The Washington County Humane Society is located in Slinger, Wisconsin. WCHS is a full-service shelter and we hold all adoptable animals until they find their lifetime homes. WCHS provides shelter, food, care and medical services for over 3400 animals annually. For more info about our shelter & its programs visit our website -
www.washingtoncountyhumane.org Listed below are our shelter needs & how you can help with the Zootoo contest.
Phase 2 of the Contest:
WCHS is thrilled to be among the top 20 shelters and know that each and every one of those shelters is deserving because of the important work we all do. Our own particular needs include the following:
• Construction of a dog isolation ward. Currently we have an isolation ward with a separate air exchange for sick cats but nothing for dogs. Canines that are ill are housed in the stray impound area in kennels that face each other and allow for the easy transmission of germs.
• Repair of the floor in the shelter. Our floor is badly chipped throughout the shelter, which allows for germs and debris to harbor in the chipped areas. In addition, it is simply painted concrete that becomes dangerously slippery when wet, whether that be from cleaning or from snow and rain tracked in from outside. Several people have fallen on this slippery surface, and dogs have an extremely difficult time walking without legs going in all directions.
• Addition of an enclosed area for rabbits and other small animals. Currently these animals are housed directly behind the adoptable dog kennels with no sound barriers, and consequently, they become very stressed out because of the noise level and activity.
• Construction of an additional communal cat room. Visitors love our communal cat rooms and cats are adopted out much more quickly from these rooms. Because of the large number of cats that literally stream into our shelter, an additional communal cat room would provide more cats with the opportunity to leave our facility for their forever homes more quickly.
• Repair of the walls in our training facility. This room provides us with approx. $50,000 of income annually through dog training classes, fundraising events and room rental fees. However it has fallen into disrepair over the years. We have fixed the bathrooms and ceiling but are unable to take care of the walls where there is little or no insulation, and the doors have holes and spaces in them to allow rodents to enter. Because of the lack of insulation and the open spaces, the room generally “floods” during the winter months with associated freeze/thaw. This room is critical in providing money for our operating budget.
• The addition of a small second level for our offices, allowing additional space for the animals on the first level. We have a very high adoption rate for our animals and are able to assist other state shelters with taking in their dogs to relieve their overcrowding. However, we have limited space to show our animals and usually have customers and animals in our offices and break room. Sometimes customers leave because they have to wait so long to meet an animal. By moving our offices, we would be able to utilize that additional space for meets, and move animals much more quickly. This would benefit not only WCHS, but all of the other shelters we help by taking their dogs.
• Finally, moving our offices to a second level would also provide us with the space for our Safe Pets/Safe People program…where we shelter the companion animals of abuse victims until they are back on their feet again in a safe place. Currently, these animals are housed in cages in our break room and this can be stressful for these animals already confused by the family separation and what they experienced in the abusive environment. A room specifically designed for them will give them a cage-free, safe and quiet refuge where their families can visit them in privacy until they are reunited.
How You Can Help!
• Go to
www.zootoo.com and join by filling in your registration information.
• List The Washington County Humane Society (Slinger - 53086) as the shelter you are supporting.
• You will then receive an email notification that you need to click to validate your registration.
• You will be able to click on “My Zootoo” on the right hand side, then click on “My Thoughts” and write a journal entry stating why you feel WCHS deserves a $1M makeover. It can be based on your experience with the facility or with the staff and volunteers. You could also add why you support WCHS and what makes us special.
Pick up flyers at the shelter to distribute to area businesses so their employees and customers can learn about the contest. If you have children in school or daycare, ask the principal or director if they can distribute the flyers to their children.
Information provided by the owner
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Journal
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