The Mesabi Humane Society

Since we don't turn away animals for age or health issues, as do most animal shelters that claim to be "no kill," we are truly a rescue organization. We provide medical/S/N/vaccination services, love, and attention for the dogs and cats in our care and, in most cases, we are able to socialize feral cats, so that they move to loving forever homes.

We are trying to educate those in our towns and rural areas about the value of spay/neuter/vaccination. This includes providing transportation to low-cost S/N facilities for local pet owners and sponsoring the MN SNAP truck, so that low-income pet owners can have their animals spayed and neutered and vaccinated at our shelter. We also hope to reduce the number of birth defects and other issues caused by inbreeding through our school education programs incorporating a new board game we have created called Opt to Adopt. We also want to develop additional educational materials for school programs and visitors/students who come to the shelter.

1 New programs/products/partnerships to expand visibility, memberships, & lower costs
In addition to our traditional events & fundraising activities, we are adding new activities & products, including a 2019 Cat and Dog calendar and playing card deck with winning pet photos. We are developing "Opt to Adopt," an educational shelter board game.
Mesabi Humane Society Week in April had one-two events daily, including concerts, dinner, Shred-it-Truck, mobile adoption, volunteer appreciation breakfast, etc. We are getting more written and TV press to raise awareness.

2 Improved website
Families who adopt our animals come from as far as 200 miles - often after a friend brings us an animal other shelters have refused, or they see their perfect family addition on our website. We need to change our website platform to incorporate additional, needed features.

3 Board development-to build skills for now and the future.

4 Shelter remodel to improve the facility for our cats, dogs, and staff.

1 Our shelter staff are extremely resourceful in stretching dollars to care for our cats and dogs. Mary, who heads the shelter continues to build partnerships with local businesses, pet supply companies, & local governments. One board member is an experienced game and learning tool developer and is leading our design team to develop Opt to Adopt, a family board game designed to educate students, parents, & families about cats/dogs & their care, volunteering, shelters, etc.

2 A local company provides web support and will rebuild our website on an improved platform
Improved website

3 We have current & prior board members who are experienced facilitators and knowledgeable about human resources; some run their own businesses and can help develop new board members

4 Shelter remodel efforts are supported by local members & volunteers; some commercial organizations have reduced their fees to help us.

The shelter began partnering with a new vet tech program an hour from our site. In 2018 the program provided medical exams, behavior analysis, microchips & vaccinations & will begin spay/neuter surgeries in 2019. Although the program doesn't operate in the summer, it is a wonderful resource. Our calendar contest has ended; the card decks are manufactured & the calendars are ordered. Opt to Adopt, nearing completion, has gone through preliminary beta testing. Next we will look for financial, distribution, & retail partners so we can manufacture the game and provide it at low cost to other shelters for their own use in education/fundraising.

Our website was redone in 2017 by college students for class credit. Next will be improvements.

An external facilitator has volunteered to work with the board

Dog kennels were sealed to better protect the animals in winter; ventilation system was improved. Next we need to revamp the entry/front office & provide seating for our human visitors.