Rescued, My Favorite Breed

Community reaches out to nurture Joplin Humane Society

Ispent a little time at the Joplin Humane Society the other day. Connie Andrews, the Executive Director was very gracious in showing me around and giving me a little background on the facility, and the part they play in managing the pet population in the Southwest Missouri area.

This was the largest shelter I have visited in Missouri and I was impressed with the staff, their current public activities, the facility with a state of the art surgery suite, their self-watering kennels (yes, having filled and given out hundreds of water bowls in a day to dogs, I was impressed with that) as well as the healthy cats and dogs currently residing there. Of course, I wanted to take all the pets home! The shelter took in and adopted more than Taking animals in and adopting them out is only a part of what the Joplin Humane Society does, and does extremely well. Their public programs consist of these and more: Spay/Neuter Clinics

Since they have two veterinarians who work a combined 4 days a week performing surgeries on up to 40 pets per day. And these clinics are not restricted to the Joplin area. Anyone can sign up online for their pet to be spayed or neutered for a minimal cost, $35 for cats and $50 for dogs no matter their size.

7,000 pets last year; however, like other shelters, the successful adoption year resulted in Joplin Humane currently having one of the lowest numbers of dogs and cats available for adoption. As I said before, there is a positive to the pandemic, it brought animals and people together and hopefully created a bond so special that it will last a lifetime. Connie also told me how appreciative she is of the community and the help they provide, not only with donations, but with volunteers that make it possible to have the number of animals they do, with creating an impressive website and also performing the many public services. She told of the worst time in Joplin’s history, during and after the tornado of 2011.

Vaccination Clinics

These are held quarterly and provide low cost vaccinations for the pets. Again, online scheduling is provided.

Feral Cats

Joplin Humane rents out traps that will allow trapping and possibly neutering the cats.Traps may also be used to catch stray animals.

Pet Food Pantry

Donations of food not used by the shelter is given out to people who have fallen on hard times but want to do everything possible to keep their pets. The Shelter’s philosophy is that animals that can remain home are much better off than being surrendered to a shelter or worse yet, dumped.

The Joplin Humane Society took in so many pets in the 48 hours after the tornado, that they had to ask for help. Connie was extremely grateful to the ASPCA and the American Humane Society, both of which arrived in town quickly and helped tremendously with getting animals medical care and arranging fosters or adoptions, some of these adoptions quite a distance away. And of course all of the animals had to be spayed/neutered. But a big part of the recovery effort was due to the 250 area fosters who immediately stood up for the animals and took them into their homes. Many of these turned into ‘foster fails’ where the foster parents permanently adopted the animals they cared for. In addition, the Shelter provides animal education and helps other shelters by taking in animals and providing transfers to areas who need adoptable animals. A wellness clinic is also provided periodically and for children there are “Kiss the Puppies Goodnight” and “Shelter Pals”, where children read to the pets, a program that is highly successful for both children and dogs (see photo). All children and their parents must attend an orientation. Representatives from the Shelter go to schools and service organizations, showing some of their pets and doing educational presentations. They also maintain a facebook page as well as a website. Here are two of the adoptable pets at Joplin Humane:

LOGAN is a 1-2 year old Boxer mix. He is loose and wiggly. He comes when called and will stay next to his person. He likes to give gentle chin nudges. Logan will lean for attention. He is high energy so this guy will need plenty of playtime and exercise!

REMINDER:

Above are some low cost health options for your cat or dog. Spaying/neutering helps slow their desire to roam and even helps prevent some illnesses. Vaccinations should be a must for any dog owner. KELSEY is a 2-3 year old lap kitty who is calm and affectionate, but also has an independent side. Kelsey would do well in a quiet home.

Anyone interested in more information about Joplin Humane Society, their adoptable pets, volunteering or fostering, please go to: JoplinHumane.org or Facebook.com/JoplinHumane