Each year, thousands of dogs and cats enter the doors of Animal Haven, one of greater Kansas City’s largest no-kill animal shelters. Some pets may be homeless, while others may be temporarily separated from their families. Animal Haven’s main goal is to find a lifelong, caring home for as many pets as possible. In the meantime, Animal Haven continues its push to make Kansas City a no-kill community, where no pet is ever euthanized for space and where every adoptable pet gets the opportunity to have its perfect home.
While there are several animal shelters in the metro, there are a few factors that separate Animal Haven from the rest of the pack. For starters, Animal Haven serves 12 municipalities in Johnson County through its Lost Pet Center. No other animal shelter in the metro provides this kind of service to so many cities. In 2009, Animal Haven helped reunite more than 1,000 lost pets with their families.
All animals that are brought to the shelter by Animal Control officers are placed in Animal Haven’s care.
“The staff cannot pick and choose the most adoptable pets to be placed up for adoption,” says Christie Tant, Web marketing and events manager for Animal Haven. “While this gives Animal Haven a greater variety of pets to adopt out, like puppies, kittens, senior pets or those with special needs, it also means that the shelter fills up more quickly.”
If you happen to drive by Animal Haven, you may notice that dogs are frequently placed in outside runs. Weather permitting, all of the dogs in the shelter are rotated outside to get fresh air and exercise three times a day. This also gives the dogs time to socialize with one another instead of being confined in a kennel all day. No other animal shelter in the metro has this same program for their dogs.
If you are interested in welcoming a new dog or cat into your home, there are several reasons why you should adopt from a no-kill animal shelter like Animal Haven. First, when you adopt a pet from Animal Haven, it frees up space at the shelter. As mentioned earlier, Animal Haven has no control over the number of pets that are admitted into its Lost Pet Center through the animal control agencies it serves. Thus, the more pets that are adopted from Animal Haven, the more space will become available for additional homeless pets in need.
Second, when the shelter has a lower occupancy rate, the staff is able to visit high-kill shelters throughout the metro to rescue pets with limited time. This allows Animal Haven to increase the number of pets saved each year and provides those pets a second chance for a lifelong, caring home. And finally, because of Animal Haven’s relationships with 12 municipalities in Johnson County, the shelter always maintains a wide variety of pets available for adoption.
If you are an animal-lover but are unable to adopt a dog or cat, Animal Haven is always on the lookout for eager volunteers. There are a variety of ways that Animal Haven volunteers can help. These options include dog and cat socializing, customer service, adoption counselor assistance, special events participation and data entry.
“We also offer several volunteer opportunities for corporate and community groups,” says Volunteer Manager Dawn Morgan.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or getting your group or organization involved, you can contact Dawn through Animal Haven’s Web site, www.animalhavenkc.org.
Another way to become involved with Animal Haven is to participate in its foster care program. Fostering a homeless pet can be either a temporary or a more permanent assignment, and there are opportunities for every skill level. Many times, puppies and kittens that are brought to Animal Haven are too young to be placed in a shelter environment, and that is when foster families are the most beneficial. According to Shelter Director Marlee DeGraff, puppies and kittens are more susceptible to disease and getting them out of a shelter environment helps them remain healthy until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered and placed up for adoption.
Another reason foster families are needed is to give pets a break from the shelter. After a pet is spayed or neutered, it can be difficult for them to recuperate in the shelter.
“The shelter can be a stressful environment and fostering allows the pets more time to heal in a quiet environment,” says DeGraff.
Also, when a pet is placed in a foster home with other cats and dogs, it gives the pet a chance to learn socialization skills, making it a better candidate for adoption.
DeGraff is a foster parent herself and says the experience is truly rewarding. “Sometimes it’s really hard when it’s time for the foster pet to be adopted,” she says. “But knowing you made a difference and that you found a home for that pet allows you to help even more pets.”
If you would like to foster a cat or dog from Animal Haven, you can pick up an application form at the shelter or you can E-mail them at fostering@animalhavenkc.org.
March is a busy month at Animal Haven. With the weather warming up, more people and pets are heading outside to enjoy the spring season. But with that comes the risk that more pets will get lost and end up at Animal Haven. According to Tant, this is when the intake numbers at the shelter soar.
“Sadly, many of these pets are not micro-chipped,” Tant says. “People often feel that a collar tag is enough, but many dogs and cats that are lost wearing their collar do not show up at the shelter with one.”
If your pet is micro-chipped, that piece of identification will never be lost. And with a micro-chip, the chance of a pet being reunited with its owners greatly increases. If you would like to micro-chip your pet, Animal Haven offers the service to the public for only $25.
In order to keep up with the daily influx of dogs and cats into Animal Haven, donations are extremely critical. According to Teresa Johnson, Animal Haven’s chief operating officer, monetary and in-kind donations from the public are crucial in helping them care for the nearly 4,000 pets that come through their doors each year. In fact, more than 60 percent of Animal Haven’s total operating revenue comes from public donations alone. This help is needed on a continuous basis.
For more information visit www.animalhavenkc.org.
words: Lindsay Crupper
photo: Paul Versluis