Dog Sanctuary and Animal Rescue Operation in Northwest Missouri

By Shari Strange
Published on October 9, 2009
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Capturing hearts, a baby raccoon enjoys its meal.
Capturing hearts, a baby raccoon enjoys its meal.
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A gazebo offers shelter and solitude at M'Shoogy's.
A gazebo offers shelter and solitude at M'Shoogy's.
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Gary and Lisa Silverglat fund and operate M'Shoogy's, an emergency animal rescue and no-kill sanctuary in northwest Missouri.
Gary and Lisa Silverglat fund and operate M'Shoogy's, an emergency animal rescue and no-kill sanctuary in northwest Missouri.

Founded in 1985, M’Shoogy’s is an emergency animal rescue and no-kill sanctuary located on 22 acres in the rural northwest Missouri town of Savannah, 60 miles north of Kansas City.

M’Shoogy is a play on the Yiddish term meshuga meaning “crazy.” This rescue haven started after Gary and Lisa Silverglat moved to the country to raise Lisa’s children. In no time, they had acquired dozens of stray dogs. The Silverglats were determined to save the dogs and find them homes.

Because their farmland was essentially bare when purchased, except for an old brick home, Gary and Lisa built rows of kennels to accommodate the animals along with some buildings for supplies. They planted trees and built natural rock retaining walls from boulders they gathered on-site, making the habitat as nice as possible for the animals and for the public who come to adopt animals.

Today, M’Shoogy’s is also devoted to wildlife. The facility is licensed by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Most wildlife that comes to M’Shoogy’s are rehabilitated and released back into their natural habitat. However, some wild animals can’t be released because they have become too dependent on humans and would not survive on their own. In those instances, the animal lives out its life at M’Shoogy’s, cared for in the special wildlife area of the sanctuary.

All the animals are given names, and each dog has at least one buddy to share its 10-by-20-foot kennel. These buddies also share tragic stories of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Fortunately, most of the animals have nothing but unconditional love to offer anyone who allows them into their lives.

The Silverglats are on-call 24 hours, seven days a week and handle 80 to 100 calls per day, including those from law enforcement/animal control agencies who report animals roaming on highways, injured animals, animals abandoned when their owners relocate and orphaned animals. Attending to these calls is a daily activity for the Silverglats, who often travel long distances just to rescue an animal in need, no matter the time of day or night.

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