Humane society to begin foster program in the spring

ELIZABETH GOLDEN/DAILY FORUM
Erik Schreiber, left, establishes the foundation for a kennel at the New Nodaway Humane Society with help from Northwest Missouri State University students Alec Bergeson and Lindsey Lickteig. Schreiber, owner of the Palms Bar & Grill, is helping the shelter establish a foster care program.

With help from the Palms Bar & Grill, the New Nodaway Humane Society is in the process of implementing a foster care program, which will be up and running this spring.

After a failed attempt at a foster program several years ago, Jelyna Rives, programs manager at the shelter, is starting from scratch.

“The shelter has always wanted to get it back up and running again,” Rives said, “but they needed the right system and people in place. We decided to give it a facelift and try again.”

Rives said foster homes are beneficial in order to allow animals to acclimate to a home environment and gain social skills.

In addition, kittens that are placed in foster homes stay healthier, Rives said.

“Right now, the staff takes home anything that needs to be in a home,” she said. “This will help our shelter staff concentrate on other things, and give animals more one-on-one attention and a better quality of life while they are waiting for their forever homes.”

This will assist with ensuring the animals feel love and care, Rives said.

“I’ve been in the business for eight years and I love animals,” she said. “I think they need love, care and support. They can’t speak for themselves. They can’t communicate what they need. My job is to give them the things they need when they can’t communicate.”

In order to ensure the program does not fail again, Rives is doing her research.

“Basically, I am talking to anyone I can about ways they run their own foster programs,” she said, “watching webinars about how to have a successful program, doing a lot of research to see things we need to tweak to make sure our program is really well outlined.”

The Palms is partnering in order to raise awareness about the program in addition to assisting with various service projects. Last week, owner Erik Schreiber and his wife, Steph Schreiber, assisted with building a kennel for larger dogs, allowing them more space to run in winter months.

Steph Schreiber has been involved in animal care for several years, and assisted with rescuing more than 1500 animals in Chicago.

“The first time she took me to the pound, I felt week,” Erik Schreiber said. “The humane society needs help and we are trying to do what we can.”

Steph Schreiber said she hopes to increase the quality of life for animals in Nodaway County.

“It’s so much better for them to be in a home instead of a kennel,” she said. “They get to sleep in a bed and do their own thing instead of being in a crowded city shelter.”

The Palms will be holding a launch party after the program is underway.

“We are really excited about this,” Rives said. “It is something that will benefit our animals. It’s something the community asks us about all the time, so I think it’s going to be a really good way to get the community involved in helping the animals. It will be great as the program gets underway.”