Thank You to All of Our Supporters!
We would like to thank all our supporters during this difficult time. Please know that we are continuing with our mission and doing everything we can to finalize a contract with the City. We have been negotiating since November and the FDL Humane Society has offered several versions of a contract to the City. While we don’t yet have a new agreement, we want to remain a partner to the City and are optimistic about entering into a new contract.
In the meantime, we felt it important to share some FAQ’s and information with the community.
What is the Fond du Lac Humane Society?
The Fond du Lac Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing humane care and treatment to all animals needing protection, and to enhancing the lives of animals and people through education, adoption, and compassion. It has been providing these services since 1969. It is an organization with 4 full-time employees, 12 part-time employees, a volunteer Board of Directors and many dedicated volunteers. Since it does not receive any federal or state funding, it relies on the generosity of donors and fundraising efforts to support its mission. All financials are audited by an independent public accounting firm.
Who is responsible for animal control in the City of Fond du Lac?
It is the responsibility of the City of Fond du Lac to provide animal control services. The City may contract for all or a portion of animal control services, but ultimately, it is the responsibility of the City to provide those services and taxpayers pay for those services, as indicated in the City’s annual budget.
What is the current issue regarding the contract dispute?
The Fond du Lac Humane Society has provided animal control services for the City under a contract in which the terms have not substantially changed in over a decade. That contract did not accurately reflect today’s environment, volume of animals and other challenges. Additionally, it did not take into consideration increased costs associated with these services. Most importantly, it did not address safety issues pertaining to our staff and the animals.
Example: The City of Fond du Lac has a serious cat problem, and the Fond du Lac Humane Society cannot address the problems alone. An over-populated facility increases the potential for spreading diseases and increasing stress to the animals. Our facility was built to safely hold 100 cats. Over the past year, we had 150-200 cats within our facility at any given time. We have temporary structures that we use, but it is much more difficult to control the spreading of diseases with this quantity of animals. We continue to do our part to help with this problem by spaying and neutering stray animals, at our own expense, but more needs to be done to deal with the enormous volume of stray cats and kittens. We MUST address the root of the problem because our facility is physically not able to handle the sheer volume of cats coming through.
Why did the Fond du Lac Humane Society stop accepting stray animals on February 15th?
As a part of the contract, the Fond du Lac Humane Society has accepted strays or lost animals from the City, at no additional cost to the city or the Good Samaritans who brought them in. We did that to make it convenient for Good Samaritans and to minimize the police department time and effort. It is our position that stray and lost animals are the responsibility of the City and, therefore, the City must contribute to the associated costs. Without a contract with the City, we would be required to charge those Good Samaritans to cover the fees we would have received from the City contract.
Why has the Fond du Lac Humane Society not responded to social media comments?
It is our policy not to engage in social media debates. We strive to provide information and educate the public. Issues involving animals are very emotional, as they are to us. We would request that people educate themselves to understand the facts.
2022 Statistics
How does the Fond du Lac Humane Society fund their mission?
The Fond du Lac Humane Society could NOT fund their mission without the financial support of our community. We are forever grateful for the love and support our community has for the animals and our mission. We keep our service prices affordable so we can get the animals to their “Furever” homes as soon as possible.
How many animals came into the Fond du Lac Humane Society in 2022?
In 2022, the Fond du Lac Humane society had 977 new animals come into our shelter. Of those animals, only 17.1% were reclaimed by their owners.
How many animals that came into the Fond du Lac Humane Society in 2022 were from the City of Fond du Lac?
Of the 977 total animals, 823 or 84.2% of these animals came from the City of Fond du Lac. Of the animals that come from the City of Fond du Lac, 88.1% were strays.
How long does the average animal stay at the shelter and what is the cost?
We are seeing an increase in the special needs of the animals that are coming into the shelter, especially the dogs. Many have resource guarding challenges, as well as special medical needs. In addition, due to the sheer volume of cats, we struggle to get timely and affordable spay/neuter appointments. This means it takes longer to find the appropriate “furever” homes for our animals. Because of the generous donations from our community, we can provide the appropriate medical care for those animals that require it.
The shelter must be staffed 365 days a year to feed and care for the animals. Staffing and animal care costs alone are 63% of our expenses. As a nonprofit, we have been unable to provide benefits and struggle to stay competitive with market wages. This is an incredible challenge for us as we are always short staffed. In addition, we are very grateful to the community, because of their generous food and supply donations, we can keep our animal care expenses to a minimum.
What is the Fond du Lac Humane Societies Euthanasia Policy?
The Fond du Lac Humane Society is a no time limit shelter. Animals are not euthanized due to space or time limits. If an animal is considered adoptable, it will remain until adopted. Animals are euthanized only when they are suffering, near death or when their temperament presents a threat to public safety.
Final Comments?
We would like to thank all the supporters who have reached out during this difficult time. We are doing our best to stay true to our mission and care for the animals. We are eternally grateful to all the wonderful people who donate, volunteer, and support our organization. We could not do this without you. On behalf of the animals, we thank you!
Please continue to follow our Facebook Page “Fond du Lac Humane Society” as we will continue to share the great things the Fond du Lac Humane Society is doing in the City of Fond du Lac.
