It was 2002 when Michelle saw a chance to make a change. She had been at one of our local shelters (now closed) and had watched far too many animals – animals that were otherwise adoptable – be euthanized because there wasn’t space for them. “I kept telling anyone who would listen that we couldn’t euthanize our way out of this...Read More
No question, this is a tough “business.” Those of us working in it confront difficult situations regularly. And sometimes it seems, there’s not much of a breather before the next difficult case lands in our laps. Thing is, nobody enters into this without knowing how hard it can be. We know of and work with many incredible people doing incredible...Read More
Sometimes, I look around and wonder how so much could’ve happened in such a short amount of time. … I came here in September of 2017. At the time, I was one of 21 full-time employees for an organization that was helping between 16-17,000 pets a year. Our name was Spay and Neuter Kansas City, but we did more than...Read More
My first trip out is in December. Sort of warm to start. Sort of. As the sky turns gray and then black, the wind grows some teeth and the temps get frisky. It’s not the bone-jarring cold that we can get at times here in KC. But enough that after four hours out in it, I’m ready to be inside. ...Read More
In 2017, the Smithsonian reported that the world’s parasites were going extinct. Hmmm, that doesn’t sound so bad, does it? As long as they take the ones we humans are most familiar with – fleas, ticks, mosquitoes – then I’m good. They’re the ones all of us pet owners know well and love to hate. Not only are they a...Read More
I want to tell you about Josh and his special friend. Her name is Lucy. Theirs is a story of intense friendship that both of them needed when they met and continued to need for the years that followed. Josh had lost “the best dog in the world” and was reeling in despair over it. At the same time, Lucy...Read More
After a year like 2021, it’d be pretty easy to take a breather. It was hard on us. Especially after the roller coaster ride of 2020. But there’s no way it wasn’t just as hard – or harder – on everyone else. What I learned in that time is that I’m lucky. Even though difficult and sometimes scary, I felt...Read More
There are good people out there… … Sometimes we get a picture of the entire community through the actions of a few bad people. And in animal welfare, we do see some bad people. That doesn’t make us unique, of course, but it can lead to believing that people in general are the problem. That cruelty and neglect and awfulness...Read More
It always happens this way. You’re enjoying a great 70 degree weekend and then – BOOM – it’s dark at 5:00 and the weather turns harsh in a snap. Let’s be honest here. It’s not fun for humans or animals. Unless, of course, your dog or cat is a breed that originated in a colder climate. Think St. Bernard dogs...Read More
The trend in animal welfare now sweeping the nation is being called the “progressive approach.” What that boils down to is something that closely mirrors the efforts our PRCKC outreach team has been practicing: being non-judgmental and using education and resources to address issues related to shortcomings in animal care and to prevent animals from being relinquished because owners feel...Read More
