COMO | July 2021 by The COMO Companies Magazines | COMO Magazine

JULY 2021 | T HE A NI MA L I S S U E | A PU B L ICATION OF TH E B U SIN E SS TIM E S COM PAN Y

Meet Harley and her sister, Chloe, on page 46

the ANIMAL issue

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Letter from the Publisher

Kids and Kittens

DESIGNERS' PICKS PETS Kate Morrow Graphic Designer Rilo Dac (or just Rilo) Her only nickname is "The BEST Dog in the World."

MG! I just finished reading over this issue for our last looks and finished with an actual LOL in my office. Seeing Harlan, Columbia’s most famous dog, as our This or That subject was the perfect way to end this issue. When Harlan and his human dropped by for a visit, we got absolutely nothing done for quite a while as he held court with our staff. This issue is full of warm stories of relationships between people in our city and their animals. They left me with this awesome, all-over happy feeling. I was reminded page after page of how much comfort and joy I’ve received from having animals in my life. I’ve had dogs since I was a little kid, from a sweet cocker spaniel named Mona to my current pooches, Rhodey (an overgrown toddler of an American bulldog) and Bella (a geriatric Siberian husky). I’ve watched my kids play with dogs and cuddle kittens. We’ve created a habitat for a turtle named Tito and have had horses, fish, mice (Ruby and Anna), countless chickens, and one ill-tempered rooster named Foggy (short for Foghorn). Caring for animals has been a great way for me to teach the children many things — empathy for another’s needs, responsibility, and unconditional love. My appreciation for animals doesn’t end with those that are considered pets. I was raised in a family that respected and harvested the land by hunting and fishing responsibly. My nana prepared amazing dove, pheasant, and quail that my papa and dad hunted. My dad showed me at a

Cassidy Shearrer Art Director Reggie Severns Nicknames: Reg, Reginald, Regina.

Caring for pets teaches empathy for another’s needs, responsibility, and unconditional love. very young age how to catch crawdads and minnows for bait, how to find the best fishing holes, how to paddle a canoe against the current to keep him still (all while not hitting the sides with the paddles), and how to clean a fish without leaving any bones. I have raised chickens from little chicks up through the time to butcher them for our freezer. Being an angler, hunter, and farmer is very important to my family and is a big part of who we are. I hope that in this issue, you find that we covered many different angles on how animals play a part in our lives. As always, I would love to hear from you if you have any thoughts on this issue or any issue. Feel free to connect with me at Erica@ comomag.com.

Jordan Watts Senior Graphic Designer Zissou Kevin Watts Pronounced "zee-zoo," Nickname: Zeez.

Sadie Thibodeaux Director of Photography Charley and Juliet (or Jules) ThibodeauxSchwartz Nicknames: "Julesies" for Jules and "Wiggle-Butt" for Charley.

ON THE COVER Great Dane Harley, with owner Kate Whittaker, showing us that dogs can be fashionable too. Accessories from Treats Unleashed. Photo by Anthony Jinson

J U LY 202 1 | T H E A N I M A L I S S U E | A PU B L I CATI O N O F TH E B U S I N E S S TI M E S CO M PA N Y

All my best,

Meet Harley and her sister, Chloe, on page 46

ERICA PEFFERMAN PUBLISHER

the ANIMAL issue COMOMAG.COM

OUR WHY

Ashley, age 34, has been a Woodhaven client since 2015. Without Woodhaven, Ashley’s Cerebral Palsy diagnosis may have limited her life opportunities and choices, but with the support of our 24/7 caring staff, Ashley and the men and women supported by Woodhaven are able to volunteer, work, join clubs, and live with roommates that become dear friends.

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Special surprises every hour New opportunities to win great prizes Amazing catered food, local beer and other fun beverages All proceeds from the tournament benefit our BJ Palmer Memorial Fund which ensures the safety and accessibility of all our Woodhaven homes by making needed repairs or making a home more accessible for the individuals we serve.

For more information or to register, please call Jes Baldwin at (573) 876-7327

SHORT FILMS

POSTERS

FILM PITCHES

CoMo shorts is an annual film showcase for Missouri filmmakers and artists. September 23-25 2021 • Columbia, MO North Village Studios Patio (by Fretboard Coffee)

To submit, visit our website

comos hor t s . com S U B M I S S I O N D E A D L I N E I S J U LY 14 ! 12

JULY 2021

comoshorts@gmail.com

President Erica Pefferman

Erica@comomag.com

Senior Vice President Fran Patrick Fran@comomag.com

EDITORIAL Publisher | Erica Pefferman Erica@comomag.com

Editor | Kim Ambra Kim@comomag.com

Copy Editor | Matt Patston

DESIGN Art Director | Cassidy Shearrer Cassidy@comomag.com

Senior Graphic Designer | Jordan Watts Jordan@comomag.com

Director of Photography | Sadie Thibodeaux Sadie@comomag.com

Graphic Designer | Kate Morrow Kate@comomag.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Keith Borgmeyer, Charlie Harris , Anthony Jinson, Sarah Lacy, Lizette Somer, Sadie Thibodeaux, Getty Images

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kaitlyn Bailey, Lauren Sable Freiman, Jules Graebner, Jon Hadusek, Katie Perry Harris, Jessica Jainchill, Amanda Long, Matt McCormick, Tiffany Schmidt, Michelle Terhune, Jennifer Truesdale, Tara Vossenkemper

Director of Operations Amy Ferrari Amy@comomag.com

MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Account Executive | Charles Bruce Charles@comomag.com

OUR MISSION

To inspire, educate, and entertain the citizens of Columbia with quality, relevant content that reﬂects Columbia’s business environment, lifestyle, and community spirit.

CONTACT

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ADJUSTING

Your Health

IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Magazines are $5.95 an issue. Subscription rate is $39 for 12 issues for one year or $69 for 24 issues for two years. Subscribe at comomag.com or by phone. COMO is published every month by Business Times Holdings, LLC. Copyright Business Times Holdings, LLC 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

**CORRECTION FROM JUNE ISSUE – Boone Hospital timeline provided by Jessica Park.

Photo by Carly Buntin Photography

ON T HEM E

If your pet could talk, what is one thing you would ask them?

Dr. Ashley Emel DC, CACCP, Webster Certified

Mary-Caitlyn Rodriguez Account Manager

Christina Parker Video Production Coordinator

What do you think of your new brother? (I just had a baby in January and Leo loves to steal all of Landon’s toys, diapers, and clothes.)

What is your favorite thing in your world?

Hannah Robertson Executive Assistant

Jordan Watts Senior Graphic Designer

When you kick and whine in your sleep, what are you dreaming about?

Do you want a sibling or do you like being the center of attention?

Dr. Jennifer Sutherland DC, FASA

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FEATURES

55 RAISING KIDS 4H and FFA provide local youth with real-world experience in agricultural education.

JULY 2021 | The Animal Issue

Publisher’s Letter

STYLE

GUEST VOICES Columbia’s Leaders of Tomorrow

LIVING 19 ART & CULTURE The Art of the Chase

21 PET FRIENDLY Teaching Pets

23 WELLNESS You Have Goat to Be Kidding

Vanity Fur

51 FRIENDS & FAMILY Getting Puppies on the Right Paw

67 COUPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW Ken and Donna Hebb

82 CELEBRATIONS Clownﬁsh, and Coral, and More, Oh My!

84 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT Angels on Earth

WORKING

BUSINESS UPDATE Cows and Computers

TARA TALKS

CLOSER LOOK

HOMES At Home at Timber Ridge

40 GOURMET Paws-itively Delicious

BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

75 MOVERS & SHAKERS

PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW Jill Swain

106 THIS OR THAT Harlan Wood

61 QUARANTINE COMPANIONS When there was time, the time was right.

94 TEACH A MAN TO FISH In Columbia and throughout Boone County, Missouri’s abundant wildlife is feeding families of all kinds.

100 THE VITAL VETS The story of the Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and the keys to its success, even during a global pandemic.

We are so grateful to all those who supported our first True North Star Fundraiser! With your help we raised over $45,000 for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in our community. Congratulations to our winners! Fan Favorite – Ava Morgensen Judges’ Choice – Allie Bruns

Photographer Wally Pfeffer

Video Services Jill Dudley, 34th Street Marketing

For more information, visit TrueNorthofColumbia.org or follow us on Facebook.

573-875-0503 16

JULY 2021

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Living

PAWS-ITIVELY DELICIOUS

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QUARANTINE COMPANIONS

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A local horse trainer gets horses and riders ready for competition.

When there was time, the time was right.

Living

ART & CULTURE

The Art of the Chase Turning a bad experience into a book. BY JESSICA JAINC H I L L | I L LUSTR ATI O N S BY PA R K E R R O S S

hen Ed Hanson lost his dog, naturally he was filled with worry and concern. However, what began as five days of anxiety turned into a book that has changed both Ed and the Columbia community. Sixteen years ago, despite two initial refusals to take him, Ed brought his dog home, where he wiggled his way into Ed’s heart. Partially because of Ed’s love of theater and partially because his dog was taken right off the street, Ed dubbed his pet Artful Dodger, after the popular “Oliver Twist” character. “He’s a little bit of an odd-looking dog. He’s brindled and has a brushy tail. I wasn’t thinking he was an attractive dog,” Ed recalls with amusement. Fifteen years later, Ed had dropped Dodger off at a sitter’s house. Unfortunately, Dodger slipped out the front door and embarked across Columbia in search of his owner. Ed organized his social group and he was able to form a large search party for his missing dog. Ed says: “I had people calling in and volunteering to get out in their neighborhoods to look for him. We had 30 or 40 people walking out one morning. It became kind of a city-wide saga.” Dodger made his way east of Columbia, where he was eventually found — 15 miles out of town. “And the funny thing was, the lady who found him didn’t see him on Facebook,” Ed says. Once the general excitement settled down, Ed recalled an illustration of Dodger that local artist Parker Ross had made to help with the search. The illustration impressed Ed so much that he began to toy with the idea of writing a book based on his experience. “My friends said what a good picture it was, so I thought, ‘What a good idea,’” Ed says. “I approached Parker several weeks after about the idea of doing the book.” Within a few months, Ed churned out a children’s book exploring his and Dodger’s experiences during the five days Dodger was lost. Ed had never had any extreme aspirations to be a writer. “I did a lot of directing of plays with children, and I sometimes wrote my own material,” he says. “And I’ve always enjoyed writing, but I never thought I’d author a book. At the same time, I just enjoyed learning the process.” With patience and his editor’s help, Ed was able to release his children’s book, “The Adventure of Artful Dodger” in 2020. A sequel book, “Dodger Makes a Move,” was released in May 2021. Since so many people were in-

“It became kind of a citywide saga.” — Ed Hanson

volved in the search for Dodger, the book has been relatively popular in the Columbia community. “I think people have taken a lot of delight in the book,” Ed says. “I think one of the things that’s kind of nice about it is that people have recognized that it wasn’t only an artistic journey for me, but it was also kind of therapeutic. I could write about my anxiety over losing [Dodger] and my love for him. . . . I have been able to express myself artistically and also emotionally.” Managing to remold his experience into something positive for the community has turned Ed into something of a local celebrity. As for Dodger, he prefers to spend his days at home and, as Ed’s book puts it, enjoying his three favorite spots: “Ed’s bed, the armchair next to the bed, and his orange sofa.”

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Living

PET FRIENDLY

Teaching Pets Stuffed animals educate f irst grade students. BY JESSICA JAINC HI L L

ets in schools are great for educating and creating a fun classroom atmosphere for children. Unfortunately, school pets are generally limited to small animals — hamsters, turtles, and the like. But a few Columbia schools are stretching those boundaries through the Adopt a Stuffed Animal program. Th is program uses stuffed animals, sometimes life-sized ones, to deepen fi rst graders’ educational experience. Brenda Heavin, a Fairview Elementary School teacher, explains, “The program is designed to give the kids experience with different types of animals, whether they’re in the forest, in the Arctic, on prairies, in a desert, rainforest, ocean — any of the habitats, we have them.” For teachers using the program, a solid-colored box is sent to their classroom every two weeks (but no peeking is allowed). With the help of clues describing the stuffed animal inside the box, students guess what animal might be inside. Becca Turner, a Locust Expressive Arts Elementary teacher, says: “I would call on different students to make predictions, and when they make their predictions, we would talk about why you would make your prediction. Then we would open the tub, and in the tub were books that taught about the animals’ lifecycle, habitat, environment, and then the science department put together a link that you could click to teach you about the animal. Then, if there was a live camera, we would pull up a camera and watch the animal. It just generated lots of conversation.” The students have had many animals to talk about. When the program is uninhibited by COVID-19, up to 30 stuffed animals are

“The program is designed to give the kids experience with diﬀerent types of animals.” circulated throughout different fi rst grade classrooms. Becca believes these animals have already been beneficial in her teaching. Students often “go home and tell their parents about what was going on,” Becca says, “so I think it opens up learning in the home.” She adds that she loves it “when [students] are learning something throughout the school year, and they raise their hands and say, ‘I remember that from when we did our lion,’ or they’re able to make connections from something that they learned earlier in the year.” Although the Adopt a Stuffed Animal program was put on hold because of COVID-19, Brenda and Becca believe that it might be in use within the next year. When it is, they

invite parents to participate in the program as guest speakers and help push fi rst grade education even further. “If parents have any expertise on these animals, I always welcome it,” Becca says. Brenda, who has already had guests speak on animals in her class, says, “If anybody has something they would love to do in the classroom, reach out to a teacher or building and have the administrator hook them up.” By blending different learning channels with hands-on experience, the administrators of the Adopt a Stuffed Animal program give fi rst grade students in Columbia schools a deeper understanding of the “pets” that sit in their classroom every week.

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Living

You Have Goat to Be Kidding Goat Yoga of MO brings a twist to tradition. BY JULES N. GRAEBNER

oats are great for many things: milk, cheese, even trimming your lawn. However, for Jessica Baker, owner of Goat Yoga of MO, these sassy little ungulates are also the perfect yoga partner. That’s right — goat yoga. Typically taking place outdoors, goat yoga classes are much like any other yoga class, except that some of your classmates are adorable farm animals. The instructor will guide you into the perfect downward-facing dog pose as cheerfully bleating (or screaming) goats bound about. Some of the goats even get involved in the classes, taking the “mountain pose” a little too literally and climbing on your back! Goat yoga originated out of Oregon in 2016, and despite being a relatively new phenomenon, it didn’t take long for the idea to catch fi re, becoming popular with experienced yogis and newcomers alike. Jessica explains that her family has owned many animals and livestock, so she was no

stranger to the silly antics of goats. As videos of goat yoga began to pop up on social media, Jessica says her friends urged her to open up the family farm for goat yoga classes. “I began learning about all the physical and emotional benefits and thought it would be something fun to do in my free time,” she says. The goat yoga classes take place at Four Oaks Farm, which was started by Jessica’s late grandfather. “Community education and engagement was a passion of his,” Jessica says. “I was looking for a way to become more engaged and supportive of my community. Goat yoga is a great way to bring something fun and unique to my community and share our farm at the same time!” Jessica says that, in addition to the physical benefits of yoga, “adding a goat into the mix introduces all kinds of emotional benefits. Animal therapy provides therapeutic effects, not to mention the automatic relaxation that comes over you when a little goat climbs in your lap.”

WELLNESS

Kelsey Gibson, an instructor at Goat Yoga of MO, says that you don’t need to be a pro to take one of their classes. “The yoga practice is beginning level, so anyone can come,” she says. Though you don’t need to be a pro to take one of her classes, you need to be ready to have a blast. Kelsey describes the experience as: “Unforgettable — that is the word that comes to mind! People that sign up for goat yoga tend to be carefree and up for trying new things. Whether they’re super active or just looking to expand their experiences, everyone has a great time. “Business owners locally love to bring their employees out to the farm for goat yoga,” she adds. “It’s a great way to promote wellness, team-building, and have some much-needed time away from the office!” If you plan on taking a goat yoga class, be prepared for shenanigans to occur. “We had one class where the yoga instructor wasn’t looking and the goat ate her notebook she had written her sequences on,” Jessica says, “Another time, one of the goats fell asleep at the beginning of class, and snored obnoxiously during the entire session.” Of all the benefits goat yoga can offer, Jessica says the best one is the laughter. “Th is is a yoga class where everyone is laughing and enjoying the unexpected, carefree attitude of the goats.”

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JULY 2021

PERSONAL INJURY

Living

Why do people lie when there is absolutely no reason to lie? It’s like two faces. One they wear in public and one they wear in private. What’s the best way to deal with these people? Because right now, I’m not dealing with them very well.

love this question. I love most questions, but this is a good one. It’s contextual, also, meaning that there are multiple things this could mean. We’ve got the obvious question about a person who lies, which I’ll definitely write about. We’ve also got another aspect to the question, which is about the question asker’s next moves. The language in the question itself feels like exhaustion from dealing with lies. It carries a request for help because what’s happening is not sustainable. It’s worth noting that I’m speculating, given the anonymity of the question, but I’ll act and respond as though my thought process is accurate. That will give us a solid direction to go in. There are two competing thoughts that come up for me, and both need to win out. Yes, both. The fi rst is about the function and globality of lying. The second is about our own boundaries with lying in our relationships. First off, the basics. Everybody lies. Every single person you know lies (even babies!). Not all lies are malicious, and not all lying is inherently bad. With that said, there comes a

time when lying crosses the threshold separating neutral and appropriate to excessive and harmful. When lying becomes excessive, it can also damage relationships. In this case, it seems like the person-accused-of-two-faces has shifted into lying so much that it’s having a detrimental effect on you, the question asker. On top of that, the lying doesn’t make any sense, so you’re left wondering why. The ‘why’ is tricky to answer directly because it could be a multitude of things. Something from childhood, perhaps, where a person lied to stay emotionally, physically, or mentally safe. Or something learned in a relationship, where a person was frequently and consistently accused of things they didn’t do, so they lie as a way of avoiding the accusations. It could also be something as simple as the person thinking it’s fun to lie (yikes, if that’s the case). There are many other options, none of which I can determine for certain because I don’t know this person’s motives. Th is is a good segue, because I’m wary of coming across as defending this person and rationalizing their behavior when it’s also painful for you. So, here’s my second point. You get to choose what you want to do. You stated: “What’s the best way to deal with these people? Because right now I’m not dealing with them very well.” My answer to you is a follow up question: What are you willing and interested in tolerating within this relationship? I ask that question with warmth and sincerity and some trepidation. I know that’s not a question most of us really want to ask ourselves. What we want is to understand why the other person acts a certain way so that we can feel better about the lies. What we want is to try to get the other person to change because we care about them and because we want them in our lives. What we want is to help the other person to grow and develop as a person. What we really want is

TARA TALKS

for the person to just do what we want them to do (in this case, stop lying) so that the relationship can continue, because ending it would be too painful. When we eventually realize that we’re not going to get what we want, we’re left with a hard truth. We have little to no control over what this other person does and we have much more control over what we do. We’ve reached the time when it’s up to us to draw the line. There are many situations and relationships where we get to decide what we can and will engage with, tolerate, and withstand. That’s not a fun place to be, but it is a place that deserves to be called out for what it is — a decision-making point that is almost entirely reflective of the person who has the responsibility of making said decision. You get to be that person. It’s not fun. It’s not easy. It’s not simple. And it’s yours to own. If you’re exhausted from the lies, angry about them and the situation, confused and without any clear-cut answers, then maybe it’s time that you make some changes. Making changes doesn’t have to be as extreme as cutting this person out of your life, or breaking up with them, or having a huge ending-of-the-relationship scene. It can be as simple as limiting your interactions with the person or changing your expectations. Instead of wishing for something or thinking about the person in a way that would be “ideal,” you’re treating them as they are. You’re accepting them exactly as they’re showing up, and you’re modifying your behavior based on that person you see, not the one you wish for.

We have little to no control over what this other person does and we have much more control over what we do.

Tara Vossenkemper is the founder and owner of The Counseling Hub. She practices Gottman Method Couples Therapy.

COMOMAG.COM

JULY 2021

Living

HOMES

At Home at Timber Ridge A local horse trainer gets horses and riders ready for competition. BY J E NNI FE R T R U E S DA L E PHOTO S BY K E I T H B O R GM EYE R

he story of a girl who grew up loving horses is as American as apple pie. But that girl growing up to start her own equine business is perhaps a less common story. That’s the case with horse trainer Caitlin Trowbridge, 31, owner and operator of Timber Ridge Performance Horses, in Rocheport, which opened last August. Her mission at Timber Ridge is to train riders and horses alike to compete in Western riding competitions. “I grew up on a farm, but we had more cattle and row crops. Grandad had a couple of pasture ornaments that I always wanted to mess with, and I always had that drive to be around them,” Caitlin remembers. “It got serious when I was 13 or 14, when I leased a horse to show at the county 4H fair. When I was 15, I bought my own horse and started showing and training and built from there.” Caitlin came to Columbia from the Peoria, Illinois, area in 2007 to attend Stephens College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in equine business management. She then went on to receive her MBA from Stephens with the hope of teaching there, a goal she achieved in 2019 when she became an adjunct professor, serving as the Western riding instructor. She has taken her students to Timber Ridge for practice and trail riding experience. “I’ve always had more of a drive to own a training operation — I wasn’t as interested in

Know Your Horses Pasture Ornament: Horses that have been retired from riding or labor and have been set out to pasture. American Quarter Horse: A breed commonly used for Western riding competitions. They come in a variety of colors and got their name from being able to outrun other breeds in short distances of a quarter mile or less. Some have been clocked running at 55 MPH! American Paint Horse: Another breed commonly used for Western riding. They often look like Holstein cows, sporting dark coats with white spots or light coats with dark spots.

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Living

HOMES

Caitlin holds Colton’s reins (registered as Daddydoesntknow) as dogs Mabel and Guthrie look on.

“I’ve always had more of a drive to own a training operation — I wasn’t as interested in veterinary services or the science track. I was always a little more entrepreneurial and business-minded.” — Caitlin Trowbridge

JULY 2021

Living

veterinary services or the science track. I was always a little more entrepreneurial and business-minded,” Caitlin says. “That’s what attracted me to Stephens College. It was a four-year option. A lot of other equine schools offer two-year equine science degrees, and that really wasn’t what I was looking for.” Timber Ridge is home to six horses. They’re American paints and American quarter horses, both of which are breeds that are ideal for Western riding. Caitlin offers horseback riding lessons, primarily to students who already have some experience and who want to improve their skills for competition. She also trains horses for those competitions. Most of her horses have prior show experience, but she tries to improve their skills. In training horses for competition, Caitlin focuses on Western all-around training,

meaning she wants horses and riders who are skilled in multiple competition events. For Caitlin, those events are Western pleasure, horsemanship, showmanship, hunter under saddle, and equitation. Some of these classes are judged while the rider is on the horse, and others are judged while the rider is on the ground leading the horse (or doing “ground work”). “A lot of what I do is concentrated on making sure the horse knows how to focus and how to come back to a relaxed state. These can be worked on whether you’re riding or doing ground work,” Caitlin explains. “I am often breaking down maneuvers I want to teach and using different pressures or cues in a consistent manner until [the horse] understands what is being asked. Horses learn from the release of that pressure, so timing and consistency are very important.”

HOMES

She teaches riders how to use those pressures and cues to get the horse to do what they want so that rider and horse can communicate as flawlessly as possible during competition. She also offers the opportunity for people to haul horses in to ride for the day, whether they want to use arena space or trail riding space. In talking to Caitlin, it is clear that the safety and well-being of her horses is her top priority. They are very smart and carry distinct personalities, likes, and dislikes. She loves discovering those likes and dislikes and finding ways to keep those smart brains stimulated. Timber Ridge is also home to horses who board there for training. She also hopes to offer trail riding to students who have completed some of her classes to ensure they can safely handle the horses out in the open. The farm offers six to eight acres of pasture, nine horse stalls, a

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Know Your Show Classes A class is an individual competition at a horse show. Multiple horse-rider pairs compete in each class, usually in an arena. Some classes are done from the ground, others while riding. WESTERN PLEASURE: This class is for demonstrating the pleasure of Western riding. Each horse and rider pair are judged on ability to perform three gaits twice: a walk, a jog, and a lope. Usually backing up is included. The horses are judged on their gaits, and the rider is judged on their ability to control the horse. HORSEMANSHIP: The rider is judged on things like posture, riding ﬁnesse, and angles while maneuvering the horse through a prescribed pattern of movements. SHOWMANSHIP: The rider is judged on appearance, conﬁdence, and poise. The rider is on the ground and leads the horse through a pattern of movements. HUNTER UNDER SADDLE: The horse’s movements and mannerisms are judged. They are judged on their alertness, willingness to work, cadence, and crispness of transitions between gaits. EQUITATION: This class is all about the rider’s ability to control the horse with cues, which should not be obvious.

100-foot by 300-foot indoor arena, and a 150-foot by 450-foot outdoor arena. She rents the farm, and Caitlin hopes that in 10 years or so, she’ll be able to buy her own farm with more stalls where she can acquire more horses and expand her services. She plans on staying in Mid-Missouri. For the time being, she’s ready to get more into horse training this summer, which will be the first full competition season for the business. She also has a couple of mares she hopes to breed, perhaps in 2022.

JULY 2021

Caitlin is also interested in working with local organizations. In fact, just this April, Timber Ridge hosted the Future Farmers of America Judging Contest. The contest teaches high schoolers how to be horse show judges, helping to ensure the next generation of judges is well prepared. Caitlin and some of her students put on a mock horse show for the students to judge. She thinks everyone who is interested in riding should have the opportunity to do so. “I like working with people who maybe wouldn’t have access to horses,” she says.

LET US CLEAN,

SO YOU CAN

attain.

NOW hiring!

Starting pay is $14/hour LILLIAN DIRIENZO, OWNER INSURED • BONDED • LICENSED

573-484-6022 DEEP CLEANING | RESIDENTIAL | COMMERCIAL

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Chiropractors that treat you like family. Chiropractic care is an amazing option for addressing many conditions including the desire to have improved vitality and optimal health. Our team is made up of individuals that want your life to be better. We want to be your complete health and wellness provider in Columbia and vicinity. These amenities are complementary to our members: • Massage tables available before or after adjustment • Email, text, or phone appointment reminders. You can also reply to our text messages and our office will receive your reply. • Posture training instruction at key points in your care plan • Family friendly – with a dedicated toy room for your children to enjoy • Free WiFi

• Ample parking • Beverage Station with Nutrient-infused fruit water, hot chocolate, Keurig coffee station, Orange Tiger Family cups (take some home for the family!) • Make an appointment through the website, by texting, or by calling • Convenient hours, including early mornings, lunch breaks, and evenings

Feel like yourself again. tigerfamilychiropractic.com | 573.443.1414 3700 Interstate 70 Dr SE #110, Columbia, MO

JULY 2021

WHAT THE

HOME

PROS KNOW

BRANDON ROST

ROST LANDSCAPING

ANNE TUCKLEY

ANNE TUCKLEY HOME

JULIE WESLEY & JULIEANNE MATTSON TIGER HOME TEAM

JAKE BAUMGARTNER

BAUMGARTNER’S FURNITURE

SHAUN HENRY ATKINS

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WHAT THE

MAXIMIZING INTEREST IN THE LANDSCAPE

BRENDAN ROST

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ROST LANDSCAPING

Brendan Rost is a Columbia native and son of Rost Landscaping owners Tim and Toby Rost. He grew up playing at the garden center and nursery and has worked in all divisions of Rost Inc. Brendan received his degree in horticulture and design from MU and now works as a designer in the landscaping division. He thrives on building relationships and creating unique landscapes that complement their space.

By Brendan Rost Find more at rostlandscaping.com

here is a belief in the landscape industry that you can tell what time of year a house was landscaped based on the plant selection. Often times, contractors get in the habit of choosing a plant palette based on what is blooming at the time of install rather than planning for four full seasons of interest. While this may create a dazzling effect for a brief window of time, it often leaves the landscape boring for large swaths of the year. Many ornamental plants will look their absolute best in the spring; bright new growth and colorful drifts of blooms make for a beautiful show early in the year. Spring, however, is fleeting, so planning accordingly pays dividends all year long. There are many ways to create points of interest in a well-designed landscape: specimen plants, leading the eye with lines, varied proportions, repetition, and cohesion all play a role. For this article, we will look beyond these and focus on creating seasonal interest by carefully selecting our plant palette to add a variety of color and texture to the landscape. Flowering plants are the most obvious form of seasonal interest. For flowering color, working in a variety of trees, shrubs, and small perennials will be rewarded with nine months or more of new blooms and points of interest. Lilacs, Korean spice viburnums, magnolias, dogwoods, crabapples, and hyacinth are all excellent choices for a spring flowering spectacle that spans the whole season. For summer, roses, hydrangeas, hypericum, southern magnolias, and seven son flowers have long bloom times to span the hottest months. In fall, some of our summer bloomers will keep blooming, but we also rely heavily on smaller herbaceous perennials for color like catmint, salvia, sedums, and daisy, most of

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which begin their bloom cycles early in the year and continue well into fall. Winter bloomers are rare, but options like hellebore and witch hazel can give pops of color in even the dreariest winters. Foliage is another great tool to promote contrast and break up the uniformity of the typical landscape. Year-round color, fall color, and size and structure of the foliage are all elements to focus on when building out a plant palette. Using colorful evergreens like blue spruce, southern magnolia, and Arborvitae “fire chief” give us year-round display and break up the green haze of most foliage. Some great deciduous options like smoke bush, varieties of ninebark and Japanese maples, and diervilla give us all shades of yellow, orange, red, and purple and provide great three-season interest. Working in showy fall colors can inflate the sensation of the changing seasons and bolster the landscape in an otherwise down time. Maples, tupelo, burning bush, oak leaf hydrangea, and even some grasses like blue stem can all provide pops of color as the landscape changes in the fall.

Another great tip is to pair plants with complementary leaf size and branch structure to break up a monotonous landscape. A great example of this is pairing the large leaf of an oak leaf hydrangea with the smaller, tight structure of a boxwood. Lastly, branch structure, exfoliating or colorful bark, and persisting fruit create points of interest periodically throughout the year and are often underutilized elements in the average landscape design. Red twig dogwood and winterberry can give pops of color en masse with persisting fruit and brightly colored stems while river birch and yellowwood’s exfoliating and mottled bark draws the eye. By utilizing all of these elements, we can maximize our natural spaces, increase the appeal of our property, and complement the strengths of the nearby structures. Give us a call to find out more about what the pros know.

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WHAT THE

ANNE TUCKLEY

FAUX FOR THE WIN

Anne has been in the interior design industry for more than 20 years and has resided in metropolitan cities ranging from NYC to Houston while honing her skills. Her specialties are interior design and home staging with a focus on unique perception. Anne graduated with a BFA in fine art with a concentration in design and illustration. She has extensive experience in designing new construction as well as remodeling and conceptualizing out-of-the-box ideas. She ensures cutting-edge design and superb customer service. 108 CORPORATE LAKE PL., COLUMBIA, MO, 65203 (573) 639-1989 ANNETUCKLEYHOME.COM

Find more at AnneTuckleyhome.com

ost people are aware of the rather disturbing story behind Dodie Smith’s iconic villain Cruella de Vil that has become a staple in both children’s literature and cinema. Many, rightfully so, write her off as being the epitome of a truly classic villain. While I understand their reasoning, I am going to defend her (a little bit). While the notorious villain is a heinous individual, to put it lightly, her abilities as a fashion and design genius are darkly overshadowed by her methods of execution (no pun intended). Cruella’s initial inspiration is, and should continue to be, the base of many an artist’s inspiration — the gorgeous, organic patterns and colors that occur in

nature. Nature gifts us with so much beauty that it is flat out absurd to not recognize it and utilize it. There is a reason we are enamored with flowers, animal prints, the lines of trees, sunsets, sunrises, etc. Nature has the unique and distinct ability to create what we cannot. Let’s elaborate a bit on Cruella’s love — fur. Fur is easy to love. It’s beautiful, it’s luxurious, it’s exotic, and its use is famously, or rather infamously, controversial. Thankfully, fabric design and development has evolved at the same pace as fashion, resulting in non-animal materials that can provide an effect that only real fur could provide in the past. As an animal lover, what’s not to love? Plus the animal-friendly alternatives

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ANNE TUCKLEY HOME

By Anne Tuckley

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also tend to be more friendly on the pocketbook. Fur is best incorporated into a design space as an accent rather than the primary material. Fur, whether it’s the luxurious softness or bold pattern, always makes a statement, and using too much is just, well, too much. Here are a few simple ways to add a touch of the wild to your decor: • Add a fur throw blanket over a couch or ottoman. • Incorporate a beautiful animal-print area rug. • Purchase animal-print napkins or napkin rings for your dining room table, or perhaps an exotic table runner. • Add animal-print wall paper to an accent wall.

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TIPS FOR SELLING A HOME WITH PETS By Julie Wesley & JulieAnne Mattson Find more at tigerhometeam.com

he majority of home buyers and sellers are pet owners, but surprisingly, a sign of a pet living in the home is not a selling point. We have pets and love them dearly! But we ask sellers to realize that when buyers come through, they don’t usually get the pleasure of meeting and being charmed by little Scruffy. They only see the signs that Scruffy lives there. The smelly bed and hard-loved toys are part of the family, but they should be removed for showings. Sixty percent of sellers are people with pets, with 49 percent owning dogs, 33 percent owning cats, and 12 percent owning other pets. But buyers want to visualize themselves

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PROS KNOW JULIE WESLEY & JULIEANNE MATTSON TIGER HOME TEAM

Born and raised in Missouri, Julie Wesley graduated from MU with a degree in housing and interior design. She began her career as an architectural home designer before getting her real estate license in 1982. JulieAnne grew up in South Florida, graduated from the University of South Florida in 1992 with a degree in elementary education, and moved here to marry her Columbia-native husband. She began her real estate career in 2012 with Tiger Home Team.

573-289-4440 TIGERHOMETEAM.COM

(and perhaps their own pets) living in the home, not you and yours. So what’s a pet-owning home seller to do? Here are some tips on how to show your house in its very best light, without help from your furry friends. 1. Remove all signs of pets. If you do your staging right, a potential buyer who tours your home

shouldn’t even be able to tell a pet lives there. And remember, buyers will look everywhere, so just tucking your pet’s belongings in a closet won’t cut it. Pack up and remove everything pet-related, including: • Kennels or crates • Toys • Water and food bowls • Pet food • Pet beds • Dog houses or cat condos • Cat climbers or scratching posts • Leashes 2. Repair damage done by pets. It’s easy to overlook the damage that your pet has done to your home over time, since you walk past it every day. But potential buyers view homes with a critical eye, and even small blemishes can make a buyer think you haven’t taken good care of the property. Make these repairs before listing:

Interior Repairs • Stained or torn carpets • Scratched, worn, or torn furniture • Scratched hardwood or other flooring • Claw or chew marks on doors, walls, baseboards, or window sills • Ripped curtains Exterior Repairs • Pet waste • Signs of digging in the lawn • Trampled bushes or grass • Damaged fencing • Torn window screens 3. Deep clean before listing. Whether you have a pet or not, doing a deep clean on your home before listing is a must. And when you have a pet, cleaning is even more important, as bad smells like dog or cat odor in the house are one of the first things that will send potential buyers running. Consider calling in a professional. Taken from Zillow.com Home Sellers Guide. Tiger Home Team is a Zillow Premier Agent.

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ADDING A SLEEPER SOFA TO MAXIMIZE YOUR SPACE By Jake Baumgartner Find more at baumgartners.com

s we inch further into the summer, now would be a good time to recreate your space for hosting guests — after all, summertime is a time to host people in addition to getting away to relax. If you’re limited on space, a simple and stylish solution to maximize your space is to turn your living room sofa into a sleeper sofa. Having a sleeper sofa at your home adds an extra bedroom without the cost of actually being an addition. A sleeper is a sofa that, underneath its seating cushions, hides a metal frame and a thin mattress that either pops or folds out and converts into a bed. Historically boxy and not always attractive, sleeper sofas have thankfully come a long way. Sleeper sofas come in numerous styles and shapes. There are Tempur-Pedic and air mattress options available.

The style and shape that is best for you will depend on how much space you have. Of course, comfort, durability, and aesthetics are also things you should take into account. Curating and maximizing your space to be a comfortable nightin for your guests can be easy, especially with Baumgartner’s. Are you working with a small space? Opt for a twin-size sleeper sofa that sleeps one person. The mattress for a twin-size sleeper chair can run up to 39 inches wide. If space isn’t a problem and you imagine your sleeper will accommodate three people for sitting while providing enough room and comfort for two sleepers, a queen-size sleeper sofa is a better solution. These sleeper sofas are about 90 inches long and 80 inches wide when opened up. Baumgartner’s Furniture can also help you find a sleeper that complements the style of the

JAKE BAUMGARTNER

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BAUMGARTNER’S FURNITURE Jake essentially grew up in the furniture industry, as he is the fourth generation involved in Baumgartner’s Furniture. Working very closely with his father, Alan, Jake has been devoted to the stores full-time since 2004. His greatest enjoyment, however, still comes from working closely with the customers. He is married to Sarah, and they have two active boys, Noah and Laine. Jake received his degree in finance from Saint Louis University.

(573) 256-6288 BAUMGARTNERS.COM

room where you plan to put your new furniture. Are you ready to recreate your space to host guests? Whatever your project is, we’re here to help. Visit our showrooms in Columbia

and Auxvasse and let our staff find you the perfect sleeper sofa to maximize your space. Whatever you choose, your sleeper sofa will save the day for your guests — or the night, more specifically.

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WHAT THE

DOG SPOTS

SHAUN HENRY

A Columbia native, Shaun Henry found a home at Atkins in 2000 when he started his career as a turf technician. Shaun holds a commercial applicator’s license through the Missouri Department of Agriculture and is a member of the National Association of Landscape Professionals, the Mid-America Green Industry Council, and the Missouri Green Industry Alliance. Shaun strongly believes in the importance of a great customer experience, where the Atkins staff knows the clients and anticipates their needs accordingly. Shaun is an MU alumnus and has a degree in plant science.

Find more at AtkinsInc.com

1. It’s not the acidity of the urine causing an issue. It’s nitrogen and salts, and a dog’s urine is loaded with both. Although nitrogen is good for the soil and your turf, too much of it in one spot can burn even the lushest grass. Nitrogen levels can vary in urine, so spotting issues will vary from pup to pup and even day to day, since the nitrogen levels has to do with their diet, water intake, and overall health. Male and female pooches can cause spots in the lawn, but it seems that females tend to squat in the same areas over and over, creating a concentration of nitrogen, whereas the fellas seem to wander and hike their leg to spread out their contributions. 2. Droppings also contain an abundance of nitrogen and salts. Being solid, they take longer to break down, but can still create burned spots in the lawn. You’ll often see dark green rings around feces in the lawn, especially if the rest of the lawn is low in fertility. If left to sit on the grass, the droppings can also smother the grass in that spot.

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ATKINS

By Shaun Henry

ften times there is a bit of a challenge between the love you hold for your lawn and the love for your pup. You spend countless hours maintaining and manicuring your lawn to develop a stand of turf worthy of praise from all who see it. You love your furry friend, and he returns it unconditionally, but he also sometimes creates issues in the lawn.

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573-874-5100 ATKINSINC.COM

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP REDUCE THE DOG SPOTS? For those who love their pup, it’s highly unlikely that keeping him or her off the lawn entirely is an option, so you will want to try something else. You can designate “pee areas” which can be heavily watered after each use. Or you can install a rock “pee area” so no grass gets damaged. This will take time to work on training. Even one walk a day with your pup can help to reduce the nitrogen load in your lawn. Don’t forget to take a doggie bag to clean up after! Removing the droppings from your lawn is a good idea as well. Water regularly, fertilize your entire lawn and mow tall to help mask any spots. A healthy lawn can also weather the occasional overdose of nitrogen. Talk to your vet before buying any food supplements claiming to reduce dog burns in the lawn. Many of these addresses the pH of their urine, but remember that it is nitrogen and salts that are causing the burns in the lawn. Provide plenty of water for your pooch to help dilute the nitrogen levels. In the fall, you may want to reseed those unavoidable spots to help fill the lawn back in for next season.

Having a dog or two does not mean that you must have an unattractive lawn. A little planning ahead and a bit of knowledge of lawn maintenance can go a long way in keeping you and your pup happy. Great companions, loyal to a fault, and always excited to see us — hard to give that up for a spotless lawn!

Your House. Your Shelter. ®

Mike Messer

908 Rain Forest Pkwy., Ste. C Columbia, MO 65202

573-442-5291

MMesser@ShelterInsurance.com

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Paws-

itively Delicious The namesake of two beloved pets, Lizzi & Rocco’s Natural Pet Market has been providing high-quality, all-natural products and services to the four-legged population of Columbia for the past 22 years. BY AMANDA LONG | PHOTOS BY KEITH BORGMEYER

JULY 2021

Living

How it

GOURMET

Began

When Kyle Schlosser found himself unemployed during the 2009 recession, he and his wife, Jessica, decided to make their “back-burner dream” a reality and opened the original Lizzi & Rocco’s on Nifong Boulevard. “I said to Kyle, ‘Let’s do the darn thing,’ and here we are 12 years later,” says Jessica. For the fi rst five years, Kyle managed the store fulltime, often with their infant daughter in tow, while Jessica continued to work at MU, pitching in at the shop on nights and weekends. In 2014, when Jessica was six months pregnant with their second daughter, she quit her job to focus on Lizzi & Rocco’s as they opened a second location on I-70 Drive Southwest in the former Award Pet Supply building — where, ironically, Jessica worked during college. Jessica says their two daughters, now 7 and 6, basically grew up in Lizzi & Rocco’s. “Audrey says she’s going to live in the cat room one day. She wavers back and forth between wanting to be a groomer, trainer, or the boss. Josie wants to be the baker,” Jessica says. Over the years, Jessica and Kyle have gained a great deal of knowledge about all-natural pet supplies and holistic care. “I did all the trainings I could get my hands on. It was so fascinating,” says Jessica. “We know that quality nutrition is the foundation for a pet’s health, so we work hard to ensure our foods are free of the fi llers, dyes, and other junk you want to avoid.”

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Living

The

GOURMET

Bakery

Initially, Lizzi & Rocco’s mostly carried pet supplies, only occasionally baking specialty items at home, including birthday cakes for friends or holiday items. In August 2017, while sponsoring a roller derby team, Jessica and Kyle met Frankie Russick, an MU graduate with a journalism degree. Unhappy with her job at a local advertising agency, Frankie joined the Lizzi & Rocco’s team as a sales associate. She soon realized that although she did not want to be a manager, she could combine her love of pet care and baking to continue to expand on the Lizzi & Rocco’s mission. In 2020, Kyle and Jessica closed their original Nifong location and opened their expanded new store in Green Meadows, which included the space to have a full commercial kitchen and bakery, where Frankie is the head baker.

“It’s so cool having all these opportunities to play around and try new things in the bakery. It’s low stress, so on a bad day, I give cake samples to dogs and it brightens my day,” says Frankie. The bakery showcases a colorful array of pet-friendly treats including cookies, cakes, and muffins. All the baked items are made with regular ingredients such as flour, coconut flour, eggs, applesauce, honey, cinnamon, oats, and bacon, and all are made avoiding salt, sugar, and preservatives. In addition to the bakery’s daily offerings, specialty items can be ordered in advance, including birthday cakes, “gotcha day” cakes (for adopted pets), gender reveal cakes (for the dogs of expecting parents), and even wedding favors. “Everything is totally edible for people, too. There is actually a professional photo of a child eating one of my dog cookies at a wedding,” Frankie shares, laughing. “I’ve

“I’ve made cakes for ferrets, goats, alpacas, horses, birds, and a pig — no bacon in that one.” Frankie Russick 42

JULY 2021

made cakes for ferrets, goats, alpacas, horses, birds, and a pig — no bacon in that one. We’re secretly messing around with some new baked items with cheese.” Frankie tailors all the Lizzi & Rocco recipes to be animal-friendly and relatively tummy-friendly. For Thanksgiving each year, Lizzi & Rocco’s collaborates with Peggy Jean’s Pies, using their salt-free pie crust to make holiday desserts for pets. Jessica and her team also work directly with pet owners to design nutrition plans tailored to their pet’s specific needs. They work to educate pet owners to address any persistent behavioral issues and demystify some vaccination myths, leaning toward a more holistic approach to pet care. “We often encourage pet owners to ‘boost their

Living

GOURMET

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Living

GOURMET

bowls’ and add in fresh, less processed foods found in our frozen section,” says Jessica. “It makes sense. Dogs should consume foods that are similar to a dog’s wild ancestors. Th is includes bones, fat, meat, and vegetable materials.” Nutrition is often the key to solving a wide variety of issues. “We had a customer who came in frantic because her friend had an appointment to euthanize a 4-year-old cat with chronic diarrhea, and no vet could find a solution,” Frankie says. “We managed to alleviate the issue by changing the diet, and she is now a happy 9-yearold. We have so many customers who have said we’ve extended the life and quality of life of their pets. . . . We are a linchpin

JULY 2021

in these animal-centric scenarios. People come in not knowing what to do and leave with answers. We can also point people in the right direction when it isn’t something we do.”

Giving

Back

Over the years, Jessica, Kyle, and their team have come to know and care about more than their customers’ pets — many of their customers have become dear friends, as well. Jessica says she loves watching dogs grow up and people grow as owners. “We connect people with resources, and we connect rescues with donors,” she says. Lizzi & Rocco’s has raised more than $100,000 over the years for various animal charities through in-store and com-

munity fundraisers, including the yearly Dog Paddle, Pints for Paws, and Pawject Runway, which all benefit local rescues. Lizzi & Rocco’s also offers both self-service and full-service grooming as well as dog training and special weekly events, such as kitten yoga hosted by Columbia Second Chance and breed meetups. The new event space at the south store can be rented for pet birthday parties or other special events. The Lizzi & Rocco’s team’s passion for pets is evident in everything they do. “It’s a great platform and audience to help animals on a niche level and a broader level for the Columbia community,” Jessica says. “We get to do a lot of cool stuff.”

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VANITY Living

ST YLE

Posh pups with a paw-ssion for fashion. PH OTOS BY ANTHON Y JI N S O N

Modeled by

Kate Whittaker and Kaitlyn Ambra

JULY 2021

FUR COMOMAG.COM

Living

ST YLE

Harley

MAY JULY2021 2021

Lizzi & Rocco’s Natural Pet Market 550 E. Green Meadows Rd. Black and white check bandana — The Worthy Dog Purple leashes and collars — Lupine Pet

Treats Unleashed 1400 Forum Blvd. No. 35 Hot pink round braided leashes — Yellow Dog Design

PetSmart 229 N. Stadium Blvd. Pink multicolored collar with bow — Top Paw

Chloe COMOMAG.COM

To serve our community this month, Joe Machens Toyota is teaming up with Lizzy’s Walk of Faith Foundation and donating $10,000 to support their summer fundraising efforts. To learn how to contribute, visit: joemachens.com/community

Above: Parents John & Jennifer Wampler accept the check from Joe Machens Toyota.

The Lizzy’s Walk of Faith Foundation was created to follow Lizzy’s legacy of compassion, faith and generosity. Lizzy’s spirit and faith will live on and continue to impact others. Following in her footsteps we are committed to finding a cure for Osteosarcoma and won’t stop until we do.

Help this great organization by donating today at: lizzyswalkoffaith.org

Living

Getting Puppies on the Right Paw Puppies with Purpose helps train puppies to become service dogs. BY KAITLYN BAILEY

n a roundabout way, TerriAnn Tucker-Warhover’s background in veterinary medicine led her to create Puppies with Purpose nine years ago. TerriAnn, a veterinarian for more than 30 years who’s licensed in Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia, provided veterinary care for numerous service dogs and grew interested in raising service dogs herself. She also drew inspiration from “4 Paws for Ability,” a service dog organization based in Ohio that paved the way for the creation of Puppies with Purpose. The nonprofit helps train puppies to become service dogs. “Our Puppies with Purpose program allows collegiate students and the Columbia community to raise, socialize, and prepare puppies for more rigorous training through CHAMP Assistance Dogs,” TerriAnn says.

FRIENDS & FAMILY

CHAMP Assistance Dogs (the first part stands for “Canine Helpers Allow More Possibilities”) is the parent organization of Puppies with Purpose. CHAMP places service dogs with people who have disabilities and has established an extensive matching process to ensure all dogs are compatible with the humans they assist. Puppies with Purpose’s work transcends their dedication to preparing puppies to become service dogs. The group works to create a disability-conscious community and alleviate the country’s drastic shortage of service dogs. CHAMP is also one of the few suppliers that provides service dogs to recipients free of change, helping remove financial barriers, too. “A service dog may cost as much as $30,000” otherwise, TerriAnn says.

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RAISING THE PUPPY Many volunteers are pre-veterinarian or health profession students, and there are three categories of volunteers: general volunteers, puppy sitters, and puppy raisers. A general volunteer attends meetings and events and can serve on community service, personal relations, and fundraising committees. “Everyone starts as a general volunteer and works their way up,” TerriAnn says. Those interested in directly caring for dogs can become a puppy sitter or puppy raiser after proving their capability as a general volunteer. “We usually get the dogs — which are typically golden retrievers and Labradors — between 7 and 8 weeks [old],” TerriAnn says. “The students raise, socialize, and prepare the puppy for about two years.” A puppy raiser is the primary caretaker of the puppy — they keep their service puppy at their home, take them to class, and conduct the majority of socialization activities. TerriAnn recalls puppy raiser Megan Warhover routinely taking her service dog, Dewey, to Mizzou football games. “Our puppy raisers put the puppies in environments where they're exposed to different situations,” TerriAnn says. “This prepares them for situations they might experience in more rigorous training at CHAMP or as an assistance dog.” When a puppy raiser is busy, a puppy sitter takes care of the puppy for a few hours at a time. Puppy raisers and puppy sitters have to attend meetings and events, meet weekly with TerriAnn individually, and be familiar with a training manual, which outlines the dos and don’ts of taking care of service puppies.

TRAINING THE PUPPY

Once a puppy passes its first set of major health clearances at 4 to 6 months of age, the puppy starts their advanced training with CHAMP staff in St. Louis. (Before COVID-19, a partnership between CHAMP and the Department of Corrections allowed CHAMP staff to train the dogs with the help of select inmates at the Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia. The dogs lived with the inmates 24/7, and CHAMP staff traveled to Vandalia each week to work with the dogs and the inmates.) CHAMP provides more rigorous and specific training, instructing the puppies on how to aid people with various cognitive and physical

JULY 2021

Living

FRIENDS & FAMILY

be adopted by a family, TerriAnn adds. As part of their mission, Puppies with Purpose aims to create a disability-conscious community. One way the group achieves this is through its educational programs. TerriAnn says understanding the difference between a service and assistance dog is one aspect of creating a disability-conscious community. “‘Assistance dog’ is the general term that includes service dogs, emotional support dogs, facility dogs, and home therapy dogs,” TerriAnn says. “Service dogs, by law, are dogs that are specifically trained to perform specific tasks for an individual who has a disability.” Another aspect of creating a disability-conscious community is educating people about what service dogs do for their companions. “Service dogs can pick things up from the floor, provide balance and stability, and open the refrigerator door, just to name a few things,” TerriAnn says. Zonta, TerriAnn’s education dog, helps demonstrate these skills during presentations and demonstrations. Puppies with Purpose has given presentations and demonstrations to various groups, including schools, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, businesses, and various campus organizations.

“What skills are taught depend largely on the dog’s size and personality and the needs of an individual.” -TerriAnn Tucker-Warhover disabilities. For example, one video on CHAMP’s Facebook page shows a trainer falling and a dog retrieving the phone so that the trainer can dial 911. “What skills are taught depend largely on the dog’s size and personality and the needs of an individual,” TerriAnn says. The puppy will stay with CHAMP staff for 6 to 8 weeks before returning to Puppies with Purpose puppy raisers for occasional vacations and socialization outings.

MAKING A MATCH Even though most puppies are placed at around two years of age, the frequent visits between CHAMP and Puppies with Purpose puppy raisers last until the puppy is at least 15 months old. CHAMP’s extensive matching process takes place during those remaining nine months.

“CHAMP brings the dog to the person’s house so CHAMP trainers can navigate, watch, and work with the partnership there,” TerriAnn says. “The visit may happen every week in the beginning, but as it gets closer to placing the dog, the visits may become more routine — like a couple of times a week.” CHAMP’s work doesn’t stop after making a match. TerriAnn says the organization routinely visits the pairing to make sure it’s a good fit. “CHAMP ensures that there is a happy puppy and that the person’s needs are being met,” TerriAnn says.

BEYOND TRAINING Not every dog that begins service dog training graduates from the program. Often times, those that do not graduate are trained to become therapy dogs. Occasionally, dogs may

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JULY 2021

Raising

KIDS 4H and FFA provide local youth with real-world experience in agricultural education. BY T I FFA NY S C HM I DT PHOTO S BY S A D I E T HI B O D E AUX

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What do outlaw country singer Waylon Jennings, baseball legend Charley Pride, and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker have in common?

While nothing about their professions or hobbies unites them, there is one place where all three have found a home: Wehmeyer Farms. Waylon, Charley, and Harrison are the names of the Wehmeyer children’s show goats. “We name everything here,” says Honey Wehmeyer. Honey’s children Dawson, 16; Rylee, 14; and Landon, 11, have been raising and showing goats through their local 4H program for the past three years. Though the Wehmeyers youngest daughter, Leena, 6, can’t show yet, she helps her brothers and sister care for their goats. Not to be left out, Leena participates in the PeeWee 4H program, which she can do until she turns 8 and can join her siblings in their 4H chapter, the Hallsville Go-Getters. For over 100 years, 4H has provided education and opportunities to kids ages 8 to 18. After joining a 4H club, kids complete handson projects under the mentorship of local leaders. The gamut of projects is expansive, with chapters offering everything from cake decorating to robotics to photography. In Columbia and Boone County, livestock and agriculture are particularly popular areas of interest. “Many of these kids have a passion for agriculture at an early age,” says Boone County Fair livestock chairman and 4H alum Caroline Sicht. “After participating in these 4H programs, many kids naturally join Future Farmers of America,” an agricultural education program for kids in high school and beyond.

GOAT GUIDE Kid

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Caroline says that there are seven species of livestock that kids can choose from to raise in the 4H livestock program: rabbits, chickens, lambs, goats, pigs, cattle, or dairy cows. All aspects of the animals’ care then become the kids’ responsibility. “The experiences that FFA and 4H give the kids for the future is second to none,” says Caroline. “Regardless of the type of project the kids participate in, they invest a large amount of time, money, and facilities.” Each club has project leaders who help the kids learn the basics of the projects. Each leader is specific to a type of livestock and acts as a mentor to the kids as they raise their animals. In the Wehmeyers’ club, Honey is the goat leader. The Wehmeyer family fi rst joined 4H when Dawson turned eight. They started off simply, curing hams. The family soon decided to attempt their fi rst foray into the agricultural side by raising pigs. At the time, their farm had become somewhat of a goat rescue. The family often took in goats from people who could no longer care for them and had accumulated about 10 pet goats. Rylee, who had joined the 4H program herself, was the fi rst to hear that there was the option to raise and show goats within their club. Since their farm wasn’t set up for raising pigs, the family decided that it made sense to focus their projects on what they knew best, and Wehmeyer Hills Meat Goats was born. Now the family breeds their own show goats and supplies them to local 4H kids as well. The Wehmeyers work almost year-round to ensure their goats are in prime condition for the judges when it comes time for the fair. “To show, kids must have proof of ownership by February, so they are often caring for their animals throughout the year, starting as early as fall,” says Caroline. At the Wehmeyers farm, this starts at birth. The siblings all assist as the baby goats, or kids, are born. Leena in particular loves mothering the kids. “They are silly and they jump around all the time,” she says. Th roughout the day, the siblings feed, water, and hay their animals. “4H is a process,” says Rylee. “You have to be diligent in taking care of your animal and working with the people around you.” Part of the Wehmeyers daily care routine also involves training the goats on how they

will walk when it’s time to show. Bracing, or the flexing of the goat’s back muscles, is part of this training, as it prepares the goat to be judged. Weight is also a critical part of the goats' care. The Wehmeyer children weigh the goats every Sunday. The numbers often fluctuate, so to keep the goats at the ideal show weight, the siblings specifically calculate the amount of food and supplements each goat gets based on their current weight. “They eat one and a half to four percent of their body weight, depending on where they are at in the season,” says Dawson. He and his siblings are in charge of getting the supplements and feed as well as providing the correct measurements to each of their goats. When showing, the animals are broken down into varying divisions from lightweight to heavyweight based on their size. “Heavier goats may sell for more, but that's not necessarily the goal, since showing is about the muscle mass,” Honey explains. The goats are additionally categorized by gender: Market wethers are male goats that are bred to be sold for consumption while breeding does are the female goats who are judged based on their reproductive abilities. On the last evening of the fair, there is an animal auction, so the kids have the opportunity to sell their animals for profit.

JULY 2021

son. “Since joining 4H, I've joined the National “We ask the kids to go out and meet with Honor Society and I’m in leadership in our buyers prior to the market and invite them FFA chapter.” to come to the fair so [the kids] get the full spectrum of education from caring for the When Dawson says “leadership,” he’s acanimals to actually selling the animals,” tually being humble. “He’s actually the presisays Caroline. dent of our FFA chapter,” says Honey. Both Rylee and Landon have been brought When a buyer is interested in one of their out of their comfort zones. “There’s a lot of goats, Dawson says it can be an odd feeling. people at the fair that you make connections “You’re around your animal for so long, raiswith,” says Landon. ing it and taking care of it, so it can be hard to let go sometimes, but it is a business inRylee adds, “I love the family part of it vestment,” he says. and all the friends you make and people you If the buyer wants to support a project meet — 4H has definitely been a blessing in but doesn’t have use for the animal or can’t my life.” care for it, they can return ownership to the Th is year, the family will be showing their kids. The Wehmeyer family has been lucky to goats at the Boone County Fair in July and will have had many of their goats donated back also participate in a few other fairs this sumto their farm. mer. The Wehmeyers have high hopes for their As for the profit, the Wehmeyer children goats this year — with namesakes from some try to save their money for the future. In adof the greats, Waylon, Charley, and Harry are dition to the financial rewards, all three of sure to be fierce competition. the elder Wehmeyer children agree that 4H has broadened their You can support the Wehmeyer family and skill sets and contribother local 4H kids by attending the livestock uted to their personal shows at the Boone County Fair. This year, the development. “I’ve grown my leadBoone County Fair takes place July 20-24 at ership skills and helped the Boone County Fairgrounds. my community in different ways,” says Daw-

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When there was time, the time was right. BY LAUREN SABLE FREIMAN

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s life screeched to a halt around the country in March 2020, the phones at area pet rescues started ringing off the hook. Applications for foster families and adoptive pet families fi lled email inboxes, and volunteers and staff were busier than ever, working quickly to place much-wanted dogs and cats in new forever homes. “Th ings picked up pretty fast when we shut down in Columbia. It happened all at once,” says Giulia Hall, operations director for Columbia Second Chance, a foster-based rescue focused primarily on dogs and cats. “We couldn’t get dogs in fast enough for adopters.” Columbia Second Chance rescues and rehabilitates dogs and cats from all over Missouri, placing them in foster homes until they are adopted. The organization rescues animals from different sources, including overtaxed animal control departments that don’t have the resources to care for all the homeless animals they locate. In a typical year, they place around 750 dogs and cats. Th is past year, thanks to COVID-19 shutdowns and quarantines, they placed nearly 1,000. “We took a huge jump,” Giulia says. “We also had a huge jump in foster homes, which helped significantly.” Although Columbia Second Chance has room to house cats at its adoption center in Boonville, they rely on foster homes to determine the number of dogs they can place, as they all start in foster homes. But with the shutdown, foster families were also stepping forward quickly, volunteering their services to care for dogs and cats awaiting their new home. Columbia Second Chance’s list of 15 or 20 foster homes for dogs ballooned to 30, while cat foster homes jumped from 20 to 40. Betsy Casteel, president and co-founder of MO Wiggle Butts, also experienced what she calls an “instantaneous” increase in interest. MO Wiggle Butts specializes in female dogs and puppies, and while she says there is always a positive response to a new litter of puppies, what happened in March 2020 was remarkable. “If I had 5,000 puppies at the start of quarantine, I think I would have placed them all before they were four months old,” Betsy says. “If moms had 100 pup-

JULY 2021

pies instead of eight at a time, I could have placed them all. We placed every single dog we could get our hands on.”

SMALL HURDLES FOR BIG REWARDS Accommodating the number of requests for a new four-legged family member was a challenge in itself, and the pandemic required rescues to alter the way they place animals. Both Second Chance Columbia and MO Wiggle Butts have online application forms, but meeting a potential dog or cat during a pandemic required a bit of creative thinking. For privacy reasons, MO Wiggle Butts doesn’t send potential adopters to foster homes, so they often meet in public places like PetSmart. With many public places closed, the options for public, well-lit locations were limited. “Some of us placed an awful lot of puppies from the back of our cars in the PetSmart parking lot,” says Betsy. “It was an OK compromise, and we were sure glad to have it available.” Second Chance Columbia relied on video chats and Zoom calls for initial screening interviews, then arranged meetings at the adoption center or other outdoor locations where people could maintain social distance. ‘It’s really hard because you can’t shop online for a pet; you have to see that you have a connection,” Giulia says. “We were doing lots of outside meets where people could be far away from each other and still feel comfortable. Our volunteers were awesome at rolling with the punches. People were there for it, we just had to figure out how to make it happen.” While interest in pet adoption increased, cancelled events and fundraisers meant that pet rescues had to navigate funding challenges, too. Giulia says that grants they typically win did not pan out last year, as hundreds of shelters and rescues competed for the same limited resources. While most rescues charge an adoption fee, those dollars are stretched to cover spays or neuters, microchips, shots, and supplies for each dog and cat prior to adoption. “We are lucky that we get services at a low cost to us, because that can easily be $400 to $500 at the vet,” Giulia says. “For the vast majority of animals, we take a hit on our fees, so that’s not a source of income we rely on.”

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STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING SEPARATION ANXIETY IN YOUR PET As more and more people begin to return to work and life begins to look more normal, Giulia Hall, operations director for Second Chance Columbia, offers tips on reducing separation anxiety in your pet. Practice, Practice, Practice Put your shoes on and grab your jacket, briefcase, cup of coffee, or backpack and walk out of the door. Then, walk right back in. For many animals, their anxiety comes out as they watch their owner prepare to leave. When you practice your routine, it helps reduce the association and anxiety around those preparations.

Don’t Be Afraid to Kennel Most dogs feel a lot of comfort in their kennel, and that can abate anxiety when you’re not home. Dogs equate their kennel with safe space. Kenneling also reduces the possibility that a dog could become destructive and hurt themselves in their desperation to get to their owner.

Use Your Resources In pets with extreme separation anxiety, don’t be afraid to talk to your vet about medication to reduce their stress until they get into their new routine. Dogs, and even cats, can suffer from extreme separation anxiety. Utilizing medication doesn’t mean your pet will be on it for life, and it can be an invaluable tool in easing your pet’s anxiety. Second Chance Columbia also offers the services of a trainer as well as volunteers with a wealth of knowledge about pet behaviors who can offer strategies to help you comfort your dog or cat.

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Although there was some concern that when quarantine lifted, people would begin to return pets to the rescue, Betsy says they have not seen that fear materialize. There are always some adopters who don’t realize what taking home a puppy entails, or have their circumstances change, but Giulia thinks that people had plenty of time to get attached to their new companion. “Instead of the returns we were expecting, we have seen a lot of separation anxiety with these animals, because they have never known anything but their person being home all the time,” Giulia says. “We are committed to providing support and resources and will do whatever it takes to keep an animal in its home.” For pets that are struggling to adapt to an owner who isn’t home 24/7, Giulia encourages pet owners to utilize resources around pet-friendly Columbia, like one of the many pet daycares.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING The prospect of having a lot of time at home to train a pet or help it acclimate to its new surroundings was the motivation that many needed to finally take the plunge into pet ownership, Giulia says. “People worry that taking a dog or cat home and then going to work every day is going to be hard on the animal, which can be true sometimes,” Giulia says. “A lot of people also came looking for a companion to help them through being locked down, because being home alone all the time can get lonely and boring.” As much of the country locked down, the wheels began turning for Sarah Catlin. Her three kids had been asking for a dog on and off for several years. In May 2020, with the knowledge that all three kids would be learning from home and both she and her partner

would be working from home for the foreseeable future, Sarah says the timing seemed right to welcome a dog into their family. “I figured there wouldn’t be a better time to do it,” Sarah says. “I also thought it would be a treat for the kids that would bring them joy and give them lots of reasons to play out in the yard and walk around the neighborhood, as we were locked down and couldn’t do summer school, summer camps, vacation, the movie theatre, or the park.” After fi lling out an online application with Second Chance Columbia, Sarah received an email about Bo, a 75-pound, 4-year-old, house-trained dog that the organization had recently received. After connecting with Bo’s foster mom, Sarah says she loaded the kids into the car for a surprise visit to meet Bo. “We threw the ball for him a whole bunch of times and the kids were instantly in love,” Sarah says. “We went home, and I think the next step was [paying] the adoption fee, then a day or so later we picked him up for a week-long trial visit and never looked back.” Bo has settled in to his new home and, according to Sarah, was the perfect pandemic addition for her family. “He peed in the house exactly one time the fi rst week,” Sarah says. “He doesn’t chew on things he shouldn’t. You can let him out in the front yard to do his business and he does it and comes right back. He doesn’t leave our yard. He gets along with our cats and our kids. He only barks one low, scary woof when a stranger comes up on the porch. He doesn’t beg from the table. The kids take turns with him at night, and he will lay down in whichever room his bed is in for the night with no complaints. He is really the best dog.”

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JULY 2021

Living

COUPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW

Ken and Donna Hebb Ken and Donna Hebb share their love of animal rescue, an accomplishment they are most proud of, and something most people might not know about what they do. WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND?

We both have full time jobs but, pertaining to trapping, we design and build specialty traps and deploy them for the safe recovery of large-breed or difficult-to-catch stray dogs, lost owned dogs, and lost rescue dogs. WHY ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY?

Big Paw Rescue Trapping isn’t really a company, it’s a volunteer organization. We strive to be the best in the business at domestic dog recovery, and we are constantly adapting and improving our equipment and methods. We often get the most difficult, long-term cases because we often get them done. When it comes to thinking outside the box, that’s where we do our best work. WHY ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB?

Rescue is hard work. Recovering dogs from the side of the road, from the woods, and from the fields is hard. But nothing compares to the reward of getting them safe, warm, and fed. Many times they see us as the aggressor for a little while after capture. Usually, within a couple of hours, they just seem so grateful. That’s a reward you can’t duplicate anywhere else. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?

Tenacity. We never quit. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?

Time. There is never enough time to get everything done, and our home lives suffer for this passion.

WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION?

You never know when you will need Big Paw Rescue Trapping. Better to know we exist before your whole life runs down the street and won’t come to you. WHO MAKES UP YOUR FAMILY?

We have a son in the Air Force who is currently deployed to South Korea while his wife and 18-month-old son are back here in the U.S. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA?

We live in the country and are far away from good places to eat, so we are partial to the restaurants.

get home again. It’s all volunteer, and it’s all about the emotional reward of helping the voiceless. WHAT IS YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL?

To recover the next dog successfully. It’s a goal we set for ourselves every single day. WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

We have built a recovery service that we feel is truly helping animals. Although we’re not a rescue, we work with many, many rescues and are becoming a well-known entity within the local rescue community. The animals we help are difficult cases where the average person can’t help them. We are proud to be able to extend the reach of rescue to these scared, unsure, and unreachable pups.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY?

We want to be available to the Columbia community. Every time we’re there, we find people that just did not know a free service like Big Paw Rescue Trapping even existed, and they’re sometimes distrustful of our intentions. We want to help the dogs

WHAT IS SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?

We do this for no charge. We often get people asking us what we charge to recover their pet. They often seemed stunned when we reply: “There is no charge! We take donations, but we do not charge!”

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JULY 2021

Working

84 ANGELS ON EARTH Armani’s Angels helps assist pet owners in the treatment of ill or injured pets.

82 CLOWNFISH AND CORAL AND MORE, OH MY! The Basement Reef brings rare aquatic life and plants to COMO.

100 THE VITAL VETS The story of the Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and the keys to its success, even during a global pandemic.

JULY 2021

Working

CLOSER LOOK

J U LY 2 0 2 1

hair styling, curly hair cutting, hair extensions, and hair coloring, including blonding, gray coverage, and vivid fashion hair colors. Studio Flair also offers accommodations in providing privacy for women in hijab. For Kyla, Studio Flair isn’t just about owning her own place, but also having a chance to help someone have a positive self-image — after all, that’s what inspired the salon name. “Flair, by definition, is the intuitive ability to do something well. It also refers to one’s stylishness and originality,” Kyla says. “Flair explains what a person is without even trying. It’s what comes naturally. Enhance your flair and you’ll feel unstoppable.” 1400 FORUM BLVD., STE. 30 (573) 445-9080 STUDIOFLAIRCOMO.COM

Strollway Market

Fringe Western Wear

Riley Arends and Morgan Pingel, along with their mother, Charlotte Smarr, opened Fringe Boutique four years ago after noticing a sort of absence in Columbia. “We saw a huge missing market for women’s clothing, boots, and accessories with a western edge in Columbia,” Morgan says. “We often found ourselves driving to different cities or shopping online to find the style that we wanted.” Their previous location, in downtown Columbia, sold high-end Western clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, belts, hats, and cowgirl boots. A recent rebrand to Fringe Western Wear, along with an upcoming move to a larger location located on Vandiver Drive, offers the three partners a chance to reach a new audience. “We will add men’s and kid’s Western wear in addition to what we already offer for women,” Morgan says. Morgan says the new space and rebrand couldn’t have been possible without the wel-

coming support from the community.”We’ll go to concerts at the Blue Note or Mizzou Arena and often see customers decked out in our clothing after shopping earlier that day for an outfit to wear that evening,” Morgan says. 3310 VANDIVER DR. INSTAGRAM.COM/FRINGEBOUTIQUEMO FRINGEBOUTIQUEMO.COM

Studio Flair

After a decade-long journey of seeking the perfect environment to create, Kyla Uhuru opened her own salon, Studio Flair. “The beauty industry — and femininity as a whole — is endlessly diverse, and Studio Flair claims and celebrates this by offering a vast variety of services and accommodations,” Kyla says. Located in the Forum Shopping Center, the full-service salon offers services in wedding

Located in the downtown building where Harold’s Doughnuts once was, Strollway Market serves artisanal and locally sourced soups, salads, and sandwiches. “Columbia and the surrounding areas have lots of farmers and artisans growing fresh and seasonal produce,” head chef Casey Callans says. “We thought it would be a great opportunity to turn some of that produce into good, staple classics everyone knows and loves.” The menu at Strollway is constantly in flux to keep things fresh for customers. As of this writing, they’re taking a spin on classic menu items like grilled cheese, Caesar salad, and chicken and rice soup. The collaboration came from the minds behind Beet Box and Harold’s Doughnuts — Michael Urban and Melissa Poelling, co-owners of Harold’s, and Ben Hamrah and Amanda Elliot, co-owners of Beet Box. “There was an absence of soups, salads, and sandwiches in Columbia,” Casey says. 114 S. NINTH ST. (573) 397-6322 INSTAGRAM.COM/THESTROLLWAYMARKET

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Briefly in the News

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JULY 2021

G I V I N G B AC K

Columbia Public Schools Foundation Donates 100,000 Masks A $14,000 donation by the Columbia Public Schools Foundation allowed Columbia Public Schools to purchase 100,000 child-size masks for students. The donation allowed CPS to distribute the masks to students throughout the entire district. Superintendent Peter Stiepleman said the Columbia Public Schools Foundation had been amazing in meeting the needs of students during a challenging time in education. The foundation had previously donated more than $134,000 to CPS during the pandemic.

Working

BRIEFLY

AWA R D S

Healium Wins Columbia Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award The Columbia Chamber of Commerce named Healium the Small Business of the Year for 2021. Founded by Sarah Hill, Healium is an immersive media therapy company that uses virtual and augmented reality technology and biometric data to boost calm and focus. Their portable product is used worldwide with enterprises and the military. Healium is the 29th business to win the Small Business of the Year Award.

“Small business is the heart of Columbia. The Small Business of the Year Award is a chance to honor all that small businesses do for our community.” — MATT MCCORMICK, PRESIDENT OF THE COLUMBIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE COMMUNIT Y

Columbia College Giving Day Raises Record $108,834 Columbia College raised a record $108,834 during its third annual Giving Day, a 27% increase over last year’s total. The donations came from 408 individuals. The event encouraged alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the college to donate to the Columbia College Fund, which addresses the college’s most immediate needs. The class of 2005 was the lead fundraiser, raising

$25,525. From the Christian College class of 1949 to the students working to graduate in 2024, members of 66 different class years made donations. Donations came from 38 states and three countries, including Australia and Canada. AWA R D S

Boone Hospital Center Named a Five-Star Hospital Boone Hospital Center was named a five-star hospital by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS rated over 4,500 hospitals from one to five, with five representing the highest quality rating based on morality, the safety of care, readmission, patient experience, and timely and effective care. Boone Hospital is the only hospital in Mid-Missouri to receive this top ranking. Of 4,586 hospitals, 13.5% received five stars. G I V I N G B AC K

Boone Electric Community Trust Donates $20,000 to the Voluntary Action Center The Boone Electric Community Trust donated a $20,000 grant to the Voluntary Action Center. The funds will assist individuals and families with emergency services and assist some who are experiencing poverty or homelessness. With an increase in the demand for services, the

Voluntary Action Center says the donation allows them to continue meeting the growing need and fulfills their mission of bridging the gaps between crisis and stability to improve the quality of life in Boone County. The Boone Electric Community Trust provides grants to 501(c) (3) organizations and public entities through an application and review process. AWA R D S

MU Child Health Chair Earns Award for Pediatric Respiratory Medicine David Gozal, the Marie and Harry Smith Endowed Chair of Child Health at the MU School of Medicine, was awarded the American Thoracic Society Assembly on Pediatrics Lifetime Contributions to Pediatric Respiratory Medicine Award. The award, which was presented during the Assembly on Pediatrics membership meeting, recognizes individuals who have contributed greatly to the specialty, dedicating a lifetime of work to the advancement of pediatric respiratory medicine. Glozal’s research, published in more than 700 peer-reviewed articles, focuses on translational approaches to pediatric sleep disorders and has been funded by multiple National Institutes of Health grants.

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JULY 2021

J U LY 2 0 2 1

MARK BAUER

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce announced the hiring of Mark Bauer as its fi rst vice president of workforce development. Mark has made a career of assisting the administration of Missouri’s public workforce system, contributing to the successes of both the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development by maintaining an active role in developing policies, procedures, and workforce solutions. Mark began work at the chamber on May 17.

and he and his team have set the standard for how to connect, inspire, and encourage students. Jerrell will serve a two-year term and may be re-elected to serve for up to four years.

SMITH

TAY L O R D R E N N A N

NOAH MANRING

Taylor Drennan will be recommended to the Columbia Board of Education to become the principal at John Warner Middle School for the 2021-2022 school year. Taylor served as the school’s interim principal during the spring semester. Taylor was born and raised in Columbia and is a proud product of CPS. Taylor began his career with CPS as a fourth‐grade teacher at Derby Ridge Elementary School.

Noah Manring has been named the new dean of the MU College of Engineering. Noah has served as the interim dean of the college since May 2020. Before he was named interim dean, Noah served as the Glen Barton professor and chair of the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering. He also served as chair of the former electrical and computer engineering department and served twice as the college’s associate dean of research.

CURTIS SMITH

American Outdoor Brands announced that Curtis Smith has been named chief marketing officer. In this newly created role, Curtis will lead the company’s marketing, brand management, creative, e-commerce, and customer service teams. Curtis joined the company as a divisional vice president of marketing in October 2017. He currently serves on the board of regents for the American Knife & Tool Institute.

MORTON

DRENNAN

ABRA SPISSO

Abra Spisso, of Klingner & Associates P.C., has become a registered engineer intern with the Missouri Division of Professional Registration. Abra is a water and wastewater engineer based in the firm’s Columbia branch. Abra holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Duquesne University.

JERRELL MORTON

Job Point announced that Jerrell Morton, director of YouthBuild, has been appointed chair of the membership committee for the YouthBuild USA Affi liated Network. For the past decade, Jerrell has been a leader in this program for the community,

for core leaders of United Way who are high performers with proven capacity for leadership. United Way Worldwide’s 2021 Fellowship Program runs from March 2021 to October 2021.

L A T OYA S T E VE N S

La Toya Stevens and Heart of Missouri United Way have been selected to participate in United Way’s Fellowship Program. Th is fellowship program is an accelerated year-long development course designed

WELCOME HOME INC.

Welcome Home Inc. announced the election of three new members to its board of directors as well as new officers for the year. These newly elected members joined the board in January 2021: Vernette Smith, Marcus Glover, and Jason Gruender. Board members serve three-year terms at Welcome Home and officers are elected annually. Welcome Home’s executive director, Megan Sievers, said: “We are thrilled to welcome our three newest members to our board of directors. They each have a unique background with diverse experiences that make them an asset to the Welcome Home Board of Directors and to the organization as a whole.”

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GUEST VOICE

Columbia’s Leaders of Tomorrow The Columbia Chamber of Commerce builds tomorrow’s leaders through immersive, Columbia-centric programming. CONTENT PROVIDED BY COLUMBIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

olumbia is a community that is always working towards the future,” says Matt McCormick, president and CEO of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber is part of that vision to make Columbia a better place to live, learn, work, and play.” One of the many ways the chamber works to create a thriving Columbia is by investing in our business community’s workforce through leadership development programming. “There is a generation of business leaders, employees, and supervisors easing out of the workforce into retirement. We need to make sure there are capable and equally passionate individuals waiting in the wings to assume those positions,” says Matt.

INVESTING IN YOUR WORKFORCE IS INVESTING IN COLUMBIA The chamber has created strategic leadership programming that encourages participants to lay down stronger roots in Columbia. By fostering deeper connections to our city, the chamber hopes to not only develop leaders within the business community, but also community leaders energized to lead Columbia to the future. Some of the chamber’s programs include Leadership Columbia, Leadership Visit, Emerging Professionals in Columbia, and Workforce Development. Leadership Columbia is an annual sixmonth program of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce that identifies, cultivates, and motivates future community leaders. This

informative and thought-provoking program introduces participants to the opportunities and challenges in our community while exposing them to the chamber’s strategic initiatives. Participants complete 14 programs, which often involve a combination of panel discussions, tours, hands-on experiences, one-onone interaction with current community leaders, and leadership group activities designed to expose participants to all aspects of the topics covered in each session. Each session begins with an hour focused on leadership style and skills development, followed by an in-depth exploration of a particular industry area. Industry areas include education, health care, media, social services, development and industry, state government, arts and recreation, local government, life sciences and agriculture, and growth and economics. At the end of the program, Leadership Columbia participants have a close connection with one another and a deep understanding of what makes Columbia tick. Started in 2014, Leadership Visit is an annual trip coordinated by the chamber that exposes Columbia and Boone County leaders to the best ideas of nationally recognized communities throughout the United States. During each visit, the delegation meets with leaders from the host community to openly discuss their challenges and opportunities. Leadership Visit has brought great programs, ideas, and initiatives to the Columbia community and the Mid-Missouri region,

“The chamber is part of that vision to make Columbia a better place to live, learn, work, and play.” — Matt McCormick including Early College ( from Ann Arbor, in 2018), financing for public schools (Knoxville, 2014), and the chamber’s Workforce Development Division (Tuscaloosa, 2019). In 2020, the delegation stayed in Columbia to support our local community and look inward during an especially challenging year. Through that experience, leaders were able to deepen connections and become fully aware of where Columbia is thriving and where we may need to direct more attention. For those getting started in their careers, Emerging Professionals in Columbia provides a space for young and emerging professionals to connect and grow their professional networks and skills. EPIC’s mission is to engage, develop, and celebrate emerging leaders through professional growth opportunities and social interactions. EPIC’s four principles — career success, personal growth, professional development, and social involvement — are integrated into EPIC programming, including professional development lunches, community engagement breakfasts, service projects, and members-only experiences such as EPIC’s CEO networking experience.

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Moxie is Energy.

Moxie is Determination. Finally, the chamber’s new Workforce Development Division works with strategic partners and organizations in workforce development, collaborating with the business community and with state workforce programs. The division’s mission is to meet the needs of the current workforce while also planning and preparing for future workforce opportunities for Columbia, Boone County, and the region. The division has the long-term potential to clog Columbia’s brain drain and fill talent gaps in industries like construction and health care. “Leadership is more than a position or title. It’s a behavior that uplifts everyone around that person and organization to improve the overall good,” says Matt. “We offer leadership development at all levels of someone’s career path because we need great leaders in every industry in every role to ensure a thriving future for our community. We know that great businesses and great communities depend on great people. “ By supporting the chamber, one supports the continued connection and collaboration between industries and the vision to make Columbia a thriving community. You can learn more about the chamber and its programs and strategic planning at www.comochamber.com.

Columbia Chamber of Commerce is five-star accredited by the United States Chamber of Commerce. Learn more about the chamber by visiting comochamber.com.

JULY 2021

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CELEBRATIONS

Clownfish and Coral and More, Oh My! The Basement Reef brings rare aquatic life and plants to Columbia. BY KATIE PERRY HARRIS PHOTOS BY ANTHONY JINSON

JULY 2021

rom clownfish to coral to cacti, The Basement Reef specializes in the less common, the out of the ordinary. The aquatic life and houseplant store opened in the North Village Arts District last July and is celebrating its first year of being in business. Opening a new business during a pandemic might not be for everyone, but Basement Reef owner Anthony Willroth found that the moment was right to take control of his work environment and open the store. “There was a big hole in the local market on the saltwater end of things,” he says. “Columbia hasn’t had a wonderful saltwater shop. It deserves to be done right, and I saw the opportunity in the market.” Adding freshwater fish and houseplants was a way to flesh out his business plan, Anthony adds. With a background in aquatic pet retail and a knowledge of the hobby aspect, he was ready to start his own business. “My wife and I started out with one aquarium at home. One led to two, and now eight years later, here we are with a store,” Anthony says.

FISH FUN FOR FAMILIES AND HOBBYISTS Today, the store’s exterior windows beckon enthusiasts and families alike inside with a recently created mural by local artist Adrienne Luther, who painted a brightly-colored scene of fish and plants that adds to the North Village Arts District vibe. That fun, welcoming look is what Anthony hoped to achieve. “People come in with their families and young children,” he says. “Even if you’re not shopping, you can learn something and enjoy your time here.” Inside, the store offers aquariums stocked with rare finds that aren’t available elsewhere in Columbia. In terms of freshwater fish, Anthony says they specialize in less common types, and the stock rotates frequently. “With the freshwater fish, there’s already a number of places you can get your ‘bread and butter’ freshwater fish. We carry flashier fish for your aquarium,” he says. Saltwater fish are the anchor of the store, with the Basement Reef carrying rare fish

and corals. At any given time, the store may carry close to a dozen different varieties of clownfish and 400 live fragments of coral. “We carry things you can’t walk into every aquarium shop across the country and find,” Anthony says. While the inventory also changes, the store’s most unique current offering is a hybrid saltwater angel fish, a rarity. The store draws a lot of established hobbyists who come in looking for rare fish, but they also see a number of people who are looking to get started on the saltwater side. “It’s easier than people would think,” Anthony says. “A lot of people can be intimidated by it, but if you go into the situation educated, you’ll be successful with it.”

RARE PLANTS AND MORE The Basement Reef specializes in tropical houseplants that will thrive indoors year round. Similar to their stock of aquatic life, the houseplants they carry also are rare varieties. Typically the store has around 100 species of plants with new ones coming in weekly, from cacti to succulents to larger houseplants. “What we have one week is going to be completely different from what we have a few weeks later,” Anthony says. Some customers come in looking for the easiest houseplant to grow, and Anthony’s response is that a lot of it depends on you and your situation. Are you someone who forgets about their plant? A heavy-handed waterer? “We’re happy to point everyone to the right plant for them,” he adds. The best way to keep track of the store’s current inventory and announcements is to follow The Basement Reef on social media, where Anthony frequently posts photos and videos ranging from livestreams of tropical plants to pictures of emerald crabs. Moving forward, The Basement Reef hopes to keep expanding the types of products they offer and eventually grow their own corals and plants, becoming both a retailer and producer. The Basement Reef sees itself as a resource for people getting started and those who already consider themselves hobbyists. “If you’re into the aquarium and houseplant hobby, we are a fantastic place to find things and a resource for people who want to get into those hobbies,” Anthony says. “We love nothing more than to help other people get started.”

THE BASEMENT REEF 110 N. TENTH ST., STE. 6 (573) 442-2954 THEBASEMENTREEF.COM

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Angels on Earth Armani’s Angels helps assist pet owners in the treatment of ill or injured pets. BY KAITLYN BAILEY

neighbor’s dog attacked a sweet, longhaired Chihuahua. When Rosco, in need of surgery, shots, and antibiotics, and his owner were unable to pay for his medical bills, Rosco was one of the fi rst animals to receive assistance from Armani’s Angels. Armani’s Angels was started by Jessica Robertson, a full-time loan officer at Flat Branch Home Loans. The nonprofit was named after Armani, Jessica’s “discount puppy” she got as a gift from her mother after a difficult breakup. In October 2013, Jessica came home to find her house broken into and Armani severely beaten. The burglar hit the 20-pound Cockapoo puppy with a hammer he used to break open a safe. The extent of Armani’s injuries initially led veterinarians to think he had been shot. “I said, ‘Do whatever you can,’” Jessica recalls. Jessica stayed by Armani’s side for 12 days. During that time, she saw how many pet owners couldn’t afford health care for their animals. Jessica recalls a young couple screaming in agony because they didn’t have the money for euthanasia for their pit bull puppy. One veterinarian paid the bill. “I saw so many people that were just heartbroken — the tears, the screams, the agony that people were going through — because they couldn’t afford the treatment for their animal,” Jessica says. Armani lived for a year and a half following the incident before he died due to related complications. Jessica says she spent approximately $40,000 on Armani’s medical bills by the time he passed away. The initial 12 days at the veterinary hospital cost Jessica nearly $15,000. “For many people, that amount of money isn’t anything they can fathom,” Jessica says. A year after Armani’s death, hope for pet owners emerged in the form of Armani’s Angels. The nonprofit is dedicated to raising

JULY 2021

Armani’s Angels Mission Statement: Armani’s Angels is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to assist in the treatment of ill or injured pets.

Founded: 2015

Board Members: Jessica Robertson Zoe Hughley Beasley Amanda Smith Boonie Trickey Sarah Messer Tara Courtney Kristen Hanson Jennifer Lincoln Julie Wilford-Gold Adrienne Jacober

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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

funds to assist pet owners in treating ill or injured pets. “Our goal is to help bridge the gap for what the owners can’t afford to help get treatment started,” Jessica says.

ASSISTING PETS IN MISSOURI Armani’s Angels has helped more than 250 animals in Missouri since 2015. In its second year, the nonprofit helped 12 animals; by 2018, that number had grown to 87 annually. In 2019, Armani’s Angels decided to decrease the scope of their efforts. “We were handing out money too freely,” Jessica says. “It’s hard because who are we to say this pet deserves it more than the other? But at the end of the day, we don’t have unlimited funds. We rely a lot more on the veterinarians to assess the need of the animal than we did when we started.” Today, the nonprofit organization offers financial assistance to emergency cases. Jessica says many of the situations Armani’s Angels helps have animals that have either been domestically abused, attacked by another animal, or hit by a car. Many of these animals need amputation, surgery, shots, or antibiotics. Rosco is among the hundreds of animals Armani’s Angels has helped. Dipstick, a rescued puppy, is another — he had to have emergency surgery to remove bladder stones that had obstructed his urethra. At risk for kidney failure, Armani’s Angels covered the majority of Dipstick’s surgical costs and all of his post-operative care. Other pets — Zuzu, Milo, Daphne, and many more — have become success stories because of Armani’s Angels. “Armani sacrificed his life for many because, without him, this organization wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t have been able to help as many animals as we have,” Jessica says.

EXPANDING TO KANSAS CITY Armani’s Angels expanded into the Kansas City area in 2018 and has since fi lled their kennel to help care for ill and injured pets on both sides of the state line. “Expanding into Kansas City has opened a lot of doors for Armani’s Angels. We are reaching more pet owners than ever before,” Jessica says. The Kansas City chapter operates under Armani’s Angels but has its own board members and creates and hosts their own fundraising events, such as the A Par for a

Paw event. They also collect their own individual donations.

FUTURE PLANS Armani’s Angels wants to keep touching the hearts of pet owners and provide for their financial needs while expanding the nonprofit across the map. “We want to continue achieving our mission of assisting ill and injured animals,” Jessica says, mentioning that she would like to find a national donor to support Armani’s Angels. “We would love to have multiple branches if we can expand our current resources.” The culmination of fundraisers sponsored by local businesses and individual donations has made Armani’s Angels’ mission a reality. The nonprofit has been a saving grace for

keeping animals alive and keeping families together. For Jessica, the organization has helped her move past Armani’s death. “Armani would want goodness to come from his life, and I think Armani’s Angels has been that goodness,” Jessica says. “I’m so lucky that I was his mom and that terrible situation happened to me because I had the resources, and I was able to start this organization that has turned that tragedy into something amazing.”

ARMANI’S ANGELS 80 S. HWY UU INFO@ARMANISANGELS.ORG WWW.ARMANISANGELS.ORG

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JULY 2021

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BUSINESS UPDATE

Cows and Computers Calving Technologies sets out to make the miracle of life a bit safer for cows. BY JULES N. GRAEBNER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CALVING TECHNOLOGIES

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he miracle of life is a strange, beautiful, and sometimes terrifying ordeal for humans and animals alike. However, most four-legged mothers don’t typically give birth in a hospital, making delivery a dangerous and often life-threatening experience.

“So we’re trying to focus on the predictive software so when that market

Th is is the issue that Libby Martin, Paula Hodges, and Fardis Najafi fard have set out to fi x with their company, Calving Technologies. Growing up on her family’s cattle and hay farm in Clarksburg, Libby quickly took a shine to animal science and wanted to help other farmers who, like her family, had experienced issues and losses when it came to new members of the herd being born. “One thing our family has always had problems with is dystocia in Charolais cattle,” Libby says, referring to the phenomenon that occurs when a calf is awkwardly positioned during birth. Dystocia often happens when a cow is giving birth for the fi rst time, and it can be life-threatening for both the calf and its mother. “I kind of just started brainstorming ideas of how to reduce that, which is the idea behind Calving Tech.” After earning degrees in animal science and entrepreneurship from MU in 2018, Libby became serious about the idea of creating software and hardware to assist farmers during calving season. She began reaching out to local prototypers just to see if her ideas were even possible when her cousin, Paula, came on to the company a year ago. “That’s when things got a lot more serious and structured,” Libby says, “She’s the business powerhouse. I’m more the animal science gal, and she’s more of the business, strategy, and fundraising side of things.” Paula, who is 12 years older than Libby, got her start in nonprofit management and political strategy and now has her own consultancy working with national organizations. Although she may be business-minded, Paula is no stranger to agriculture, as

JULY 2021

gets there, and it will, we’ll be ready. We’re many years away f rom that, but what we’re banking on is that we will have precision software, like an app, that can be layered onto a larger device.” — Paula Hodges

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BUSINESS UPDATE

Left: A new enclosure for Calving Technologies multi-sensory collar that measures various biomedical parameters of late-gestation cows, predicting the timing of calving events 6 to 12 hours in advance — ultimately decreasing calf mortality rates and increasing farm proﬁtability.

she grew up on the same family farm as Libby did. Paula laughs when she talks about how she paid for her fi rst car showing steer, sheep, and pigs at the county fair. Around the same time, Calving Technologies' third partner, Fardis Najafi fard, joined the company. Fardis has a PhD in mechanical engineering, which Paula says “brings a whole other set of skills to the company.” She adds: “That’s the secret sauce to business and strategy. Not having a bunch of like-minded people and bringing in different skills.” The idea behind Calving Technologies is to create an algorithm and, eventually, software that can help farmers know exactly when their cow will give birth in order to get there quickly and assist during the delivery, ensuring that both mother and calf are safe and healthy. Libby explains that they have yet to acquire a patent, so it’s important that she doesn’t share too much with a broad public audience. “Essentially, a lot of different biological and physiological changes happen when a cow is close to calving,” Libby says. “For example, she’s going to stop eating, the cow’s temperature is going to change, and [she] is going to want to isolate herself away from all of the other cows and just be alone — that can look like going to the farthest corner of the pasture as possible. There are other things, like maternal behavior [such as] nesting and vocalizing up and down. There are some very obvious changes that occur which, for us, is helpful when you’re trying to do machine learning and algorithms. We now have a data library of this type of behavior, which is the backbone of building the algorithm. With machine learning, the more times you see this, the better it becomes.”

Libby has done loads of field research, both with and without hardware, and laughs as she says, “In the last few months, I’ve watched way more hours of cows and calves than anybody else on this planet probably has.” Despite all of this, Calving Technologies is still a ways away from creating a viable product. “The hardware — the actual device, the sensors — that market is not there yet. The cost is too high,” Paula explains. “So we’re trying to focus on the predictive software so when that market gets there, and it will, we’ll be ready. We’re many years away from that, but what we’re banking on is that we will have precision software, like an app, that can be layered onto a larger device.” Though the Columbia area has been more than helpful with the ventures Calving Technologies has embarked upon so far, the team knows that one day they will have to expand beyond the area. Paula says that although the software’s early adopters will likely be large, corporate farms, they got into the business to help the smaller farms like the one they grew up on. Libby, Paula, and Fardis are all very grateful to the Columbia ecosystem and all the support it has provided them so far. They take time to especially thank the staff at MU, Stacey Button and Jay Sparks at REDI, and early investors such as Bill Turpin and the Missouri Tech Accelerator. “It took a village to get us to this point,” says Paula. “It will take a whole metro area to get us to the next.”

CALVING TECHNOLOGIES LIBBY@CALVINGTECHNOLOGIES.COM PAULA@CALVINGTECHNOLOGIES.COM CALVINGTECHNOLOGIES.COM

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JULY 2021

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PERSON YOU SHOULD KNOW

Jill Swain Owner, Creature Comforts of Columbia PHOTO BY ANTHONY JINSON JOB DESCRIPTION

I manage new client inquiries and meetings, scheduling, payroll, hiring, training, and also still do some pet sitting and dog walking visits. PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

I graduated from MU in 2008 with a degree in animal science. I worked as a veterinary assistant for about 10 years before, during, and after college prior to opening Creature Comforts of Columbia in 2013. In 2009, I began fostering dogs and puppies, which led to my involvement with Unchained Melodies Dog Rescue, where I currently serve as the assistant director. I’m also a founding member of No Kill Columbia, which is the organization that opened The Spay Neuter Project in 2015, a nonprofit, lowcost spay and neuter clinic that serves all of Mid-Missouri. HOMETOWN

Raymore, Missouri. YEARS LIVED IN COLUMBIA

16 years. QUOTE YOU LIVE BY

“Adopt don’t shop.”

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FAVORITE VOLUNTEER/ COMMUNITY ACTIVITY

I love managing the puppy nursery for Unchained Melodies. FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT

Puppy Social Hour. The isolation from the pandemic was hard on all of us, especially new puppies. Socialization with new people, experiences, and other dogs is key to helping them develop confidence and the ability to handle new situations. Last fall, I began hosting a small group of pet owners along with their puppies for “puppy social hour” at Unchained Melodies Training Center. Watching a dog go from shy and unsure one week to a social butterfly the next is so fun to witness. A COLUMBIA BUSINESS PERSON YOU ADMIRE AND WHY

Krista Kippenberger. We met shortly after she and Curt [Kippenberger, Krista’s husband] opened Focus on Health Chiropractic and I’ve loved watching them grow their business while growing their family. Krista is always looking for new ways to get involved in our community and she’s a tremendous inspiration as a mother and business owner. WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB

We love animals — a lot. We love our pets even more. We’re blessed to work with clients who cherish their pets as much as we do, and knowing that we provide them with genuine peace of mind while they travel or work long hours is incredibly rewarding. Hanging out with animals all day is pretty cool too. WHY YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

Creature Comforts of Columbia started as a side hustle. Through word of mouth and a lot of work, it’s grown into a legitimate small business that allows us to do something we love while providing a valuable service to the community. IF YOU WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, YOU WOULD

I would probably work full-time in animal rescue. WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROFESSION

It’s not as easy as you would think. We serve our clients 365 days a year and are

JULY 2021

“I would like to impact the Columbia community by inspiring people to become involved in causes they’re passionate about. If they’re passionate about animals, I would be happy to help them find the organization that fits their interests and abilities.”

THE NEXT CHALLENGE FACING YOUR INDUSTRY

We were seriously affected by the pandemic due to the lack of travel and many people working from home the past year. Now that everyone is traveling again and business is surging, finding qualified applicants has been our primary challenge. YOUR NEXT PROFESSIONAL GOAL

Our current service area is limited to south and central Columbia. As we rebound from COVID, our goal is expansion. By this time next year, we hope to be able to service all of Columbia. BIGGEST LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS

Take time off. HOW YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY

I would like to impact the Columbia community by inspiring people to become involved in causes they’re passionate about. If they’re passionate about animals, I would be happy to help them find the organization that fits their interests and abilities. GREATEST STRENGTH

Reliability. GREATEST WEAKNESS

Organization. WHAT YOU DO FOR FUN

My fiancé and I love live music, great food, and lounging with our pets. FAMILY

Nathan and I have been together 15 years and we have a 4-month-old daughter named Amelia. Our pet family includes the dogs, Dexter, Fiona, Jackson, Nora, and Paris, and various reptiles, including our tortoise, Herbie. FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

Rose Music Hall when Tyler Childers played for 14 people. Or Flyover any day that they’re open. responsible for their pets and their homes. We differentiate ourselves from the friend, family member, or hobbyist pet sitter by investing in health and safety education for our sitters, and we utilize the most up-todate software and apps to schedule, track, and communicate with our clients 24/7. We are licensed, bonded, and insured and employees pass a criminal background check before being hired.

ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF

Personally, becoming a mother. Professionally, growing my business to the point that I can provide jobs to other people. MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT YOU

We have an 8-year-old sulcata tortoise named Herbie. We got him as a hatchling and now he’s probably 75 pounds.

THE BEST VIEW IN TOWN.

Sunny days ahead — enjoy them on The Roof. 1111 E. Broadway | Columbia, MO| (573) 875-7000 | The BroadwayColumbia.com

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TEACH A MAN TO FISH In Columbia and throughout Boone County, Missouri’s abundant wildlife is feeding families of all kinds.

BY MICH E LLE TE RH U N E | PH OTOS BY KE ITH BO RGMEYER

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Most of us have heard the saying: “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” For some Columbia residents, hunting and fishing is how they feed their families while teaching the next generation to do the same. “These days, people are more aware of where their food comes from,” says Ryan Leuckenhoff, private land conservationist for the Missouri Department of Conservation. “That’s leading some folks from urban areas to explore the option of harvesting wildlife to put food on their table.” Missouri law prohibits the sale of wild game, so if you see venison or elk on a restaurant menu or in a grocery store, it came from a commercial ranching operation. Nonetheless, a growing number of people are enjoying the flavor of Missouri’s abundant wildlife. Some even depend on it.

GOING, GOING, ALMOST GONE Hunting and fishing provided all the protein Delbert Knerr and his wife, Marilee, needed to raise seven children. But there was a time when overhunting and land clearing sent that abundance into a near-complete decline. It was a roomful of Missouri outdoorsmen at the Tiger Hotel who changed that course. From the mid-19th century through the early 1930s, Missouri’s wildlife was being de-

pleted at a rapid pace due to unfettered hunting, fishing, logging, and clearing of land for agriculture. The state agency then responsible for wildlife, the Missouri Department of Game, was a poorly funded political tool controlled by those making money on the back of disappearing habitat. In 1935, a revolution began at the Tiger Hotel. About 75 hunters, fishermen, trappers, and outdoorsmen gathered to form what is now the Conservation Federation of Missouri. Their aim was to establish an apolitical conservation commission to restore the state’s wildlife population and implement conservation measures that would ensure its viability for future generations. In 1936, voters passed an amendment to the Missouri Constitution and the Missouri Department of Conservation was born. Wildlife was on it's way back.

FOOD FOR THE FAMILY Delbert began working as an agriculture research specialist at MU in 1982. He and Marilee, a registered nurse at University Hospital, married in 1985 and started a family. By the early ’90s, they made the decision to sell their house in town and move to the university’s Bradford Research Farm, where Delbert worked. “Marilee was going to homeschool the kids, so we had to figure out how to raise a family on just my salary,” Delbert says. “The university farm had more than 560 acres of crop ground with good hunting ground surrounding it, so I started taking advantage of it.” Delbert has a simple philosophy when it comes to this pursuit. “I like to call hunting and fishing ‘food, fuel, and fun,’” he says. It’s a motto he passed on to his children. All of them, four sons and three daughters, have hunted. It takes a lot of venison to feed a family of nine. One season, all seven kids got a deer. In fact, the family processed 12 to 14 deer on the kitchen table that season, putting 100% of their annual meat supply in two freezers and one refrigerator. “They weren’t all ours,” Delbert says. “God’s multiplication is much better than mine.” Delbert also had friends who hunted, so when they didn’t want meat, they gave it to him. His friend, Columbia Taxidermy Studio owner David Megahan, often ended up with entire deer carcasses when customers wanted only the head and rack. David knew he could call Delbert to put the rest to good use. “I like to call it ‘Del’s Share-the-Harvest Program,’” Delbert says. “Nothing goes to waste.”

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landscape with native species for lower maintenance. They might want to attract birds, deer, and other wildlife because they like to watch them. Or they may want to develop habitat for hunting or fishing,” he says. “We try to help them reach their native habitat goals, whatever those are.”

HUNTERS SHARING THE HARVEST On a larger scale, hunters from Columbia and throughout the state feed thousands of families every year. Administered by the CFM and the MDC, Missouri’s Share the Harvest Program allows hunters to donate all or some of the deer they harvest when they take them to local meat processors. The venison is processed and then distributed first to local food pantries, then beyond. “There are all kinds of reasons people may not keep the deer they harvest,” says Colton Zirkle, CFM’s education and communications coordinator. “They may have an abundance of deer on their property. They may want to donate part of what they take. They may not like to eat venison. Share the Harvest is a great way hunters can share food with others.” During the 2020 fall deer hunting season, hunters donated nearly 239,000 pounds of venison from almost 4,800 deer. In 2021, even more venison will be shared in a new and different way. Legislation nicknamed the “Snack Stick Bill,” which CFM supported in 2020, changed one word in an existing statute and opened the door for distribution of venison jerky to food banks. The law previously allowed deer meat to be frozen and packaged for distribution. The new statute allows it to be frozen or packaged in a shelf-stable manner. Among the first beneficiaries will be Columbia Public Schools students who participate in the Buddy Pack Program. The program, administered by The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, sends food with kids on weekends if they live in a food-insecure home. Buddy Pack programs run by other food banks throughout the state will enjoy the addition as well. “CFM has run Share the Harvest successfully for nearly 30 years,” says Tyler Schwartze, executive director. “But not without help from partners including the MDC, Feeding Missouri and its food bank members, and other private businesses and donors. We’re excited to continue expansion of the program with shelf-stable deer meat.”

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME In a place like Boone County, where urban development has spread rapidly, maintaining wildlife habitat requires ongoing work. Without it, the county could return to the state it was in when the MDC began.

JULY 2021

DEER HUNTING GOES TO TOWN

Since 2003, Mike McGuire, a Columbia real estate property manager, has worked with the MDC to develop habitat on his acreage in Boone, Howard, and Shannon counties. A hunter and now also a trapper, Mike wasn’t sure where to begin, but he and his wife, Sara, wanted to use deer, turkey, rabbit, and squirrel to help feed their family of four. “What the MDC has done for me is threefold,” Mike says. “They gave me the benefit of their experience by touring and assessing the properties, listening to my goals, and providing me with recommendations. Second, where my goals aligned with theirs, they offered significant cost sharing for improvements. Third, when a project required heavy equipment or professional expertise, the MDC connected me with experienced contractors.” Ryan, in his capacity with the MDC, makes about 200 site visits a year involving 100 to 150 different landowners who want help develop better habitat. Sites range from two acres or so within the Columbia city limits to up to 75 acres or more outside. “We promote local habitat with native plants, wildflowers, and trees to help with pollinators, and we recommend getting rid of aggressive non-native species on land and in water,” Ryan says. “The landowner might want to

Restoring wildlife habitat has been job No. 1 since the first MDC commissioners were named. You build it and wildlife populates. But, if not managed properly, wildlife becomes a problem. Managing wildlife isn’t just a rural issue. It’s an urban one, too, especially in a city like Columbia, which boasts 83 developed and undeveloped parks, green spaces, nature areas, and trails. You can fish at 11 of them. What some people may not know is you can also hunt deer at some of the larger properties during archery season. “We were approached by the MDC about 17 years ago about managing deer populations in high-traffic areas,” says Mike Griggs, Columbia Parks and Recreation Department director. “Deer plus parks and green space plus busy roads equal a lot of vehicle collisions with deer. In the years since, those collisions have been drastically reduced because hunters are controlling deer populations in our larger parks,” he says. The number and selection of parks open to hunting each year varies, contingent upon park size and amenities, deer populations, and safety issues. Usually, about eight are available. Despite all the moving targets involved, around 200 hunters participate, most of whom live or work in Columbia. Permitted archers must complete a city hunter orientation program and comply with all MDC hunting regulations. “It gives city residents who have nowhere else to go a place to hunt,” Mike says. “That’s one of the great perks of an urban hunting opportunity.” Habitat conservation, hunting, and fishing bridge the urban and rural divide. And all kinds of people are fed for a lifetime by that hard-won and ongoing connection.

Voices of Columbia 2021

Because of your generous support, the sold-out show raised over $52,000 to give children in foster care a voice and hope.

www.homcasa.org COMOMAG.COM

The Vital Vets

The story of the Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and the keys to its success, even during a global pandemic. BY JO N H A D U S E K PHOTOS CO URTESY O F TH E CO L L EGE O F VE T E R I NA RY M E D I C I NE , LIZ ET TE S O MER , CH A R L I E H AR R I S , A ND S A R A H L ACY

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ince being established in 1884, The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine has become one of the most prestigious institutions of its kind. It’s one of only 30 veterinary colleges in the United States accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. It’s also the only Missouri college to confer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. The simple goal of helping animals and people has driven the college’s success over the years, making it a destination school for prospective vets. What began humbly as a single course in veterinary science in 1884 has progressed through various stages of expansion, eventually becoming a separate department and then the proper MU College of Veterinary Medicine as we know it today. According to the school’s official history, the early era saw staff vets teaching courses to medical and agricultural students, conducting research on tick fever, and investigating

livestock disease throughout the state. The graduated two years later. Over time, the classes studying for the DVM included 30 first vaccine virus laboratory in the U.S. graduating classes would get larger as the students — all Missouri residents. That was established in 1885 at the veterinary college expanded and accepted more stusize doubled in 1965 when non-residents science department, as it was known then, dents. From 1946 to 1965, each of the four were accepted following federal funding and two years later, the campus incentives meant to alleviate a got its first veterinary lab. national veterinarian shortage. One of the college’s first buildThe shortage eventually leveled ings was Connaway Hall, erectoff in the early 1980s, when funded in the 1910-1911 year. It was ing was pulled. Now, the college constructed to house vet scihas accepted 120 students each ence faculty who were teaching year since 2010, and over 4,000 courses to agriculture students. vets have graduated since 1946. Their research included investiThe aforementioned curricugations on animal and poultry lum that leads to a DVM degree diseases and the development is known for its unique structure of animal vaccines. meant to prepare students for the In 1946, the professional curreal-world scenarios they’ll expericulum culminating with the rience in their future careers in DVM degree was put in place. It veterinary medicine. For the first was meant to offer educational two years of the program, stuopportunities to World War II dents work in state-of-the-art, veterans, and 26 new vets (that’s computer-based classrooms and veterinarians, in this case) gradspecial clinics. Then they’ll expeDr. Edna Guibor, first female graduate, 1952. (Missouri Ruralist uated in the first class of 1950. rience nearly two years of handsPhotographs. P0030-1743. The State Historical Society of MIssouri. The school’s first female vet on training in the veterinary Photograph Collection)

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health center hospitals and the veterinary medical diagnostics laboratory, working in service rotations of two to eight weeks. The numbers are a testament to the college’s commitment to its goals: Since 2010, the college has had a pass rate of 97 percent or better, graduating approximately 115 new vets each year. In the process, nearly 20,000 animals are cared for in the college’s hospitals and clinics throughout the state. In the era of COVID-19, the veterinary world at large has been hit with increased challenges to daily work life — not to mention the strains put on higher education at universities like MU. Many first-time pet owners have also discovered the importance of the veterinary occupation, which goes far beyond just treating our pets. In her message to recent graduates, Dean Carolyn Henry (aka “Mama Hen,” as she was lovingly dubbed by a former student) was unwavering in her message of hope and persistence. “The CVM class of 2021 will always hold a special place in my heart,” she said. “Nothing could have prepared any of us for the global pandemic 19 months into their studies and the adjustments it required to the way we taught and the way they learned. Like any mama hen, I’m proud of the way our graduates re-

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SINCE 2010,

THE COLLEGE HAS HAD A

PASS RATE OF 97 PERCENT OR BETTER,

GRADUATING

APPROXIMATELY 115 NEW VETS EACH YEAR.

sponded. Their well of resilience, grace, patience, and resourcefulness was seemingly bottomless. In overcoming the challenges they faced to finish their education without compromising their knowledge and skills they wanted to acquire, they proved they have what it takes to succeed wherever they go and in whatever career path they pursue.” Like many colleges, the CVM shifted to online learning in 2020 while safely employing the hands-on education it’s known for. Students filled out return-to-work authorization forms to return to clinics and labs wearing face coverings, while the hospital shifted to emergency and essential-only cases. “We will need to be creative, we will need to adjust to changes along the way, and we will need to support one another,” Henry said in her statement at the time. “But I have no doubt we can do this and emerge stronger than before.” Thankfully, things are looking brighter. As of June 7, the veterinary health center was reopened, including lobbies and exam rooms. Students will hopefully be able to concentrate on their studies with less distraction, and there’s certainly a wide range of subjects in the DVM curriculum. The list of required core material is robust: equine medicine and surgery, food animal medicine and surgery, anesthesiology, radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, small animal orthopedic

Above: Yonv Lackey with Onyx, bald eagle patient. Middle: Baylor, Eastern screech owl ambassador. Below: Rachel Harris with Moreau, barn owl patient

Above: Young Eastern screech owl. Middle: Kaitlyn Crocker with Red, a turkey vulture patient. Below: Serena Stoddard with great horned owl ambassador Eskimo Razoo

surgery, small animal soft tissue surgery, diagnostic pathology, small animal community practice, small animal internal medicine, small animal emergency and critical care, and theriogenology. The CVM also provides alternate services that aid the local environment and its many creatures. One example is the Raptor Rehabilitation Project, which aims to release injured birds of prey back into the wild. Those who find an injured raptor (owls, eagles, hawks, etc.) are encouraged to contact the CVM. In addition to treating injured raptors, the project’s goal is to educate the public on the importance of big birds in our ecosystem. Other notable research at the CVM includes work from the MU Mutant Mouse Resource and Research Center, Mutant Rat Resource and Research Center, and the Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research — the last one is particularly important at the moment. Dedicated on the MU campus in 2008, it’s one of only 14 similar facilities in the country, housing state-of-the-art tools for studying infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and tularemia, pathogens common in Missouri. The research center can also assist in the event of a bioterrorism or infectious disease emergency — such as the current pandemic — on national, state, and local levels. The CVM continues to grow and expand thanks to funding from the Missouri Senate and House Agriculture Committee. In 2017, $2.9 million was allocated to erect the large animal ambulatory facility. The facility includes offices, classrooms, and lower-level docking bays for ambulatory vehicles — fully stocked trucks ready to head out to the farm to treat injured animals. It’s not uncommon to pass one of the equine ambulances on a rural highway as the vets race to help an ailing horse. “One of our initiatives as a college is to try to increase programs that will hopefully train people who are interested in practicing in rural areas, and our ambulatory program is an important component of that,” said John Middleton, professor of food animal medicine and surgery, in a press release announcing the facility in 2017. The college remains invaluable to not only the local communities of Missouri, but to the future communities where these vets will serve later in their career. That could be in a variety of roles, whether working on the front lines in an animal hospital or under the microscope in a research lab, gaining insight on the infectious diseases that we all live with, humans and animals alike. There are currently over 95,000 vets in the US, and the number grows annually. Thanks to the CVM, there are around 115 new vets entering the workforce each year already boasting hands-on experience. As Henry said in her speech, “Wherever our newest graduates go and whatever type of medicine they practice, I hope they look back on their days at Mizzou fondly, pandemic notwithstanding.”

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