'Terrifying for them:' MADACC sees uptick of intakes after 4th of July weekend, bringing in-house total to 400+

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- While many of us were enjoying the long holiday weekend, the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) was facing its busiest time of the year yet.

From July 5-8, the organization saw an intake uptick of anywhere from 30% to 60%, bringing in 166 animals into their care.

Now, there are more than 400 cats and dogs currently in house, many of whom are either looking to be reclaimed or searching for a forever home.

“We have a lot more coming in than we do have going out," said MADACC Community Engagement Coordinator Kate Hartlund. “We love your animals; we don’t want them here. We don’t. We want them at home with you.”

Hartlund said an increase in this particular stretch of days is an annual occurrence, and she and her team work tirelessly to prepare. 

“It is loud, it is scary, it is bright, it is noisy, and it’s terrifying for them, and so they run," Hartlund said. “People always think, oh, my dog is fine, my dog is in the backyard. It doesn’t matter how well-behaved or well-trained your dog is, they can get spooked just as easily as a dog that’s already freaked out."

Thanks to nonprofit Friends of MADACC, the cost to adopt a dog that is off of a stray hold is only $4 from now until July 14.

MADACC is open seven days a week and adoption hours from Monday to Friday are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend.

“I was reading a Facebook post of some woman who was walking her dog, and she was bending over to pick up poop and the leash slipped out of her hand. A firework went off and it was loud," Hartlund said. "You just really need to be taking those extra precautions, which, keep in mind for next year.”