The happy tail of Baxter and Nema

After losing a dog, Nema Velia, a color coordinator at Miller’s Professional Imaging, never thought she would get another. A year  and a half later, a friend convinced her to get one for Christmas, so they took a trip to the Humane Society.

The first time Nema saw her dog Bexter, he was lying in the cage with his face to the wall. When she walked by, she swears he turned around to see her. “I took one look at his eyes, and I fell in love,” she says.

The next day, when Nema came back to pick up the Australian Shepard mix, Bexter jumped up on the window to see her. “It was like he knew we were taking him home that day,” Nema says.

Bexter has come alive since Nema adopted him. The shy, timid dog now has a lot more energy and excitement. “He thrives on praise,” Nema says. Nema and Bexter spend a lot of time together and walk more than three miles a day.

Nema says Bexter did not know what toys were at first, but now his favorite toy is a little stuffed giraffe. “The first time I gave it to him, he carried it around every place he went.”

“Adopted dogs are so appreciative,” Nema says. “They thank you with their eyes.”

Bexter also loves any attention he can get. He loves to be petted and be anywhere Nema is. “As long as he’s around me and my daughter, he’s the happiest dog in the world,” she says.

DID YOU KNOW?

-CMHS works with a network of nearly 500 rescues across the United States to place their animals. In 2012 alone, the shelter sent out 797 cats and dogs to rescue organizations as far away as New York and Arizona. 

-CMHS is celebrating 70 years of putting pets with people. The shelter was founded in 1943 as the Columbia Humane Society and later changed its name to the Central Missouri Humane Society in 1968. 

-CMHS spays and neuters more animals than any other entity in mid-Missouri. In 2012, the vet programs at CMHS spayed and neutered more than 3,400 cats, dogs and small animals.

INCREASE OUR FOSTER ROSTER!

If you aren’t ready for the permanence of adoption, fostering is a great way to get some furry interaction and save lives at the same time. CMHS is always looking to increase its foster roster. The shelter provides everything you need to temporarily house its animals, including leashes, kennels, food, toys and litter. When you foster an animal, you not only save that pet’s life, but you also save the life of the animals that are going to take its place at the shelter. Interested in fostering? Call the foster coordinator at 573-443-7387, ext. 205.