We are happy to answer any of your questions and share all of our statistics with you regarding any of the services we provide to the communities we serve. Below are some of our most frequently asked questions; if you have further questions please contact us at info@oahs.org or 920-424-2128. Thank you for your interest in and support of OAHS!
Please note that the statistics below are for calendar year 2024 (Jan-Dec); the OAHS fiscal year is June-May.
In 2024, OAHS provided services to 3,254 animals. This includes:
Strays: We have contracts with local municipalities to take in their stray domestic animals. This means if a stray animal is found in one of these municipalities, it is required that we take them in. We are currently contracted with the following municipalities: City of Oshkosh, Town of Algoma, Town of Black Wolf, Town of Neenah, Town of Nekimi, City of Omro, Town of Omro, Town of Poygan, Town of Rushford, Town of Utica, Village of Winneconne and Town of Clayton.
Surrenders: We also take in owner-surrendered pets when an owner/guardian is no longer able to care for the pet. The reasons for surrender range from allergies to moving to not being able to afford the pet anymore, and are often not the pet’s fault. We try to help as many people in the community as we can, but when we are full with strays, we often have to put owner surrenders on a wait list.
Impounds: When the police departments of the municipalities we are contracted with have to impound (take into custody) a dog, cat or small companion animal, they contact us to take this animal into the safety of our care. By law, Wisconsin humane officers may impound an animal that he or she has reasonable grounds to believe is abandoned, stray, unwanted, unlicensed/untagged, not in compliance with an ordinance or quarantine, has caused damage, has been a participant in a fight, is the victim of cruelty, or was delivered by a veterinarian under the provisions of WI Statute 173.13.
Transfers: When we have a lot of adoptions, we are able to take in additional animals in need from other shelters when they are over capacity. We work with many shelters across Wisconsin to help them when we have the capacity and resources to do so.
Below are the number of stray domestic animals we took in from our contracted municipalities in 2024 (98% dogs & cats; 2% small animals):
• City of Oshkosh: 701
• Town of Algoma: 18
• Town of Black Wolf: 6
• Town of Clayton: 18
• Town of Neenah: 13
• Town of Nekimi: 28
• City of Omro: 41
• Town of Omro: 6
• Town of Poygan: 4
• Town of Rushford: 4
• Town of Utica: 16
• Village of Winneconne: 1
• Strays from municipalities not contracted with: 62
2024 Total: 918 stray animals (642 cats, 256 dogs & 20 small animals)
Stray animals arrive when a member of the public brings them in, when an OAHS staffperson brings them in, or when a town constable, community service officer or police officer brings them in.
For example, OAHS took in 701 stray animals from the City of Oshkosh in 2024. Of these, only 112 were transported to the shelter by the Oshkosh Police Department. The remaining 589 stray animals were brought to the shelter by the public or by OAHS staff.
In 2024, OAHS spent an average of $259.86 per stray animal (approximately $100 more per animal than the cost to the City of Oshkosh):
– This figure includes the costs to the shelter only during the 5-day stray hold period
(4 days required by law plus the day found)
– This figure is based on average-sized cats and medium-sized dogs
– It does not include the cost of medical care if needed for our staff after being bitten or
injured by a stray dog or cat
– It does not include the cost of worker’s comp insurance
– It does not include facility utility costs or building maintenance costs
– It does not include fuel costs or maintenance costs for the OAHS transport van
– This figure is based on 2024 costs for veterinary care, medications and supplies, which
have increased 35-40% over the last five years (reference bit.ly/49JaqOZ)
– This figure is based only on dogs and cats, which made up 98%+ of stray
domestic animals taken in from the City of Oshkosh in 2024
– Note that the majority of stray animals are never reclaimed by an owner (~70%)
Intake Costs
– If the cat came in after hours, an additional $50 would be added to intake costs
> Of the 150 on-call stray animal retrievals in 2024 for the City of Oshkosh in 2024,
88 were cats
>> 88 cats x $50/cat = $4,400
– If the cat came in ill, such as with an upper respiratory infection (very common in
stray cats) or diarrhea, minor wounds, limping, unwillingness to eat, skin lesions,
etc., and required further veterinary evaluation, tests, treatments and/or
medications, an additional ~$50-$275 would be added (this would be just the
basics to treat common illnesses, not more advanced/complex cases requiring
bloodwork, X-rays, etc.)
Additional costs if treatment for illness needed: ~$50-$275 per cat
> Approximately 25% of the stray cats who enter the care of OAHS require
treatments for illness
> ~120 stray cats from the City of Oshkosh required treatments
>> Total using the median cost of $165 per cat for ~120 stray cats = $19,800
– If euthanasia + cremation was needed (for extremely sick or severely injured cats), an
additional $30 would be added
– If a rabies quarantine was required, this could require either 5 additional days on-
site with three additional veterinary exams and specimen submission; this cost would be $200-$500+
> Additional costs if either of the above are needed: $30-$500+
>> Note that no costs for euthanasia or rabies quarantine are included in
calculation of our $250/stray animal average
Total of costs above without any costs for euthanasia + cremation or rabies quarantines =
$31,295 initial exam/vaccines/preventatives + $4,400 after hours on-call + $19,800 medical = $55,495
– If the dog came in after hours, an additional $50 would be added to intake costs
> Of the 150 on-call stray animal retrievals in 2024 for the City of Oshkosh in 2024,
62 were dogs
>> 62 dogs x $50/dog = $3,100
– If the dog came in ill, such as with diarrhea, minor wounds, limping, unwillingness
to eat, skin lesions, etc., and required further veterinary evaluation, tests,
treatments and/or medications, an additional ~$50-$275 would be added (this
would be just the basics to treat common illnesses, not more advanced/complex
cases requiring bloodwork, X-rays, etc.)
Additional costs if any of the above are needed: $75-$331.65
> Approximately 25% of the stray dogs who enter the care of OAHS require
treatments for illness
> ~55 stray dogs from the City of Oshkosh required treatments
>> Total using the median cost of $165 per dog for ~55 stray dogs = $9,075
– If euthanasia + cremation was needed (for extremely sick or severely injured dogs), an
additional $50 would be added
– If a rabies quarantine was required, this could require either 5 additional days on-
site with three additional veterinary exams and specimen submission; this cost would be $200-$500+
> Additional costs if either of the above are needed: $50-$500+
>> Note that no costs for euthanasia or rabies quarantine are included in
calculation of our $250/stray animal average
Total of costs above without any costs for euthanasia + cremation or rabies quarantines =
$16,350 initial exam/vaccines/preventatives + $3,100 after hours on-call + $9,075 medical = $28,525
Total 2024 intake costs for 2024 for the City of Oshkosh stray animals: $55,495 + $28,525 = $84,020
Boarding Costs
• Extrapolated average cost per day for food for one cat or dog: = $2
– Note that pet food costs in Wisconsin have risen 45% in the last 5 years (reference bit.ly/4hYBa0c)
• Extrapolated average cost per day for cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, paper toweling, etc. = $2
• Estimated staff time per day for cleaning, feeding, 3 staff doing rounds on each animal 1x/day, staff time for responding to citizen questions or complaints that involve the Oshkosh PD and Winnebago County Health Department (as required by contract) = $14/day
• Estimated staff time per day for 1 dog walker doing two 20-minute walks per day for each dog = $10/day
• If the animal was part of an impound/quarantine case, their legally mandated stay at the shelter would be much longer and they usually have much more extensive medical needs, incurring additional costs; these costs are not included in the average total below
Total not including extended stays = $28/day
> 701 stray animals taking in from the City of Oshkosh in 2024 x 5 days stray hold at $28/day = $98,140
>> Total of intake costs and boarding costs for the City of Oshkosh stray animals in 2024 =
$84,020 + $101,645 = $182,160 ($259.86/animal);
Total paid to OAHS by the City of Oshkosh in 2024 = $107,000
The majority of the animals who come into our care need spays and neuters. The costs for surgical supplies and veterinary drugs have increased 35-40% over the last five years (reference bit.ly/49JaqOZ):
OAHS employs three medical staff full-time, including a veterinarian, a veterinary technician and a medical and community outreach coordinator.
In addition, OAHS employs 5 animal caregivers, a dog team manager, a dog advancement coordinator, 8 part-time dog enrichment team members, a cat team manager, a shy cat/enrichment specialist, a small mammal coordinator and 6 part-time cleaners to ensure we can deliver the highest-quality care, socialization, exercise and enrichment to the animals while they await adoption, in a clean, comfortable, safe environment.
Every day an animal is in our care brings more expense, which we call “boarding costs” (food, cleaning supplies and staff time). The average boarding cost per day per animal is approximately $28.
OAHS also has adoption staff who work directly with potential adopters to match them with the best pets for their living situations, and administrative staff to take care of all the operations, outreach, fundraising, marketing, events, volunteer coordination, finances and other business requirements of running a nonprofit.
No. OAHS is a private, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity and is not affiliated with any other local or national humane organization (like Wisconsin Humane Society or Humane Society of the U.S.). We do not receive any funding from the government other than the small amount we get from the municipalities we are contracted with to take in strays.
We rely heavily on our community of supporters to fund our lifesaving efforts: in fact, 90% of our funding is from private donations.
Yes. OAHS offers care and safe shelter for animals who must be held for impound reasons, such as neglect and cruelty.
Impounded animals typically require a much higher service level and length of stay. Neglect, cruelty and abuse cases also require staff time in attending hearings and trials, documenting the health and condition of animals, facilitating forensic necropsy and expert involvement where appropriate, and preparing victim impact statements and other materials for the court.
Every community is different, and humane societies and animal shelters in Wisconsin all serve different communities and offer similar services, yet often with different scope. For example, OAHS takes in nearly 4x the number of stray animals than a smaller animal shelter located in a community nearby, simply because we are a much larger shelter with more staff and resources. When comparing one humane society to another, please be sure to compare “apples to apples” for accurate results.