Wisconsin Humane Society welcomes big red dog sculpture in effort to raise funds for new Racine County facility

RACINE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A big red dog has been unleashed in Racine County.

The Wisconsin Humane Society is welcoming a giant 15-foot red dog sculpture to the site of its future Racine County animal shelter at 16th and 90th streets in Mount Pleasant. It's to raise awareness of the capital campaign to build a new facility. 

The artist of the “Big Red Dog” is Jay Woody of Mequon, and it’s his first dog sculpture of this magnitude. The 1,500-pound dog is made out of epoxy, concrete, wire and wood, amongst other materials. Jay reached out to WHS, offering to donate it for whatever cause WHS found most compelling, and the capital campaign for their Racine location was a great fit.

WHS acquired the Countryside Humane Society in Racine County in 2013. The building was originally a potato barn and despite renovations to improve the facility, the building does not meet WHS standards for animal care or public service and is simply too small for the volume of animals coming into the facility as strays or surrenders from the local community. To uphold their promise that every animal in adoption has as long as it takes to find a new home, WHS had to add a trailer to properly isolate contagious illness among cats. The proposed state-of-the-art animal shelter and adoption center will feature expanded animal housing, community space, and a modern veterinary clinic for shelter animals.

WHS staff and some dedicated friends of WHS have been fundraising in the Racine community and have reached $1.8 million toward the $5.4 million goal. Fundraising efforts are well underway and WHS is committed to seeing the project realized, no matter how long it takes.

The “Big Red Dog” will be on display in Mount Pleasant through Friday, August 31. For more information about the Wisconsin Humane Society’s capital campaign, or to make a donation for the new building, click here or call (262) 833-4010.

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