It’s easy in the day-to-day to put your head down and do your work and not look at the big picture. Days are busy, and full of pets who need help. You look for the bright spots that make all the effort worthwhile. The success stories, the families we keep together through supportive services, the person who managed to come...Read More
I studied language in school. I love it still (makes sense given my work here as a writer). I especially love how the words people use show quite a bit about them as people: how they think, their attitudes, their biases and misunderstandings. This holds true on a larger scale for societies as well. The terms that we use when...Read More
As we head toward the end of another year of saying “yes” to clients and providing as much help as we possibly can, we inevitably look back to see how we’re doing, what kind of impact we’re making in our community, and how far we’ve come in helping keep pets and people together. We just finished up the fiscal year,...Read More
We lost a client last week that we’d been working with for at least a decade. His name was Carl, and he was one of the best friends to cats that I’ve ever met. Even so, the first thing I heard about Carl was that he wasn’t always easy to deal with. I have to scroll all the way back...Read More
Some things, you don’t forget. You can’t. For me, Lucas’ face will be one of those things. I’m not a veterinarian, I’m in communications. Working here, I’ve gotten used to the idea that I’m going to see some things that might be off-putting to most people. Sometimes you see a dog that’s been bitten by another dog. Sometimes you have...Read More
Only an estimated 4% of dogs have been through any sort of training, which is a shame, because it has lots of benefits that go beyond the ability to sit and stay. Let’s look at a few. 1. Strengthening that bond. Dog training isn’t just about your dog learning to understand commands; it’s also about you learning how to understand...Read More
It’s never an easy thing to do. People who come to us to relinquish their pets are never just getting rid of a pet because they’re tired of it. They’re struggling, and they’re making an incredibly hard decision. As an example, look at our friends Marie and Precious (pictured above). We actually ran into them at KC Pet Project, where...Read More
Not every outreach case is something huge. Sometimes what people need isn’t something big; just some advice, maybe a few resources. It’s knowing that we’re here that makes all the difference. This was the case with Tony, Tina and their daughter Kayla. Someone Kayla knew had a dog that had just given birth. Having fallen in love with them (and...Read More
Cats get a bad reputation: for being aloof, for not listening, even for being spiteful. Despite the fact that I know my cats like me and enjoy me as a person, I leaned into this sort of “common knowledge” idea that my cats were going to be less than thrilled to have me at home all the time. I did...Read More
Interconnectedness. It’s a big word, with even bigger implications. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Our workplace culture is based on this idea. All your decisions have consequences, whether it’s for you, a coworker, or a client. You decision will eventually affect someone else’s decision, or their ability to make a decision. Your choices can help provide or take away choices...Read More
