Central Missouri Humane Society: REDI Training Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
This training grant was a fantastic opportunity for the staff at our shelter! Everyone learned so much from the course. We are always trying to evolve as an organization and serve our community the best we can. The things we learned from this course will help us to better serve our community and the pets who rely on our help.
Our organization was so blessed to receive a 2022 REDI Training grant. Nine of our employees were approved and completed the course. We believe it is important to provide our staff with additional training opportunities whenever possible.
The staff was thrilled to take the course and learned so much. The speakers in the course were absolutely amazing! Mueni Loko Rudd was especially impressive with her extensive knowledge and work with marginalized groups. Our staff learned so many lessons about equitable programs and practices that can benefit our organization.
One of the most important things we learned is to listen. People in communities we are not a part of often already know what they need. We work closely with the housing-insecure population in our community. Many of them are pet owners. Some people in our community don’t believe that those struggling with housing should own pets.
We fully support pet owners in our community, even those without permanent housing. We provide help with spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, preventative care, pet food, supplies and more. It’s our job to listen to the needs of this population before providing assistance. Thanks to the REDI course, we have continued to build our relationship with those in need in our community.
How many pets did this grant help?
Countless!
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
An owner reached out to us recently asking for help with her dog, Jojo. The owner was looking for a new place to stay and had no place for her dog to go. We agreed to house the dog temporarily.
While in our care, we got Jojo up-to-date on vaccinations and preventatives. We also worked on her socialization skills with new people.
When her mom was able to pick her up a few days later, we loaded her up with supplies. In addition to dog food, we provided Jojo with a new collar and harness, nutritious treats, and enrichment puzzle and lots of toys. We also found a coat for the cold nights that fit her perfectly! Jojo picked her favorite toy and carried it all the way out of the parking lot, frolicking the entire time.
Over time, we have built a wonderful relationship with both the owner and Jojo. With our help, the owner has never had to make the difficult decision to relinquish her dog just because she couldn’t afford basics such as food.
It is so important that we recognize and listen to the underserved populations in our area. The work we do can be incredibly rewarding. Keeping dogs like Jojo with their owners is an important part of our work and one of the many ways that we hope to positively impact the pets and people in our community and reduce overall suffering.
The REDI training grant has helped give our staff a greater understanding of underserved and marginalized populations and will, in turn, help us to better serve those in need!
