Looking to the Future
A conversation with CMHS Executive Director Mary Pat Boatfield
Since Mary Pat Boatfield came to the Central Missouri Humane Society two years ago, the shelter has seen a major focus on staff and management training, strategies to lower euthanasia rates and fiscal stability. Mary Pat has decades of experience working in various animal-related positions, including humane societies in Toledo, Ohio, and Nashville, Tenn.
What is the key to your success as a director? When I first came to Columbia, it was obvious that we had a committed, passionate staff at the shelter. I knew with the right training and analyzing that we could better provide our resources and programs within our community and be on our way to being a notable organization in no time. Not only do I credit the staff, but there also has been strong support from the community at large and our local partnering rescue groups.
Last year, you saw 500 more cats brought into the shelter than in 2012. How can we, as a community, do more to help curb this trend? We try to remind people as often as possible about our Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic. The first step toward fighting pet overpopulation is ensuring that there are resources in the community that offer those procedures to low-income pet owners. Fortunately at CMHS, we have been operating our Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic for decades. There are also vouchers available through Columbia Animal Control under the oversight of the Columbia/Boone County Public Health Department. These vouchers provide free spays and neuters for the pets of families who qualify.
You came to CMHS shortly after the ZooToo renovations. How do think the remodel helped the organization? There is no doubt about it that the ZooToo renovations were beneficial not only for the animals in our care but also for those visiting CMHS. I see the ZooToo renovations as an important step toward having a facility that can provide the services and programs necessary as the Columbia/Boone County community grows.
Where do you see the shelter headed in the next few years? To give the people of mid-Missouri the shelter they deserve, we are going to look at what it will take to erect a new building. We anticipate looking at assessment and feasibility studies in the coming years, which will guide us on how to proceed toward a capital campaign to do just that. It won’t be easy, and it will take collaborative efforts on the part of many community partners to make it happen, but seeing the support the community shows for helping animals, I know that we can achieve this goal with time. The building where we house our animals currently was built in the 1970s. There have been many advancements in animal care areas, surgical suites, air-handling systems for disease prevention and construction materials. Meanwhile, we will continue to challenge ourselves to provide the best care for our animals.
