In the midst of trouble, if you look hard enough, you can see it. It’s there in the people who keep going despite the risks. The grocery store clerks, the cleaning crews, the restaurant employees, and the selfless medical staff and emergency responders. Many accept the hazards that come with the coronavirus so they can continue being of service to...Read More
“If you can’t afford a pet, you shouldn’t have one.” We hear this quite a bit. Certainly it comes from a place of compassion for animals; I myself thought this long before I understood what happens here at PRCKC. Or what the reality would be if everyone who struggled from time to time couldn’t have a pet. Our shelters –...Read More
Just down the road from PRCKC HQ is a small community where lives are being put back together piece by piece. It’s called the Veteran’s Community Project. Most people know it locally from the small houses that are being built at 89th and Troost. It’s called the Village. And it does have a village feel about it. Walk through on...Read More
We believe in the power of pets to change lives in dramatic ways. And this submission, made by an PRCKC client, reveals how true that actually is. We are running it here with only a little editing for length and clarity because it’s an incredible testament to the impact pets have on our lives. … I was a mess. I...Read More
When I met Lori she was patiently sitting in our lobby. What surprised me is that she didn’t seem worried even though I had been told her dog had a problem and was bleeding on the floor. One look confirmed it … there was blood. Still, Lori sat nearly motionless while she gently pushed her hand across her dog’s head....Read More
“People should know that this organization is full of people who truly care.” – Bre Wasinger, volunteer services manager … A couple of weeks ago we were short staffed so I jumped in to give a hand and found myself treading water in the controlled chaos that is morning check in. Normally admin staff like me don’t help in that...Read More
Marie was trying to give her dog, Precious, away. “I need someone to take her,” she said without looking up. Surrenders – that’s what people in our business call it – happen for a lot of reasons and, typically, none of them are good. An owner has passed on and family can’t take care of the pet, a high energy...Read More
I learned to be terrified of tornadoes in the spring of 1977. As I lay hidden underneath a wrestling mat with hundreds of my fellow students in a large gymnasium, a twister was leveling the other two schools in my hometown along with what seemed like most of the neighborhoods. There was no terror for us; we couldn’t see or...Read More
Two hours. That’s all I spent outside and a good deal of the time I was in and out of the van, heater blasting full volume against the rush of cold. When we finished – not sure of the time – it was murky and dark. The wind was pushing down on us from the north with teeth made of...Read More
Jennifer admits that trying to do good in the world isn’t always easy. “It’s hard to care, it’s sad, it’s stressful, it’s disheartening.” Those of us in animal welfare – and those of you who support us – know this. It’s easier to look away, to go about your business, to let the problem be somebody else’s. That’s why burnout...Read More
