For over the past 40 years, the Heart of Missouri Humane Society(HMHS) has been committed to educating the citizens of Mid Missouri on the importance of pet responsibility. The purpose of the HMHS is to provide humane treatment to all animals, educate the public on the proper care of animals, prevent cruelty to animals, and to assist in the well-being of unwanted pets. The primary area that is served by the HMHS is Jefferson City and Cole and southern Callaway counties, although animals from many other Mid Missouri counties benefit from HMHS programs.
The HMHS Board of Directors consists of at least seven individuals who govern the organization and see to it that business is carried out. One of the most successful and necessary programs sponsored by the HMHS is the Spay/Neuter Program, which provides financial assistance to low income families in need of spaying or neutering their pet. The HMHS offers a “coupon” in the amount of $25 to those who qualify to be used at a participating veterinarian’s office in central Missouri. More than ten local veterinary clinics currently participate in the HMHS Spay/Neuter Program.
The HMHS strongly supports such animal-based organizations as the Jefferson City Animal Shelter, Wild Thing Feral Feline Fix, and the Brenna Siebert Fund, each of which are dedicated to helping unwanted pets find good and loving homes. The Division of Animal Control serves the residents of Jefferson City under the JCPD. The goal of the Jefferson City Animal Shelter (573-634-6429 or www.jeffcitymo.org) is to find homes for and protect the rights of animals through the services it provides.
The Jefferson City Animal Shelter is headed up by Director Matt Barry and a dedicated team of professionals that have devoted themselves to the care and well-being of Jefferson City’s unwanted or stray animals.
The Brenna Siebert Memorial Pet Care Fund was established by Larry and Helen Siebert in memory of their daughter, Brenna, who was traveling aboard TWA Flight 800 when it crashed shortly after takeoff on July 17, 1996. Brenna loved animals and often helped abandoned pets as well as those whose owners could no longer care for them. The Brenna Fund continues to provide financial assistance for countless Mid Missouri pet owners through the generous donations of others. Each year, the Brenna Siebert Memorial Pet Care Fund hosts an “Adoption Day” at the Jefferson City Animal Shelter, through which an individual can adopt a dog or cat and theBrenna Fund will pay the Shelter's adoption fee. Through this initiative, hundreds of dogs and cats have found loving and permanent homes.