Most deserving shelter
Service being reviewed:
Central Missouri Humane Society
Reviews: 708 |
Posted: 9 months ago |
Avg Rating: 4.7
Supporting Shelter: Central Missouri Humane Society
Supporting Rescue: Gateway Golden Retriever Rescue
Pros: Longstanding history of struggle to maintain best standards and practices
Cons: space totally outgrown, inadequate financial support from city and county, and surrounding counties
My personal history with the Central MO Humane Society goes clear back to the 60's when a group of my fellow graduate students at MU, mostly in the English Department, were horrified by what passed as a Humane Society in Columbia. I won't go into details here, but trust me, it was a nightmare. So they hounded the people listed as board members into getting a copy of the by-laws, started going to board meetings, got themselves appointed to the board, and the first legitimate Humane Society in Columbia emerged, which included an activist mission of educating the community about humane issues, laws, and responsible pet ownership. I was a core volunteer, serving for fifteen years on the Education Committee. I hosted a weekly radio show on the local Community Radio Station. We started and continued for many years a 4th grade education program, having learned that that was the best age to start teaching kids about responsible pet ownership. We sponsored a very popular annual cat show for several years. We started a low cost spay and neuter program at the Shelter. We got an ordinance passed forbidding the sale of exotic animals within the city limits, including the ubiquitous Easter Ducklings, Chicks, and Bunnies. Over the years, the rates of spays and neuters went up, and the deluge of surrendered animals was lessened, albeit ever so slightly. Then we got a grant to build the current shelter, sometime in the early 70's. I was there at the ground breaking. So was Dr. Michael Fox! It was so exciting. And that is the building still serving as the shelter, almost 40 years later. In the meantime the Central MO human population has exploded, creating that many more animals to deal with, and the Shelter has also made an effort to cooperate with the no-kill movement, putting even more stress on its limited space, which they have made a good effort to deal with by using foster homes. Also, however, the animal control support from the City and the County, who share the shelter space, has stagnated. It was never adequate to begin with, and now it is shamefully inadequate. But the folks at the CMHS soldier on, and the current staff and board appear to be thinking creatively about generating more revenue through higher licensing fees that reward responsible pet owners, and striking agreements with the surrounding counties, all of whom use the CMHS as their humane society, essentially free of charge. I personally donate as much as I can afford, and wish I could give more. This shelter is most deserving of the Million Dollar Makeover prize, and I urge anyone reading this to share their own history and experience with the Shelter, to help make that happen.
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by nichol b. (ilovehair2626)
8 months ago - Flag this
wow that's some emotional discussion! that's cool to here your place and story. i just started donating and volunteering in 2008 and its in really big need of community support.
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by Kay C. (aaplinc)
8 months ago - Flag this
Nichole -- Thanks for your very sweet comment, which has caused me to tear up! :) A lot of very fine people poured their hearts and souls into that organization during those first 10-15 years, and I am proud to have been one of them, and wish I could have continued. In 1980, I started a big grant project at KOPN radio which involved all kinds of travel, so I had to drop off the Education Committee, but I still have a special place in my heart for it. For the last 3years, I have become very active in Golden Retriever Rescue, which I guess keeps my moral/ethical dues paid. And ironically, my friend Lyn Herzberger, who I emailed you about re the pix issue, has also been doing Golden Rescue for several years. She got out of Humane Society work after so many years because it was just too painful, and this is also true of me. You can only do it for so long without burning out. Thanks again for your response -- Kay