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Puppies and kittens and bunnies, oh my!
Ozaukee Humane Society adoption coordinator Kim Schlote
shares her day with the animals

By Laurie Arendt; September 6, 2005
Featured by Permission from News Graphic Staff

Ozaukee – Though her official title at the Ozaukee Humane Society is that of shelter manager, a more apt description for Kim Schlote may simply be “innkeeper.” With a little “matchmaker” thrown in.

“We think of all of our animals as our guests,” she admits.

Schlote and her staff work out of the converted refreshment stand from the former 57 Outdoor in the town of Grafton. On any given day, the shelter is a busy place.

“No day is really the same,” she says. “We do have our daily tasks – the cages are cleaned, some of the animals receive medication, our retail store is operating – but we never quite know what to expect.”

For example, earlier in this particular week, two parrots were surrendered at the shelter. “The birds’ original owner had recently passed away, and the family decided it was best to bring the birds in,” she says. “We passed them on to parrot rescue.”

Sometimes, the lobby is full of animals. On this particular day, one wall was full of rabbits – typically brought to the society when their owners outgrow them – and five contented cats, all in the midst of an afternoon nap.

Only three dogs had checked into the shelter this week, and two were on their way to new homes. In the cat room, two humans checked out potential new feline matches with a volunteer.

“Do you have a preference – long hair? Short hair?” she asked as she took notes.

“No,” they both answered as the cats did their best to impress them. Well, that’s not entirely true. Some of the cats – being cats – were naturally indifferent to the whole process. Two kittens were much more interested in chasing a fly around.

Taking care of animals is a serious job for the staff and volunteers at the society. Both the animals and the potential adopters are screened before a successful match is made. Prior to leaving the shelter for a new home, the adopted pet receives veterinary attention as well as heaps of love from the staff.

“And yes, sometimes the staff does get quite attached to certain animals, which makes us work even harder to make sure they find good homes,” notes Schlote. “We also have people who know they want to adopt a new pet and will stop in every week until they find the right one. We don’t mind that at all.”

In 2004, the Ozaukee County Humane Society merged with the Wisconsin Humane Society, a move that helped expand, enhance and support the services offered here in Ozaukee County through the nonprofit organization.

“We now have a vet that visits twice a week out here and all of our surgeries are done at the Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee,” she says. “We also transport animals back and forth – we often send them our cats and they have transported dogs to us for adoption.”

It was a good move for the society, which posted a 45 percent increase and new record adoption numbers in 2004: 261 dogs, 775 cats and 164 small animals found new homes that year.

To learn more about the services of the Ozaukee Humane Society or make a contribution, check out their Web site at www.ozaukeehumane.org .