Our History

It started with the Madison County Coalition Against Pound Seizure, which formed in 1985 to lobby for an end to County Animal Control's practice of selling animals to laboratories for research.

 

After the coalition successfully put an end to that practice, the group's leaders formed what is now known as Metro East Humane Society and incorporated in 1986. MEHS leased space in the county facility until September 1995, at which point we opened our own shelter at 8495 State Route 143, Edwardsville, IL.

 

We currently serve a 5-county area in southwestern Illinois, offering an adoption program for homeless animals.

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