Chartered in 1984, the Lebanon Humane Society has continuously provided “a shelter to unwanted, abused and abandoned animals. Each year, we receive an average of 1,800 animals. We provide them with shelter, food, basic medical needs, and lots of love. We use the internet, mobile adoptions and interaction with the schools to promote adoptions. We also participate in an international Pet Adoptathon sponsored by North Shore Animal League. Our organization is totally dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals and to encourage the humane treatment of all animals. We work with schools to promote these ideas to children of all ages.”
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For the past four months the College of Metaphysics has been sharing half of the proceeds received from The Invitation, a monthly performance given in the Peace Dome on the College of Metaphysics campus, with area not-for-profit organizations. On Saturday, August 15th at 7 p.m., one-third of the proceeds received from this performance will go to the Lebanon Humane Society.
The Lebanon Humane Society is the only shelter in the area and serves Laclede County as well as Camden and Dallas Counties. “We take in about 1800 animals each year and find adoption homes for about 900 of them, said Patricia Arnold, the President of the Humane Society. “Many of the other animals that are received die shortly after they arrive due to sickness, old age and malnourishment.” The Humane Society physically shares space with the Animal Control Program so some of the animals are euthanized.
The staff and volunteers are dedicated individuals who love animals so they are active in finding homes for the animals they have. They find adoptions through the use of the Internet, their own website, Pet Finders.com, and by placing ads in the newspaper. “We have had good luck finding homes through the use of the Sun Times, a newspaper in the Osage Beach area,” Arnold said.
Arnold, a charming southern speaking woman born in Louisiana, has been an active part of the Lebanon Humane Society for the past 20 years. She tells a story about how she became involved with the Humane Society. “I’ve always been a dog person. One day a stray cat came around to my home and I began feeding it. One day it didn’t come home, so I went looking for it. One of the places I went to was the humane shelter. I didn’t find it however I saw all the caged animals – cats and dogs. It broke my heart to see them caged. I cried all the way home. It still breaks my heart when I think about it today.”
Lost animals often find their way to the society. “An elderly fellow from Elkland had lost his Airedale dog,” Arnold said. “It had been missing for over three weeks. The man looked all over the place and decided to come to the Lebanon Humane Shelter where he found his dog.”
Arnold said that she remembered this dog because when the staff had come to the shelter that morning the Airedale was sitting by the fence and was so obedient when the staff called to the dog. They knew that this dog belonged to someone and that it was lost. When the owner and dog where reunited the man cried and so did the staff. “The dog was so excited to see him; she just slobbered all over him. The staff knew that the man and the dog were good friends.”
Then there is the story of Gomer, a big, old, happy dog who stayed at the society for about six months. Each day when they would clean his kennel he would run off. “At first, the staff was worried and ran after him. However, they realized he went next door to visit a man and his dog who lived there. When he was done visiting, he would come back to the shelter and would paw at the door to get back in.”
One day a former local radio personality had a friend and her 9-year-old son, visiting her from Virginia. While visiting they came to the Humane Society where the nine-year-old boy and Gomer immediately bonded. Gomer had found a new home. “The day Gomer was leaving the shelter he walked around the shelter saying goodbye to all his fellow animals, then jumped into their jeep and looked back as if to say, ‘I’m done saying my goodbyes, let’s go.’ We couldn’t have found a better match, Arnold said. “They had about 55 acres for him to run around in. They changed his name to Homer.”
The Humane Society is totally funded by donations. The city of Lebanon has recently donated a piece of land adjacent to the shelter with approximately 5.5 acres. The plans are to build a larger facility that will have additional dog runs. These runs will allow the animals to be outside or inside and will have a roof on the out portion of the run so that the animals can be protected from the weather.
Arnold has many plans to beautify the shelter and area to make it attractive, a place where people will want to come to adopt a well-kept animal. Some of the land is overrun with trees and weeds. “That will be cleaned up,” she says, “We will get this done. I am going to approach every garden club, every landscape person in Laclede County. We are trying to do anything we can to raise the funds for the new facility. People can donate money, and labor, and materials.”
Lebanon residents can support Arnold and the Humane Society by attending The Invitation. The cost is $10 per person, $20 for families. The Peace Dome is on the campus of the College of Metaphysics in Windyville. “Animal lovers are encouraged to attend,” said Sheila Benjamin who portrays Mother Teresa in the production based on eight Nobel Peace Prize laureates’ fictitious meeting at the dome.
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