Columbus Humane celebrates 140 years of protecting animals and serving the public

It's late morning at the Columbus Humane animal shelter, and the contrast between what's going on outside and inside the building is as stark as what the nonprofit organization looks like now versus when it was founded 140 years ago.

Outside, volunteers have started walking excited canines of different breeds, sizes, and shapes. Some bark and pull their caretakers left and right, up and down the grass on the outskirts of the property on Scioto-Darby Executive Court on Columbus' West Side, excited to stretch their legs and explore the different scents and sounds.

Inside, you can almost hear a pin drop as kittens and grown cats rest high on their different perches or cages. Some are curious, staring at volunteers and staff who walk by with their almost hypnotic stare. Others are curled up, still asleep, while some find themselves distracted by a volunteer with a retractable wand, a bundle of string hanging off the tip as they swat at it.

What began on Dec. 7, 1883, as a mission by two teachers and some community members to protect animals and children has flowered into a state-of-the-art animal protection organization that has an animal cruelty investigations team, a separate drive-thru pet food pantry, a low-cost clinic to provide affordable medical services for pets and other community programs to assist families with pets.

Over the years, Columbus Humane has formed a strong partnership with Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, whose students spend two weeks in the Columbus Humane clinic getting hands-on experience in veterinary medicine.

“Our vision for the future is grounded in our history of helping both animals and people.  We’ll continue our traditional services to ensure animals in our community have loving families, and we will grow our human services work by providing both pet and humane health services at our Essential Care Center in partnership with human healthcare providers,” said Columbus Humane CEO Rachel D.K. Finney.

Humble beginnings

When potential pet parents wander through the halls of Columbus Humane, what they see today is a far cry from how the organization started, from the renovation of the state-of-the-art facility to even its current name.

In December 1883, two teachers, Louise Phillips and Harriet Brocklehurst, and several community members, founded the Humane Society of Columbus. Their mission was "to prevent cruelty to animals, to protect neglected children and to create a public sentiment against the abuse of innocent creatures whether of the brute kind or human,” according to Columbus Humane.

The years that followed saw the Humane Society of Columbus triumph through seasons of changes and challenges.

Names and other changes

In September 1973, the Humane Society of Columbus changed its name to the Capital Area Humane Society.

More than 40 years later, the organization rebranded and changed its name in September 2017 to Columbus Humane, choosing to drop 'Society.' The reasoning behind this change, Finney said, was to reflect that animal adoption and Columbus Humane were inclusive of all people, no matter their background. Including "Society" in the name implied that the shelter was something exclusive, she said.

The year before that name change, Columbus Humane grappled with a catastrophic flood in 2016 that dramatically disrupted their operations. Finney said the flood devastated the shelter's hospital, requiring them to temporarily relocate all the animals in their care to Ohio State University veterinary facilities. While the flood strained their operations and forced them to think creatively, it also presented an opportunity to renovate the shelter's space, which they accomplished in 2018.

"It was a setback that was [also] a huge path forward for the organization," Finney recalled. "It was a hardship, especially running an animal shelter while it's under renovation. But we got through it, and we're much stronger as a result."

Finney said the flood also strengthened its relationships within the community, particularly with Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

In the summer of 2022, Columbus Humane celebrated its 15-year partnership with the OSU veterinary college. The hands-on program was one of the first in the country to require a two-week rotation and brings fourth-year OSU veterinary students to practice at Columbus Humane. Students learn how to perform spay and neuter surgeries and other medical procedures. Two on-site professors from Ohio State oversee the students' work and provide guidance and mentorship, working hand-in-hand with Columbus Humane veterinary staff.

And just this past summer, Columbus Humane opened the Essential Care Center. The 11,000-square-foot facility features a drive-thru pet food pantry, a low-cost clinic, and a workplace development program to help meet the needs of veterinary support staff.

Investigating animal cruelty

To help prevent abuse, Columbus Humane boasts the largest animal cruelty department in Ohio. Humane agents undergo rigorous training and are commissioned by Franklin County to investigate incidents of animal cruelty. They investigate some 6,000 cruelty complaints annually, rescue more than 1,100 animals and have a 90%-plus conviction rate in Franklin County, according to Columbus Humane.

While investigating animal cruelty draws ire and anger when cases arise, Finney emphasized that for Columbus Humane, the focus is not only on getting animals out of those situations but also on helping the owners.

"We still can extend compassion to somebody who's living in that environment, when you see pain and suffering, and you see abuse happening. But we always have to remember that there are reasons for that," she said.

Finney said issues of animal abuse and neglect are often a result of a lack of access to resources. By looking at abuse cases through an issue of access, they can address the root causes without casting judgment.

"How does that fix anything? We want to hold people accountable and make sure that decisions are made moving forward. But we can do that, and we can lead from a place of understanding."

A volunteer's mission

As with many nonprofit organizations, volunteers are critical to the operation of Columbus Humane and dedicate their time and energy to the cause.

More than 50,000 volunteers have served with Columbus Humane since its founding, according to Finney. They have had close to 400 volunteers this year.

For Susan Haglund, volunteering at Columbus Humane for the better part of eight years has shown her the resilient spirit of dogs when they are brought to the shelter after languishing in environments of neglect.

In a way, Haglund said, her most favorite part of the volunteer experience is witnessing dogs brought into the shelter skinny, malnourished, and often scared or shy, and slowly and surely becoming "real dogs."

"They get better, you know, and they start being real dogs," Haglund said. "I wish I could tell people, 'Bring them in sooner, you know, if you don't have enough food for them.'"

Besides taking the dogs on their walks, Susan also participates in "enrichment" activities where the dogs are presented with puzzles and other toys to keep them stimulated.

"It's an activity that enriches their mind. It's something more than sleeping and sitting in the kennel nurses," Haglund said. "They love to learn. So every day each dog gets something in kennels to enrich his mind, play with and get the mind not just sitting there sleeping or waiting for somebody."

Haglund said she looks forward every day to getting to know the dogs, some who have been through the worst.

"Since I come four days in a row, I get to really know the dogs. So, my favorite part is getting to know these funny, smart, beautiful, interesting, forgiving animals."

Looking to adopt a pet?

Adoption fees at Columbus Humane range from $75 for adult cats to $100 for kittens under 6 months. Dogs range from $350 for puppies to $175 for older dogs. Adoption fees for rabbits are $50 and pocket pets vary widely depending on species. For more information, call 614-777-PETS (7387) or you can email at: QUESTIONS@COLUMBUSHUMANE.ORG.

@ShahidMeighan

smeighan@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Humane marks 140 years with expanded facilities and services