Recognizing Women’s History Month at HSMO

March is Women’s History Month, and the Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO) has long been fueled by incredible women who work tirelessly to further its mission. One such pioneering force was Dr. Suzanne Saueressig, the first female veterinarian in the state of Missouri.

Dr. Saueressig was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1925 and graduated in 1953 from the University of Munich Veterinary College as the only woman in her class. She moved to St. Louis seeking hands-on American veterinary training and was hired by HSMO’s clinic in 1955. Dr. Saueressig threw herself into her work and by 1965, she was in charge of all veterinary medical services. For the next three-plus decades, she was institutional in HSMO’s growth with additional locations and modern facilities.

Dr. Saueressig was shocked by the pet overpopulation problem in the United States, and she was a staunch supporter of HSMO’s spay/neuter surgeries. By 1972, HSMO had 81,000 veterinary visits and performed 17,000 surgeries (10,000 of which were spay/neuter). That same year, she was honored as “Woman Veterinarian of the Year” by the Women’s Veterinary Medical Association. Additionally, she was inducted into the YWCA Metro St. Louis Academy of Leaders in 1983. Many St. Louisans knew of her work and issues she was passionate about from her weekly St. Louis Globe Democrat column, Ask the Pet Doctor, which ran from 1979 to 1985.

“I sometimes think there isn’t a dog in St. Louis I haven’t seen,” she told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1996. “There were so many animals and not enough time.”

She worked for HSMO for nearly six decades and is credited for helping more than a million animals in her career. She was affectionally known throughout the duration of her time with HSMO as “Chief,” even after relinquishing her title a few years before she passed away. She held her veterinary license until 2011. Dr. Saueressig died on Feb. 8, 2013 in St. Louis at age 89.

“The animal world has lost one of its most dedicated and tenacious advocates,” HSMO President Kathy Warnick told St. Louis Public Radio in 2013. “Her heartfelt mentoring of veterinary students and staff won her legions of loyal supporters as well as new advocates for the cause of improving the lives of animals.”

Thank you to all the women who give of their time and talents to help give animals the second chance they deserve!