The Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter encourages anyone looking to adopt a pet to consider teaching an old dog new tricks.

Kappy Hodges with the Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter said older dogs are often overlooked when it’s time for adoption.

“When people go in to adopt, they tend to be looking for really a younger dog and that’s not always the best fit for your family,” Hodges said. “What really works better, what makes better long term adoptions and more satisfied families that include a fur dog is the good fit.”

Hodges said oftentimes it’s much easier to adopt an older dog.

“Even if you don’t know the background of this dog, when you look at this dog, you know what size it’s going to be, you can tell what energy level it’s got, you can see how much hair it’s going to have, you can walk it around and see how it does on a leash and if it has some manners,” Hodges said. “Senior dogs are just so much easier to work with. All you have to do is kind of buff up the house training that they’ve probably been through at some point in their lives already and kind of get them into the rhythm of your lifestyle and your house and how it goes there.”

Hodges said some tips for people thinking about adopting an older dog to help make it a smooth transition for the pet and owner include giving the pet some space so it can get to know its place in a new house.

“You’ll need to get him a collar with a tag on it that says your phone number and what you’re calling him so if he happens to stray off, someone can find and get him back to you right away, he may not know the area,” Hodges said. “You’re going to want to take your newly adopted dog to the vet for a checkup, just make sure… there’s nothing that you didn’t notice. It’s good to set up a predictable routine for the dog because routine is reassuring to pets.”

Hodges said she encourages anyone looking into adopting a pet to consider older dogs at the shelter.

“Those dogs know what you have done for them, they have such an appreciation and a gratitude,” Hodges said. “It’s really quite a moving experience and I have to say there’s nothing like it and I really encourage people to consider an older dog or an adult dog when they are looking to add a member to their family.”

Some Friends of the St. Joseph Animal Shelter events coming up include half-off cats special on February 1st and half-off dogs on February 15th. The Friends will also be holding their 5K fundraiser in April. The 3rd Annual 5K Walk for the Paws will be held Saturday, April 8th. For more information, click here.  

Missouri Western State University has suspended operations of Western Playhouse, the summer theatre company, due to recent state budget withholding.

Auditions scheduled in St. Joseph and Kansas City in February for this summer’s planned production of “West Side Story” are cancelled.

“Western Playhouse has been a tremendous artistic success for five seasons, with high-quality productions staged by talented cast and crew from around the nation,” said Dr. Gordon Mapley, dean of the Western Institute and Western Playhouse executive producer. “Unfortunately, we are unable to continue operations under the university’s current budget situation. We will evaluate the possibility of resuming the Playhouse if there are more favorable financial conditions in the future.”

Western Playhouse was founded in 2012 to enhance the St. Joseph arts scene with professional-quality summer productions. It also provided many Missouri Western students with their first professional theatre opportunities both on stage and behind the scenes.

“Each year, more than 20 Missouri Western students have been part of Western Playhouse, with many earning Actors Equity points toward their Equity card” Mapley added. “Many of our graduates have noted how their Western Playhouse experience has helped them advance in their professional careers.”

Over its five seasons, Western Playhouse produced nine shows, most recently “Fiddler on the Roof” in 2016.

“I’m proud of the work we did at Western Playhouse,” said Dr. Bob Willenbrink, founding dean of Missouri Western’s School of Fine Arts and Western Playhouse producing director. “We made it possible for St. Joseph audiences to see gifted professional actors from New York, Kansas City and elsewhere while nurturing young talents just embarking on their careers. I’m very grateful to those who made it possible.”

While Western Playhouse will not operate this year, Missouri Western’s School of Fine Arts will continue to be a strong presence in the local theatre scene through its Department of Theatre, Cinema and Dance’s Theatre Season. The department presents four productions per year. The spring semester shows are William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” Feb. 24-March 4 and “The Wedding Singer” April 21-29. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit mwsutix.com.

The Community Missions board of Directors has official named Jill Miller the executive director.

The board voted Wednesday evening to have the interim tag removed from her titled making her the organizations first full-time executive director.

According to a news release, Miller has been with Community Missions since February of 2016, serving as a part-time executive director, taking executive leadership from Dave Howery who had been serving a dual role as the top executive for both Community Missions and Interfaith Community Services – InterServ since 2004.

Miller is a former criminal justice professor at Missouri Western State University and recently facilitated programming at EmPowerU for the Heartland Foundation.

Community Missions, developed by InterServ through a collaboration of state, local organizations and the faith community in St. Joseph and the surrounding area, recently celebrated its’ 10th year of service in December. CMC said it is the only local organization that provides safe, affordable housing and supportive services to men with disabilities who have been chronically homeless.