The Livingston County Humane Society is responsible for handling all animal control services in the city pertaining to the shelter and enforcement of the city's animal control ordinances.

The Forest O. Triplett Memorial Animal Shelter is housed in a nice facility thanks to the generosity of the Forest O. Triplett family and the many individuals who belong to and support the Livingston County Humane Society.

Our facility is located just south of U.S. Highway 36 behind Shearer Ag Center a short distance east of Chillicothe, Missouri.

The humane society receives a base service fee, a portion of dog and cat license fees, all kennel and adoption fees and all animal control fines.

Animal Shelter Contact Information:

Shelter: 660 646 1006
Lesley Patek: 660 646 1262
Adopt-A-Pet: 660 646 1612

Press Releases...
City Renews Contract With Humane Society
Wednesday, April 30, 2008, C-T

The Livingston County Humane Society will once again be responsible for handling all animal control services in the city. Chillicothe City Council members Monday night unanimously passed an ordinance which approved a one-year contract with the humane society and eliminated the position of the city animal control officer.

About a year ago, the city created the animal control officer position with the hope of reducing the amount being spent with the humane society; however, the job responsibilities of the newly created post were not clearly defined and instead of saving the city money, the city's expenses for animal control services increased. In addition to paying for the animal control officer, the city continued paying the humane society at the same rate prior to the hiring of an animal control officer.

“For years, there has been a contract with the Livingston County Humane Society to be a part of animal control in some way,” said City Administrator Dean Brookshier. “Last year, the council decided to hire an animal control officer to assist with those duties. As a result, it was a big financial burden for the city to hire a person and purchase a vehicle.”

Brookshier said it was a managerial problem and a financial burden to pay both the animal control officer and the humane society. He said that the animal control officer recently resigned and, on Monday night, the council agreed to have the humane society carry out the full responsibilities of animal control, resulting in a savings to the city of about $15,000 annually. The pickup truck which was used by the animal control officer has now been transferred to the city's parks department.

The new contract with the humane society is similar to the previous contract with the city; however, there is a $2,000 annual increase to account for an increase in the cost of fuel. The contract, in part, states that the humane society will receive $5,000 monthly as a base service fee, a portion of dog and cat license fees, all kennel and adoption fees received by the city and all animal control fines.

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City Continues Discussion on Dog Issues
Tuesday, July 25, 2006, C-T

Chillicothe City Council members continued discussions Monday night about licensing vicious dogs and considered banning pit bulls but took no formal action on the matter. Talks will likely continue for at least several more weeks before a final ordinance is prepared and approved.

The council on Monday reviewed a draft ordinance that would have prohibited licensing a number of dog breeds in the city unless their owners provided proof of homeowner's or renter's insurance of not less than $100,000 for coverage against personal injury or death of any person resulting from an attack by a dog. There were 14 breeds identified on the list, including pit bulls, rottweilers and akitas as well as Great Danes, boxers and German shepherds.

Council members reviewed the list and the general consensus among the elected officials was that any dog, including breeds not included on the list, could be vicious at times and cause harm and that, perhaps, the city should put more emphasis on whether the dog has bitten before rather than to which breed the dog belongs.

Issues were also addressed regarding the quarantining of dogs once they have bitten someone in order to wait the specified time to determine whether the dog has rabies. Greg Kille, of Chillicothe, told council members how he personally quarantined a Labrador retriever that had attacked his wife, Cindee, about two weeks ago. He said that the owner apparently could not quarantine the dog in that it had already proven capable of escape, but that he wanted to make sure the dog was retained for the required amount of time to determine whether it had rabies.

Discussions about the issues of dogs will continue in future meetings.

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