Fall 2025 Volume 4 Issue 3
PROVIDING SECOND CHANCES TO ANIMALS SINCE 1870
You Helped Us Keep People and Pets Together Following the Tornado On May 16, an EF3 tornado swept through the St. Louis region, leaving complete and utter devastation in its wake. Thousands of people and their pets were displaced from their homes and communities. HSMO’s Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACT) is designated by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) as the lead animal welfare organization to respond to emergencies and disasters in Missouri. Because of this, the ACT team acted quickly to offer aid to those in need. Our ACT team distributed 78,809 pounds of pet food, received 981 calls for help, and provided temporary shelter to more than 138 pets whose owners either temporarily or permanently were forced to surrender their pets due to the tornado. Two of those pets were Tina and Ike, a mother-son pit bull terrier duo whose humans were displaced from their home near Natural Bridge Avenue in the storm. Arlecia and Michael Stamps’ home was destroyed in the tornado, and they called HSMO to see if they could temporarily board their dogs until they were able to move out of the hotel where they were staying. Tina and Ike stayed at the Macklind Avenue shelter for most of June, and their humans visited them several times. “It meant a lot to us to be able to visit them,” Arlecia said. “They knew we hadn’t abandoned them.”
Donors like you help us support animals in need in all types of situations — including natural disasters like this one. Thank you for helping us help pets when they need it most! hsmo.org | longmeadowrescueranch.org | amcma.org | StLLostPets.org
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