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COLUMBIA — The furry inhabitants of the Central Missouri Humane Society settled into their temporary home on Tuesday.
The animals are scheduled to be there for six weeks while their original location is renovated through funding by Zootoo.com, a pet-friendly website. The society won a contest to receive up to $1 million in renovations last April.
- James Bassett, right, of Mid-City Lumber, delivers a pallet of sheet rock and fiberglass insulation to the Centeral Missouri Humane Society on Wednesday. The Humane Society is currently undergoing renovations underwritten by a $1 million prize from a 2009 contest sponsored by Zootoo.com.
- The Central Humane Society has temporarily relocated to 2105 Paris Road.
"Everyone is adjusting really well to the move," said Alan Allert, the executive director at the Humane Society. "We are very lucky to have such a spacious temporary location."
The animals are being housed at an old showroom at 2105 Paris Road, previously used by Mid-City Lumber. The building has been vacant for the past four years.
"The place was pretty dirty," Allert said. "There were some raccoons in the walls, but there was plenty of volunteers to help get it cleaned up." A clean-up day was held on May 1.
Allert said the temporary space is much bigger than the original location, especially the cat area, which he said is double the size of the original. But the main advantage is the increased office size.
"Our staff is excited for the new renovations for the animals," Leslie Gully, the volunteer coordinator for the society, said. "But we are getting spoiled with the people space. It is going to make the old location feel even more cramped."
However, Gully said the temporary location does have its faults.
The warehouse is not ideal for cleaning, and the old location had a better place to walk dogs, she said. The original location is near Bear Creek Trail.
"It's all concrete and railroad tracks," Gully said. "Your mother says never play near the train tracks, but we don't have a choice."
Allert said he hopes the new location and increased publicity will lead to more adoptions for animals in need of a home. Although adoptions are taking place at the temporary location, animals brought by the Columbia and Boone County animal controls are still being taken to the original site.
"We are optimistic about the changes and the new possibilities," Allert said.
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