Riedel Foundation supports Northeast Missouri Humane Society walking trail with $1,000 grant

HANNIBAL, Mo. — Trustees with the George H. Riedel Foundation recently awarded a $1,000 grant to the Northeast Missouri Humane Society to help build a walking and activity path at the shelter’s new facility.

With the Riedel grant, the Humane Society has, in approximately one month, now raised nearly half of its estimated goal of $22,000 to build the paved trail at the animal shelter at 7135 Veterans Road.

In a press release, director Elise Blue said, “It will give the community a safe place to walk their own dogs and to be able to volunteer and walk our shelter dogs for stimulation and socialization. Kennel fatigue is a dangerous thing for shelter dogs. They need to be stimulated and exercised regularly in order to be more relaxed. They also need social interaction, which makes them more adoptable.”

Riedel trustee Michael Gaines has volunteered in the past to walk shelter dogs, but at the previous facility, there wasn’t an on-site path to safely walk the animals.

“I hope that having this path will encourage more volunteers to visit the shelter,” Gaines said. “The physical activity is good for the volunteers and the dogs, it promotes community involvement, and we hope that as a result, more animals will be adopted through the Humane Society.”

The Riedel Foundation awarded a $7,500 grant last year to the Northeast Missouri Humane Society which allowed 75 Hannibal families to get free spay and neutering for their cats and dogs. The shelter is currently at maximum capacity, with 80 cats and 60 dogs waiting for adoption.