SEMO Humane Society is more than a shelter

The sign on her kennel said, “Take me home today.”

That was my first introduction to Missey, my childhood Schnauzer of 14 years.

I was 15 years old when my family started looking to adopt a dog. We called the Southeast Missouri Humane Society and asked if they had a dog that was hypo-allergenic, house broken and somewhat of a guard dog — at least not one afraid to bark. After the person on the line finished laughing at this fairly specific request, she said, “Well, we do have one.”

Missey had a rough life before we met. She dealt with some abuse issues prior to us, and her two previous owners had to return her to the shelter. We guessed that this third home in two years was her last chance.

Over time, we learned how to work with her. But make no mistake, she was a great pet and part of the family.

Pets have a way of providing comfort and bringing a richness to our lives. Missey certainly did.

Shown is an inside rendering of the proposed Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.Submitted

This week the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri announced its capital campaign to fund a new shelter. With a total goal of $3.7 million, a group of individuals have already raised $1 million — and if some discussions in progress come to fruition, that figure could reach $2 million.

But why does it matter?

The current facility has a number of issues:

• Rusted metal surfaces;
• Poor ventilation, which can cause respiratory issues for the animals;
• Inadequate space;
• Minimal space to quarantine sick animals.

The list goes on. Just the ventilation issue alone gets my attention considering all the bleach product that is used to clean.

The humane society is a lot more than a place for stray animals. Under the leadership of Charlotte Craig, the organization’s president, they are operating several programs that benefit both animals and humans.

There’s Puppies for Parole where dogs at risk of euthanasia due to behavior issues work with inmates at the Potosi Correctional Center. The dogs receive training which ultimately makes them more adoptable, sometimes even becoming a type of service animal. The inmates benefit from the interaction and sense of purpose.

Students at Prodigy Leadership Academy often read to the animals. This is a calming activity for the animals, and the students get an opportunity to practice their reading skills to a captive audience.

Buddies for the Brave assists retired and active military members with adoption fee discounts.

Women looking to leave abusive relationships will sometimes stay in a relationship just to care for their pet. The humane society now works with the Safe House so that if this situation comes up, the woman seeking safety has a place for her dog to reside for a 30-day period.

The shelter not only services Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Cape County, but also Perry County, Scott City, Miner and Chaffee, along with McClure and Thebes in Southern Illinois. These communities contract with the shelter to handle their stray animals.

At the organization’s campaign kickoff this week, Craig highlighted the humane society is nearly a no-kill shelter with a 96% no-kill rate for dogs and 73% no-kill rate for cats, the latter a significant number considering the rate was previously about 30%.

To learn more about how to donate to the capital campaign or adopt, visit semopets.org or call 334-5837.

Hats off to the community for its support. As one volunteer told me this week, how a community takes care of its animals tells you a lot about its character

Here’s my vote of confidence Southeast Missouri will rally together to make this needed shelter possible.

Lucas Presson is assistant publisher of the Southeast Missourian.

Shown is an outside rendering of the new Humane Society of Southeast Missouri shelter.Submitted