Be cautious when approaching any animal. 

Animals may be scared and unsure of their surroundings and with unfamiliar people. Do not try to catch or handle an animal that seems scared or reactive. Many times, you may just be able to contain the animal in a fenced-in yard, garage, kennel, crate, or live trap without making physical contact.

Check for a license tag or other identification.

If you can get close enough to read the tags, please try reaching the owner. Many ID tags include names and phone numbers. If the animal is wearing a rabies tag, contact the vet clinic listed - they can often put you in touch with his or her owner. License tags can similarly be used to find an owner by contacting the municipality that issued the license.

Check with your neighbors or the houses near where you found the animal.

Although you may not recognize the pet, it could still belong to a neighbor, or your neighbors could be dog sitting.  Also, many animals don’t roam far from where they are lost so chances are someone in your area will recognize your new-found friend.

We can scan the animal for a microchip. 

Your local vet clinic can also quickly scan a cat or dog and let you know if they have a microchip – a chip is permanent ID imbedded under the animal’s skin and is registered with the company who produced them. The microchip company should be able to give you the name and contact information for any chipped animal.

Some finders prefer to hold onto a found animal for a short time while they attempt to find the owner. If you are able to do this, call Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin at (608) 752-5622 to place a found report. We ask you for the animal’s description and try to match it to any missing pet reports in our system. We can also scan found pets for microchips and take photos to help reunite the lost pet with its owners.

If you need assistance with a contained pet found in one of the municipalities below, call the Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin at (608) 752-5622 between 8am and 5pm. Because we are a non-profit organization and for safety and agency requirements, we aren’t able to pick up stray animals. We ask that you bring the animal to us if you can. If you can’t hold onto the lost animal or find its owner, contact the appropriate municipality and have them bring it to the HSSW.  

It’s spring and you see a tiny bird on the ground. Or an opossum who appears to be staggering. Since many wild animals that appear injured or abandoned are often only exhibiting defense mechanisms, we recommend leaving it alone for at least 24 hours. The bird, for example, might just be fledging and starting its journey out of the nest. That opossum? She might just be coming out of playing dead. Wild animals require a certain level of expertise and must be cared for by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian. At this time, the Humane Society of Southern Wisconsin simply doesn’t have the proper facilities or staff to care for wild animals. Contact Fellow Mortals at fellowmortals.org or call 262.248.5055 (the answering recording is long, but leave a detailed message and your call will be returned.)

Above all, we thank you for caring about lost, homeless, and wild animals. A comfortable, warm pet bed, a feathery nest, or a safe pile of timber, no matter the dwelling our aim is the same: together, we are helping all pets go home again.

HSSW live traps are intended for the use of trapping feral/stray cats and should not be used to capture a cat whose left ear is ear-tipped, unless the cat seems sick and/or needs medical attention. HSSW live traps are not intended to harm animals, including the trapping of wildlife. 

Live traps are rented out on a two-week basis. If there is a need to keep the trap longer, please call the shelter to get an extension approved.

$15 of the $20 deposit will be refunded upon return of live trap in good working condition.