$10,000 donation will help Safe Harbor take in more dogs

Since reopening in January, Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary in Jackson has taken in hundreds of animals -- 281, to be precise.

And 223 of them have been placed in new homes.

"Not quite one a day," director Montica Babers said, "but close."

The women who run the shelter are clearly proud of the strides they've made in the last year and a half.

After the facility closed in May 2015 following a lawsuit by the Missouri attorney general's office and the Missouri Department of Agriculture and the retirement of a director, new management worked for months to bring the no-kill shelter back up to code.

Roberta Patterson pulls the Santa hood up on King Eeyor's head inside Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary on Wednesday. King Eeyor is available for adoption.Laura Simon

And now, they have their sights set on expanding.

While the facility deals mostly with cats -- 44 of them live in the sanctuary in open-roam rooms with indoor and outdoor access as of Wednesday -- Safe Harbor also has six adoptable dogs in outdoor facilities.

The shelter workers hope to see that change. On Wednesday, officials from Nestle Purina presented Safe Harbor with a $10,000 grant to help renovate the shelter's original cat sanctuary into an indoor/outdoor doghouse.

Runs will be added to two sides of the building to allow more roaming. A designated exam room and a cleaning room will be incorporated into the renovated facility.

The number of dogs the new shelter can accommodate has not been determined.

Springer checks on her brother, Rascal, at Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary on Wednesday. The five-year-old Chihuahua siblings are available for adoption but must be adopted together.Laura Simon

"Once we get the plans drawn up, then we'll know for sure, because we have to get the square footage and have it approved by the state," office manager Angela Shell said.

The goal is to be more inclusive to dogs and give them the same level of accommodation the cats receive, Shell said.

Several Purina representatives were on hand Wednesday to deliver a $10,000 check to Safe Harbor.

Shell said sanctuary workers were shocked when they heard they would receive the grant.

"We got that call, and I tell you what, I never saw so many people cry in my life, except for the day they signed the license that said we can open again," she said.

Jeff Goodmanson, factory manager at Purina's facility in Bloomfield, Missouri, said the company spends about $30 million annually on giving funds and supplies to organizations in the U.S. and Canada -- mostly in areas near the 20 Purina factories.

"We look for something in the area, and we were fortunate enough that one of our charity committee members identified Safe Harbor," Goodmanson said. "She knew they had a project going on that was worthy of connecting Purina and Safe Harbor."

"This is our dream come true on a giant piece of cardboard," Shell said after delivery of the ceremonial check.

Officials at Safe Harbor continue to upgrade the facilities in other ways. New security cameras are set to be installed by the weekend, which will prove useful to the shelter in several ways.

Babers said animals sometimes are abandoned at the facility. She and Shell recalled a time when a box of cats in bad condition were left in the middle of the road outside the facility. The security cameras would help identify those who abandon animals.

"And if the police can't do anything," Babers said, "at least we'll know what happened. And we can shame them on Facebook."

Cameras also will be set up inside the facility, allowing workers to check on the animals whenever they want. Babers hopes to have a live feed of the cat rooms online for anyone who might be interested.

"Some people like that sort of thing," Babers said, and admitted she is one of those people. "It's better than cable TV."

Babers and Shell said since reopening, the facility undergoes bimonthly state inspections. Safe Harbor consistently has passed, including a perfect score on the most recent inspection.

"That's what happens when you have a lot of perfectionists working together," Babers said.

Cats can be adopted for $75 and dogs for $150. The fee includes vaccinations, testings, preventive treatments and spay and neutering.

Discounts are available for military-service members and the elderly.

The facility runs off donations, and the organization often holds fundraisers, with a "Pictures with Santa" event planned from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 24 at Petco in Cape Girardeau.

The organization also relies on volunteer help. While the shelter is run by women, Babers said she'd be glad to have male volunteers help with heavy lifting when it comes time for renovations.

"We can do it on our own," Babers said, but added some extra brawn would make the work go more quickly.

Babers is proud of how far the organization has come since 2015.

"It's fixed," she said. "We're doing good."

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

359 Cree Lane, Jackson, MO

266 Siemers Dr, Cape Girardeau, MO