About DCHS

DCHS was founded in 1921 by Ida Kittleson, wife of Madison Mayor Isaac Milo Kittleson. Ida housed lost and abandoned animals in the basement of her home or in the homes of volunteers. In 1965, a permanent shelter was built on Pennsylvania Avenue in Madison. Animals were sheltered in that facility for almost 50 years until the current shelter was built in 2000 on Voges Road in Madison. In 2002, Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Center (formerly known as Four Lakes Wildlife Center) began taking in ill, injured or orphaned wildlife from throughout Southern Wisconsin.

The DCHS Campus is located on 29 beautiful acres in Southeast Madison and includes the DCHS Main Shelter building with adoptable and stray animal housing, adoption center and retail store, animal medical services clinic, humane education facilities and administrative offices. A horse and livestock barn, wildlife rehabilitation center and the Maddie's Felines in Treatment Center are also located on the DCHS Campus.

DCHS is the second largest shelter in Wisconsin, caring for thousands of companion animals and wild animals every year. Over 100 staff members and hundreds of dedicated volunteers provide comfort and care to these animals in need every day.

DCHS guarantees that all healthy companion animals or those with treatable or manageable medical and/or behavioral conditions will find new homes. These animals can stay at DCHS as long as it takes to find their new family. DCHS has been 100% Adoption Guarantee since April 2012.

Learn more about Adoption Guarantee

DCHS holds the contract to serve as the stray holding facility for Dane County, and every year we reunite hundreds of companion animals with their families. Effective February 1, 2025, there is no charge from DCHS at the time of redemption; however, Public Health Madison and Dane County may contact you at a later date for incurred fees. 

When Dane County and the City of Madison authorities pursue animal seizures due to suspected abuse and neglect, DCHS assists by providing shelter and care to the animal(s). DCHS is a private, non-profit organization and has no legal authority to investigate animal abuse or seize animals. The shelter maintains contractual relationships to serve as a holding facility for stray and impounded animals, including those seized by local authorities pursuant to Chapter 173 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Decisions on whether to seize an animal or to keep a seized animal at DCHS are made by law enforcement, statutorily-authorized humane officers, and representatives of Dane County Animal Control, in conjunction with local prosecutors and the courts.

Learn more about what being the stray holding facility means

DCHS is a private non-profit, not a government agency. We hold a long-standing contract with Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) to provide essential, state-mandated public services, including shelter and care for stray animals, bite quarantine, and rabies prevention. But we’re facing a serious and growing budget challenge.

Learn more about the contract with PHMDC

DCHS is a private non-profit and not a government agency or part of a national animal welfare organization. The majority of DCHS funding comes from the generosity of our community through individual donations, bequests, corporate support, grants, and fundraising efforts. Program services and fees provide additional funding.

Support from individuals and organizations allow us the flexibility to apply your gifts immediately for daily shelter and community outreach operations, helps us meet unplanned and unmet needs in our community and sparks innovative best practices to serve as a model for animal welfare organizations nationwide.

DCHS will not trade, share or sell a donor's personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations.

At DCHS, our vision is that our communities are better with an ethic of empathy, care, and value for people and animals. Diversity, equity and inclusion are key to this vision for a more just and compassionate community. We strive to represent the community we serve and are working to better reflect our community in our staff and volunteers. We are inspired to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment where all visitors, staff, and volunteers feel a sense of inclusion and belonging. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the love of a pet. We embrace the Adopters Welcome philosophy, focused on removing barriers and judgment from our adoption process. We also recognize poverty and structural inequality create obstacles to affordable veterinary and pet services and we are working to close the service gap for people and pets in underserved areas. At DCHS, we know all our community members are crucial partners in building a more humane tomorrow.