Milwaukee's Forgotten Dogs

Sally, seized on 6-10-2011 by the Milwaukee Police Department. She has been housed at Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Commission ever since, with no hope for adoption.

Update: I originally wrote this blog in 2012. As the 2.5 year Anniversary of the incarceration of the Court Case Dogs approaches, nothing has changed. They are still being held at MADACC in small kennels with very little socialization or human contact. 


David Mangold is a persistent man. David is a Milwaukee citizen who is determined that he is going to change the fate of how Milwaukee (and Wisconsin) handles dogs that are seized in criminal cases.  Currently, the outcome is not pleasant. Many people do not realize that in Milwaukee these dogs are held for months and possibly years, awaiting the trial of their owners.  They are usually killed when they finally become the property of Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC). Housing these dogs for months or years is also a huge expense to the taxpayer; so even if you don't love dogs, it affects you.

David has outlined four main areas of concern for the Court Case Dogs:

1. Dogs are usually segregated from the rest of the kennel population. This means they are not allowed to be walked or socialized by volunteers. Busy staff members don't have time, and so the behavior of the dogs regress. Currently several of the dogs are having to be medicated to ease their extreme anxiety.

2. Authorities, including the Milwaukee Police Department and the District Attorney's office are unduly dismissive regarding animal welfare. It's out of sight, out of mind for them. The dogs are evidence, just like any other piece of evidence that is left in a box in a warehouse somewhere. Yet, the American Bar Association and the National Animal Control Association have written guidelines concerning the treatment and handling of court case dogs. Click the links to read the excellent guidelines that have been written.

3. MADACC  embodies a "throw-away dogs" mentality, despite its binding, municipal agreement to resort to the euthanasia of dogs only as a "last resort".

4. These dogs (as well as all of the dogs at MADACC) are not protected by Act 90 - the Dog Seller's Law; which ensures daily exercise and socialization.

So the Milwaukee Court Case dogs are double victims - victims of their owner's crimes; and victims of the system which will ultimately destroy them. No second chance, no hope for a new life.  Not even an opportunity for an individual assessment of their temperament. Many of these dogs were never involved in dog fighting. Several of them were puppies when they were seized.

Plus, they are overcrowding MADACC; currently using over 30 kennels that are needed by other dogs. These other dogs are losing their lives also, due to lack of space at the outdated, poorly designed facility.

But finally a ray of hope. David is fighting hard. He is fighting hard to change a system that has failed these dogs. Please follow the progress and the fight to improve the outcome for Milwaukee's Court Case Dogs by "liking" David's Facebook page - Save Milwaukee's Court Case Dogs. Share the story with your friends and family.

Together, let's put the pressure on the bureaucrats that have forgotten these dogs. Let's show them that as voters and citizens of Wisconsin we demand better for our companion animals.

Additional Reading: American Bar Association Supports Justice for Victims of Animal Cruelty by Ledy VanKavage

Link to the TMJ4 coverage of the story: Man wants new program for Milwaukee dogs seized during police raids

Link to story about "Leo's Bill" introduced by Representative Spiros. 

Link to story about Senator Tim Carpenter's Bill to help court case dogs.