Demolition begins on collapsed Columbia building

Crews will begin dismantling a building that housed a business catering to dogs and their owners Tuesday after its roof collapse under heavy snow.

The Columbia Canine Sports Center will be torn down starting Tuesday. The business owners said in a Facebook post that demolition will last into next week.

“We’re hoping to be up and running in the new building around June,” said Columbia Canine Sports Center worker Elizabeth Dinkins.

She said the building was designed by a Canadian company and was built to handle large amounts of snowfall. But because the snow was wet rather than dry, it was too heavy for the building.

Until the new building is constructed, the center will hold classes at the Trowbridge Livestock Center on the University of Missouri campus. The business offers classes in agility, obedience and other categories.

The roof of the center collapsed on Jan. 12 after nearly 17 inches of snow fell on Columbia. No one was injured. The total was the fifth-highest for any three-day period on record, the National Weather Service said. Records go back to 1892.

The snow also led to several power outages.