COLUMBIA — The Central Missouri Humane Society (CMHS) will no longer provide animal care services for Columbia animal control at the city's proposed new municipal shelter. Rebecca Roesslet, director of the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department, informed KOMU 8 News that the department would look for a different contractor for animal care at the new facility.
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Michelle Casey, associate director of the CMHS, confirmed that the organization would cease its services at the new shelter if animal control relocates. "CMHS will not provide animal care services at the City's proposed new facility," the Humane Society stated. The board decided that maintaining services at two separate locations was not financially or operationally viable.
Concerns were raised regarding the operational model of the proposed shelter and the nature of the relationship between the Humane Society and the city. Since 1943, CMHS has served lost and unwanted pets in Columbia, partnering with the city for animal control since the 1970s, as Columbia has not previously had its own municipal animal shelter.
CMHS is the only open admission animal shelter in Boone County. “We don't discriminate on age, breed, health or temperament,” Casey said. “So we take in animals who really have nowhere else to go.”
On September 17, the city announced its plan to purchase a property at 1300 E. Boone Industrial Drive, the site of the former Columbia Animal Hospital, to establish a municipal animal shelter. Casey expressed that the Humane Society was not notified until September 11 that the city was pursuing this initiative. While she appreciates the city's investment in animal welfare, she noted the many unanswered questions regarding the new operational model.
The price for the building is set at $995,000, with the city covering 60% and Boone County financing the remaining 40%. If approved by the Columbia City Council, $595,000 will come from the city’s general fund for fiscal year 2026. The initial reading of the proposal occurred on September 21, but a vote has been postponed to accommodate an amendment to the financial appropriation, with the item now scheduled for a vote on October 19. This will defer the closing date to October 23.
CMHS is concurrently fundraising for its new animal care campus, having raised $15 million, and is set to break ground in 2027. "CMHS is moving forward with our new facility and remains focused on serving the people and animals in our community for decades to come," the Humane Society stated. Additionally, CMHS plans to collaborate with the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, allowing students to gain experience in shelter medicine at the new campus. Casey described this partnership as a beneficial arrangement for training future veterinarians.