Our Facilities

Our beautiful 87 acres of grounds include two miles of walking trails, an outdoor pavilion for meetings, picnics, and gatherings, and the "Bark Park".  The "Bark Park" consists of two outdoor dog parks, one park for large dogs and a separate park for small dogs.  Both are open to the community.  Our primary shelter includes 16 indoor dog kennels, a large outdoor play area for dogs, including outdoor kennels, two large indoor/outdoor cat rooms with 20 cat kennels and play area isolation area for cats in transition, laundry room and food prep area, office and visitation room, and the caretaker's apartment. Our training center includes seven indoor/outdoor runs for dogs in transition, cat isolation area for ill cats, an "Other" room for bunnies/birds/etc, grooming room with walk-in shower, training and indoor exercise area, and storage for food and equipment.

Who We Are

Staff:
Shelter Manager - Alecia Austin
Staff – Elizabeth Lew, Angie Larson, Mark Anderson, Mark Peterson, Jamie Rothfus, Alyssa Anderson, Dawn Johnstone
Staff Fill-ins - Ann Schultz

NHS Board of Directors:
Deanna Persson, Lori Butala, Shirley Armstrong, Cheri Arzola, Rex Clevenger, Michelle Forrester, Linda Graham,  Barbara Hoeft, Kim Kral, Steve Menke, Kathy Pedersen, Gil Zych

NHS Officers:

• President - Deanna Persson
• Vice President - Lori Butala
• Treasurer - Marcia McIntosh
• Corresponding Secretary - Charmaine Metzinger
• Recording Secretary - Barbara Sealey

NHS Committees:

• Aluminum Can Collection - Iras Humphries and Chuck Gray
• Building Committee - Mike Persson (Chair)
• Coin House Collection - BJ Schwartzhoff
• Finance Committee - Rex Clevenger (Chair), Alecia Austin, Cheri Arzola, Lori Butala, Barbara Hoeft, Michelle Forrester, Linda Graham, Marcia McIntosh, Steve Menke, Kathy Pedersen, Deanna Persson, Gil Zych
• Fundraising Committee - Deanna Persson (Chair), Shirley Armstrong, Lori Butala
• Historian - Sonja Hintler
• Insurance Committee - Shirley Armstrong (Chair)
• Pet Education - Sara Curtis
• Thrift Shop Leadership Team - Deanna Persson, Barbara Hoeft, Linda Graham

President's Message

What an honor it has been and is to work with so many dedicated individuals whose passion is helping animals in need. It has been an exciting journey that began in 1987, seeing our humane society evolve from "no humane society" to the Northwoods Humane Society; first as an unsheltered foster care organization to the opening of the Northwoods Humane Society Shelter in 1994. The shelter is located on 87 acres on Hwy 77, 4 miles east of Hayward, Wisconsin.

The Northwoods Humane Society staff and volunteers work in a pro-active manner for a better life for the animals that we care for. The staff is a mix of full and part time members as well as a live-in caretaker. They assess the needs of each animal that comes to us. Whether the needs are behavioral, dietary, housing or health issues, we work to help each animal become a part of a permanent family. Through volunteer dog walkers, those that socialize cats in the play rooms, the people that take special needs animals into foster care, our veterinarians, volunteer trainers and groomers, we all work to the best of our ability to nurture and provide for those animals in our care. Whether an animal is with us two days, two months or two years, we work to insure that they know love and excellent care​.

The Northwoods Humane Society, on an average, serves about 650-700 animals a year. Each animal is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, health checked, fecal checked and wormed, temperament tested, vaccinated and provided with the necessary medical care or behavioral training. Our euthanization rate is usually less than 4% and only takes place in cases of aggression, terminal illness, an illness that threatens the health of other shelter animals (for example Parvo) or a behavioral issue that makes an animal unadoptable (which is very rare). Animals come to the Northwoods Humane Society through surrender by owners. Dogs also come to us through the Sawyer County Pound or the LCO Pound. Stray dogs are held for 7 days and if they are not claimed or are not there because of aggression issues, they then come to the Northwoods Humane Society.

As a 501c3 organization, the work of the Northwoods Humane Society is funded by donations, membership fees, bequests, memorial or honorarium gifts, our thrift shop, coin houses, aluminum can collections, grants and a variety of fundraisers. We receive NO money from any local, state or federal government sources.

The Northwoods Humane Society has an active outreach program. Funds are provided for assistance for spay and neutering of owned pets thru a variety of programs and grants, along with the cooperation of our local veterinarians. NHS provides dog houses to unsheltered dogs, monies for short term housing of animals of abused women, an assistance with emergency medical expenses of owned animals, pet education and training programs. The Northwoods Humane Society supports a Trap Neuter Release Program for feral cats by providing spay and neutering as long as the cat is returned to the site and feeding continues. NHS also writes grants for pet food that is distributed through the community food shelves.

The Northwoods Humane Society provides a weekly newspaper article for the Sawyer County Record of Hayward and the Sawyer Count Gazette of Winter, Wisconsin. NHS publishes two newsletters a year, maintains its website, www.northwoodshumanesociety.org and a Facebook page.

​The work of the Northwoods Humane Society is dependent on the caring and generosity of our volunteers and supporters. Volunteers help at the shelter with direct animal care, office management, building and ground maintenance, our Thrift Shop and the many fundraising events that take place. If you want to help the animals, call us at the shelter at 715-634-5394 or call me at home at 715-634-4543 and we will find the right spot for you.