Humane Society Brief

This was a simple day turn-over that I did within a couple hours.

It's a sort of public service announcement reminding citizens the protocol for dropping off animals with the Central Missouri Human Society after 5 puppies were left in a plastic box with holes bored into it over night and 4 out of the 5 puppies were found by volunteers in the morning, dead.


I went to talk to Shelter Relations Coordinator, Allison Toth for the information and took a cell phone pic of a bunny who had Katherine Reed's face keeping him company nearby in his cage.

I received a wonderful compliment by a reader, which of course filled my little heart with joy.

Ray Shapiro July 30, 2010 | 7:18 p.m.
This is one of the best articles I've read in a long time.
Save me the trip to the door at Big Bear to check this out:
Is the front of CMHS well lit after hours and is there a sign posted about this after hours/emergency option?


Yay!

here was my reponse, which may be misinterpreted, though it's a topic that I know alot about and feel the information is important for informing the public about how to most responsibly care for a found animal/animals.


It is my hope that the population of animals without homes/proper care will dwindle with a little education:
Gianna Volpe, reporter on this story:
First of all, Thank you so much, Ray.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the article.
The only reason I was aware of the temporary move was because I went to the big bear location a few weeks ago to adopt a kitten of my own.
I am unsure about how well lit CMHS is after hours, but I am fairly sure that there is no prominent signs explaining the emergency protocol, which I think could be a boon to the organization should they decide to place a sign in the windows.
I was very glad to learn that the organization has done away with a drop-off fee, which I'm told helped with some of these middle of the night drop offs, though not entirely.
The reason I think it's so important for people to make sure that the animals are safely changed hands particularly has to do with the temporary location of the humane society.
Paris is certainly a busy, busy road.
Actually I know that down the road next to a Casey's there is usually a litter of abandoned cats hanging around a dumpster.
And next to Darryl's auto repair shop behind Subway on the business loop.
There is, of course, the humanitarian desire to feed feral cats, though I have to say that this absolutely does more bad than good.
Feral cats tend to breed outside of their actual means, so, one fed feral cat soon becomes 6, 12, 24. kittens that are undernourished, prey for larger animals, and who tend to die from lack of care and consistent food.
My father is a health officer in New Jersey, an animal lover who I went on many stake-outs out with trying to reign in an out of control feral cat population whose lives are anything but fulfilling. (and can spread diseases)
Although it's true that not all of the cats caught are able to find homes and some may be put to sleep, the fault of this phenomenon really lies in the misguided feeding of feral cats, who will breed a generation of animals that are unable to be properly fed and cared for.
The humane society does its best work by neutering the animals that are brought to them and then trying to find homes for those animals.
I hope that those who read this article will be more likely to call animal control if they have animals to drop off to the humane society after hours.
Before writing this article, i felt a stigma attached to "animal control" though finding out that they have access to the humane society and can perform intakes helped remove this stigma for me.


Here's the article:

Central Missouri Humane Society accepts animals for free
Friday, July 30, 2010 | 3:37 p.m. CDT
BY GIANNA VOLPE
COLUMBIA — It doesn't cost anything to safely put animals in the care of the Central Missouri Humane Society.

Instead of dropping an animal off anonymously or after business hours, the proper process, Shelter Relations Coordinator Allison Toth said, can take as little as a few minutes.

The shelter has been taking steps to make it easier for people to drop off animals that they find or cannot care for.

"We're an open door shelter," Toth said. "We will not make you feel guilty; we understand that life happens. We just want what's best for the animals."

These reminders come in light of a recent incident in which five border collie puppies were left on the doorstep of the humane society after hours. By the time volunteers arrived the next morning, four of five of the puppies had died. The fifth is currently alive and doing well in foster care.

Animals left at the humane society during the night are fairly common and it often happens on a weekly basis, Toth said.

She said when an animal is dropped off while they're open, a quick intake form is done on the animal. It varies depending on if the animal is a stray or owned. For strays, a basic breed and approximate age will be assessed and for owned animals, temperament and other details might be asked.

Those who find themselves in an emergency or have an animal to drop off when the shelter is closed, can call animal control at 449-1888. Animal control has access to the humane society's facilities after hours to admit an animal safely.

The Central Missouri Humane Society abolished the $20 fee they previously charged until about three or four months ago, Toth said.

She also said changing from having a fee to asking for a donation helped. Some people who dropped off animals could not afford the fee, but now, some others end up donating more than the $20 fee they used to require.

The Central Missouri Humane Society is temporarily located at Mid-City Lumber Co., 4709 Paris Rd., during renovations of their Big Bear Boulevard location. The shelter is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.