone will be able to help out for at least one of them. Different people like different things. There are people that could afford to attend a black-tie dinner and then there are others that could afford a $10 calendar. There needs to be something more done. I know that the only local tv we have is public access but why can't the RCHS call either the Madison or Rockford stations and ask to be on one of their morning shows once or twice a month with a pet that needs a home, like Dane Co. does every week on a few channels? Reruns of Pet Parade are not getting it done. Either is running ads in the Gazette showing off mostly pit bull mix dogs. Sure, they are the hardest to adopt, but give me more choices. Give me a reason to consider adoping from you. The RCHS should be in my face everywhere I go. It just isn't.

Some observations:
In comparing my recent experiences with those in the past, it is a night and day improvement. The complaints I've seen just don't really seem legitimate and as the facts come out, seem to be petty and somewhat ill-informed. Sounds to me like the complainers made up their minds awhile ago not to like anything the new director did and will not listen to reason.

I fostered kittens for the Humane Society (will again too), they come and visit your home to inspect.

Except for the H.S, there is likely no other place you would get a pet (Petland, newspaper ad or breeder) that would check you out first. What's to prevent an adopter from lying anyway? i.e.-I've never had a dog (no vet), I own my home (don't call my landlord).
I'm sure they have a good idea who the abusers are anyway.

Many people successfully kennel dogs for the eight hours they are at work and have healthy, happy dogs, as long as they get exercise and attention when their owners get home.

The biggest problem boils down to supply and demand-too many animals, not enough adopters. There are two easy solutions to that (spay/neuter and adopt).

I see nothing wrong with kenneling your dogs while you are away. Most dogs really do like it. They feel safe and secure in there kennels and can get a lot of good rest. I do not kennel my dogs as they have the run of the house but I have had dogs my entire life and have kenneled some of my dogs. Beleive it or not they really do like it. Even when we were home and the kennel was open, that was their preferred place to just hang out. I think the new director is doing a great job and how about this instead of complaining all the time get off your butt and help out.

Where in the country would you like to know the limit? As there are 20+ different municipalities each with a differing amount to no amount.

The main concern should be how the animals are cared for.

exactly frogger, the other neighbors think she is off her rocker as well. The one called her this summer and told her do something about those dogs, as they had barked half the night, and then started in again at 6 a.m. She leaves them kenneled most of the day, small house. Plus she has her own 6.. If she were in the country I would say go for it, as long as you don't kennel them all day. SHE has never asked for help, not from one neighbor. She does not seem to know she is in over her head. But then again, not quite right in the head to begin with so she probably just does not see it.

They need to screen everyone, including people who foster. These are living things, not toys. PUTTTING a dog in a kennel for more than a few hours at a time is cruel. If people can not foster properly, they should not foster. IF someone can not properly care for a animal they should not have one. Screening is key.

Do you know my neighbor? Some reported her to the humane society this morning, who in turn said they were calling the sheriff's dept. They have had more than one complaint about her.

ehw- maybe she does see what is happening to the crated animals. She should call somebody to check in on them! True many are crated during the day. Many are also not taken care of properly when crated. Maybe they are crated 24/7? The law is 3 cats or 3 dogs, or 3 cats and 1 dog(or vice versa) but not all 4 can be the same. So not sure how they can have 6 dogs PLUS fosters? You would think the RCHS would know the rules about this. I mentioned in another blog that if country you can have more and somebody said NO you cannot. I am curios what the law is for real(in the country) and not just taking another bloggers word for the country law.

Furbablvr-you bring up GREAT points. You are right, the Humane Soceity wouldn't be in business were people not lazy and irresponsible.

I think you would have to have some pretty thick skin to work here w/o crying every night. YES stop breeding unwanted pets. You say you're not a breeder than FIX you pet that wonders outside all the time and keeps getting pregnant. Their is a law in case you didn't know. It says your kitty doesn't belong outside wondering around anymore. In my neighborhood either they don't care or don't know. I will have to guess don't care. I will also guess they're NOT fixed since I see babies all the time. Don't get me wrong I love the kitties and would take them all if I could catch them. Good thing I cannot catch them. That is a lot of poo and shots. I don't mind them being outside either. I just know this is how LOTS die every year at the society.

creativethinking-
you are so obsessed with this neighbor of yours! You sound like a classic busybody snarking about things that is no business of yours. You stated on the other thread the dogs are crated for 8 hours- well if that is inhumane about 50% of the dogs out there will have to be relocated from their owners, PEOPLE WORK, and dogs will sleep about 20 hours a day.
Even if the dogs are crated BIG deal it;s better that they get some time than having to go straight to the "big nap."
Your neighbor is taking care of many animals and you are trying to sabotage your efforts. If you were that concerned about the welfare of the animals you would be offering to come over and let them out during the day or take them for a walk.
I would like to inform you that in all of this you have just shown vicious and condemning character in yourself and I have yet to find anything wrong with your neighbor.

I just dont get it, so many people pointing fingers at the shelter and blaming them for a problem that humanity created. Do you blame the Police for crime, or the Fire department for fires? How about blaming the street department for auto accidents? How childish to think that that there is a need to complain, but yet do nothing to help. The shelter is run by NO TAX DOLLARS. Period. The get paid for contracts, yes, but that is only a minimal fee compared to the cost of running the shelter. Donations are the lifeblood for them, without it there woulnd't be one, then who would take care of the thousands of animals that are "strays" or no longer wanted? I know someone who worked there, and she would cry when she came home because she felt sorry for the abandoned pets, and angry at those who toss them away like an unwanted newspaper. So I will challenge everyone to walk a 2 days in their shoes and see if your comments would change along with the negativity.

There may be some legitimate complaints about humane societies, sometimes, but people making petty complaints fail to understand the *horrendous* problem that is created not only by failure to spay/neuter, but by greedy people with no morals/conscience who deliberately mass-breed....This is a problem created for ALL animal shelters nationwide by greedy "breeders" nationwide, not just Wis., not just Rock county..It is THESE PEOPLE, not shelters, that cause millions of good pet animals to be killed from overpopulation.
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The notion of a "no-kill shelter" is just a straw-man .....as long as we have this national state-of-affairs, millions of good pet animals WILL BE killed,.....the dirty work will just be done somewhere else and shelters will continue to be distressed.
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Everyone should do an internet study of the puppy mills in Missouri and some other states to see what people that have to pick up these messes have to deal with.
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Buying things from stores that sell puppies and kittens and conscienceless "breeders" contributes to the problem.
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The "root" is where any problem will be solved from.

A low cost spay and neuter option is an excellent idea! I hope that this is implemented soon and that the public is educated and made aware of the benefits of this part of responsible pet ownership. This is very exciting!

I don't think they are getting references on those they let foster either. My neighbor fosters, keeps them all in cages, and has 6 dogs of her own all in this little house.

I am not impressed with any of the statistics or efforts that the "Humane" Society has provided.
First, I am offended when someone uses only percentages to describe an issue. Statistical information, offered voluntarily and selectively, created by the source, is too commonly biased. Statistics by nature support one side of an opinion, whether they accurately represent all, or part of, the facts.
Secondly, I personally know the Rock County Humane Society has refused shelter for stray animals, even when offered to pay any reasonable fee the shelter will state. The response is typically "we can not help you, since the municipality you found the animal in, or came from, does not have a contract with this shelter", or "it is against the law to accept the animal since there is no agreement", or "your municipality does not want to allow shelter services, so therefore we can not do anything for you, contact your municipality". This is a morally wrong attitude, misleading, self serving manipulation and that suggests that some municipalities do not want to provide any specific shelter resources at this shelter, even at the shelter's proposed fees. This type of response is THEIR policy, that they want all municipalities to agree to the SAME complete contract, drafted by the shelter, and that if the municipality will not agree to full shelter services for ALL types of strays and companion animals, they refuse to negotiate any terms or types of animals. It is a "take-it-or-leave-it" contract. I understand there is a great value in consistent contracts and policies, as it would provide a standard county wide, however not every municipality feels able, nor are willing, to tax the land owners for this full level of services. That the shelter refuses any animal shelter, when offered the fee they request (whether paid by a municipality or an individual), is childish and stubborn behavior and directly contradicts their Mission Statement. This shelter is no better than it was a year ago. If the goal to change staff has been to more effectively exorcise its Mission Statement, is has failed miserably, both indirectly and spitefully by their own attitude, regardless of any well meant intensions or policies. Attitudes do not take time to implement. Ask your municipality for a copy of the exact draft the Rock County Humane Society Contract has presented to them. The only modification to that contract is an overall annual contract expenditure cap of $1.50 per person (per capita, for each municipal resident, regardless of age). This means if the municipality has 1,000 or 10,000 residents, the municipality may limit any annual shelter services at $1,500 or $15,000 respectfully. Ask your municipality how many of your tax dollars they historically budget. If you want more public service such as these, identify yourself to your elected officials and request to either pay more taxes, or reduce some other budgeted service to pay for this higher priority.

That's a good looking cat on the front page!

I work at a local vet clinic and I am very pleased with a lot of the changes made by Ms. Rhodes. I am most pleased by the feline leukemia and heartworm testing, as well as the flea preventative given to the animals that are going to new homes. The only criticism I have is that the vet checks are no longer done. I have seen first hand people that are animal hoarders and people that do the bare minimum with their pets as it is and I know they either can't afford any more pets or they shouldn't have any more since they can't or don't take the best care of the pets they already have. There are even some owners that have pets that are overdue on rabies by more than a year and they are adopting more pets. The worst is, one particular owner euthanized their pet less than 1 month ago because the animal had a severe flea infestation and the owner only purchased 1 month of flea preventative, did not treat the home, and the animal had a severe flea allergy that could have been resolved with flea medication/preventative and treating the home. They decided to euthanize, which was as expensive or more than treating for fleas would have been. That same owner came in with a new pet about 2 weeks after euthanizing the previous pet, did not purchase flea preventative or treatment for the home because the Humane Society already applied frontline and they thought that was enough. The home has to be infested with fleas yet and this new pet will be infested in 30 days and could end up the same way as their previous pet. The previous pet also had not been seen by any vet for more than 3 years (the owner admitted). I realize that getting animals into homes is the goal here, but sometimes any home is not necessarily a good home. In conclusion, I am pleased, as I stated previously, with most of the changes that she has made. I am very supportive of the RCHS and will continue to be, no matter who is running the show because it is about the animals first and foremost. I really hope Ms. Rhodes reads this though because I strongly believe vet checks are a necessary part of animal adoption. People will lie, so it will never be perfect, but the deserving people won't, and the pets they get will be very lucky. And hi Jed, you look good. I'm glad to see you're still voluteering at the RCHS. You started when I was 16 and that was about 11 years ago. I'm an old friend. Say hello to your brothers (and parents) for me if you see this and know who this is.

These seem like rather petty complaints. They don't amount to fundamental problems with the running of the society and are really more about people having the wrong expectations about the agency. It's one thing, for example, to have no use yourself for social media, but expecting a group to NOT use them simply because it bugs you is unrealistic. There are not many places that are set up so that volunteers can simply walk in the door and do something useful, either.
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puffer, the sad fact is that euthanization can happen for any reason, and the longer an animal goes unadopted the more likely it is. Do your part by spaying and neutering your pets so that they don't contribute to the overpopulation problem.

Keep up the good work. The Rock County Humane Society serves a vital role in our community. You can rest assured that your donations help these deserving animals. And not just cash - you can stop-by and drop-off bags pet food, animal toys, pet carriers, etc...

At 38% that is over 900 animals that were killed. I'd be interested in what situations animals are euthanized, other than the obvious reasons of too sick/injured or old.

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