Throughout its almost fifty years of existence, the Central Missouri Humane Society shelter at 616 Big Bear Blvd. has provided a refuge for the dogs, cats, and other companion animals of mid-Missouri. As an open-admission animal shelter, CMHS accepts all stray and surrendered animals within its Boone County service area. No animals are turned away.
Thanks to the organization’s efforts, thousands of pets have found a second chance at life by finding their forever homes. In 2024, CMHS used or distributed nearly sixteen tons of pet food, facilitated the adoption of 2,068 pets, and had a 95 percent placement rate for animals brought to the shelter. It also has a pet behavioral team that can work with pet owners whose animals are exhibiting problematic behaviors. These experts can often help owners find alternatives to relinquishing their pets to the shelter in the first place.
What’s remarkable is that CMHS has accomplished all this with an aging facility that no longer meets the needs of its staff and the vulnerable animals they care for.
“This building presents challenges every single day,” said Michelle Casey, associate director for CMHS. She is quick to point out that while Columbia has doubled in population since 1976, the CMHS building has not kept pace with that growth. She adds, “The building we are currently in wasn’t designed well for an animal shelter. It no longer provides the level the community expects or the level of care we want to provide.”
In many areas, including the heating and cooling system, plumbing, and roof, the shelter’s infrastructure is simply failing. Crumbling walls, asbestos, black mold, and a rapidly deteriorating structure are sure signs that a new building is needed.
On top of that, there is simply a lack of adequate space. “We don’t even have room for a separate spot for small animals,” said Janie Mills, CMHS community programs director. “We have to automatically put them out into foster homes.”
Worse still, the shelter lacks proper space to keep sick animals isolated from the rest of the pets. When a puppy recently arrived, showing symptoms of the highly contagious parvovirus, there was no outside facility available to isolate the animal. CMHS staff were forced to create a makeshift isolation area in an outdoor run and work “tirelessly” to disinfect areas and take other precautions to prevent a wider outbreak.
While their efforts ultimately succeeded in containing the virus to two puppies that had been brought to the shelter together, the incident underscored what was already clear: CMHS is in dire need of a new shelter facility.
“It’s a shame that our one open admission shelter looks like this. The community deserves a shelter we can be proud of,” Casey said.
New Digs for Dogs (and Cats, Hamsters, Turtles …)
Enter — ideally, in two years’ time — the CMHS Animal Care Center. The new shelter, a combination animal care and adoption center, is planned for a 17.5-acre property on East Brown School Road. The CMHS website describes the peaceful, spacious site as “ideal for creating a welcoming environment for animals, staff, and visitors.”
In addition to her other duties, Casey is the campaign manager for a new building project, which carries a $25 million price tag. That sum includes land acquisition, design, construction, and equipment.
The new building will feature advanced HVAC systems to help minimize the spread of airborne diseases. New specialized plumbing will handle the unique challenges of an animal shelter, which will also incorporate soundproofing materials and advanced odor-control systems to provide a more peaceful and comfortable environment for animals and visitors. New antimicrobial flooring and UV sanitizing lights will help prevent the spread of illness, and the new building will have more space for animal intake and care.
“There will be a lot of ways to grow and evolve as an organization,” Casey said. She envisions the new site as a shelter campus that is a one-stop shop for animals, as well as a place to collaborate with community partners and host educational events and even summer camps.
Casey said that CMHS has already raised $5 million and is working to secure the remaining funds in order to break ground on the new site it has already purchased, about one mile from the existing facility.
Now its primary focus is on further fundraising. Casey said the cost may be daunting, but the new shelter will be life-changing “transformative” for CMHS, the animals, and the community. The building project has already netted about $11 million in donations. Mills said she is hoping the city of Columbia will provide additional funding, too.
“The only reason we still have our doors open is because this community is so kind and generous,” Casey said.
CMHS hopes to have funding in place to break ground by the spring of 2026. The construction timeline is tentatively estimated at nine to twelve months, meaning the new shelter could be in operation by early 2027.
“There are so many animals out there that are suffering, that don’t have homes,” Casey said. “Our priority is to make sure we can rescue any animal that we can.”
She is optimistic about the new facility, the funding that is needed, and, ultimately, the services provided for the animals.
“The resources that we are able to offer, it’s unbelievable to think about all the impacts we can make in the new building,” she said. “It’s going to be totally transformative.”
How to Get Involved
Throughout its history, CMHS has had no shortage of volunteers willing to walk dogs, play with cats, help with community outreach and adoption events, make financial contributions, and even open their homes to foster pets.
There are many ways for the public to get involved with CMHS beyond donating money or fostering animals, though. Its volunteer program is paperless and flexible. As noted, some volunteers just like to walk dogs or hang out with the cats. There are also opportunities to help with off-site events. And for online shopping enthusiasts, CMHS has an Amazon wish list for specific items that are always in short supply.
However you choose to get involved with the organization that has been “Putting Pets with People Since 1943,” a vulnerable animal will love you for it.
