KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dogs may be man's best friend, but Kansas City area animal shelters say it's the dogs who now need more friends.
There are more dogs than humans right now for the local shelters who care for the strays, the unwanted and the mismatched.
"We are in a crisis at Kansas City Pet Project right now," said Tori Fugate, chief communications officer for KC Pet Project. "And we have been for awhile."
And it's not just the KC Pet Project that is dealing with too many animals at their facilities.
At Great Plains SPCA, which works with the KC Pet Project, they also are full.
The shelter is picking up more strays and, sadly, there are more owner surrenders.
The KC Pet Project's impact report for June 2023 activities lists the top four reasons pets have been surrendered in 2023:
- Lack of financial resources or inability to access resources for their pets, including costs for veterinary care and unplanned litters.
- Health of the owner or health of the pet.
- Personal reasons, including changes in lifestyle or the pet was incompatible with the living arrangements of other people or other animals.
- Housing issues, including cost, loss of home, moving/relocating, eviction and housing restrictions.
The KC Pet Project has intake kennels that are supposed to be left open for animal control. But in the last few weeks, the kennels have been used as a permanent spot for some of the dogs brought to the shelter, according to Fugate.
"It's a constant stream of chaos, basically trying to get animals to open kennels when we have them," she said.
Fugate said every shelter is full right now.
KCK Animal Services is one of those shelters at capacity.
If the shelter receives more animals, the shelter fosters them until there is a spot in the shelter.
The shelter had a 96% release rate last year where dogs were placed in homes after being in the shelter.
Meredith DeNoon is a foster parent for dogs and loves being able to help provide shelter and care for animals waiting for their forever home.
"If you can open up your home for a couple of days, a couple of months, any time frame that will allow an animal to come into your home, you are saving that life and letting them find a next opportunity, a forever family," she said.
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