They're called the HERO team, an acronym for Humane Education Resources Outreach.
More than 800 Kansas City metro families were served last year by that program designed to help them with their pets.
The Great Plains SPCA's HERO team typically goes out into the community five days a week. Recently, 41 Action News investigators went out with the HERO team's Jacob Meyer and Lauren Hacker.
"Whether it is a dog living outside year round without proper shelter, a pet owner who loves their pet but cannot afford to buy pet food or a group of feral cats who need to be spayed or neutered, our team is committed to helping improve the lives of pets in our community." -- Great Plains SPCA's HERO
The first stop on that sub-freezing winter day was in an area of Kansas City, Kansas.
Meyer and Hacker set out food and water for a female dog they say has been roaming the streets for about a decade. Video taken from a hidden camera on a previous day shows the dog and a companion.
Meyer shows the investigators other evidence the dogs had been there by showing the HERO-supplied dog houses complete with hay beds.
"Here you can see the hay is pressed down. They're actually getting in there, so a warm place to stay at night," he said.
Pepe and Palusia
After finishing their work, the next stop for the HERO team is across the state border to the fenced in front yard of a home in Kansas City, Missouri. There, Pepe the dog gives Hacker a big kiss.
The HERO team puts out fresh food and water for Pepe and the other family dog, Palusia, as well as restocks their dog houses with straw.
When asked if the two dogs would eat if the HERO team didn't stop by the home periodically, Hacker said, "Probably not very often."
The HERO team encounters a lot of issues on its runs. Video the HERO team has taken and shared with 41 Action News investigators shows a wild pack of dogs roaming the street, dogs chained up outside without food and shivering in the cold as well as abandoned dogs.
"We want to do all we can to educate pet owners and provide them with resources to keep pets and people together when it's appropriate," said Courtney Thomas, SPCA CEO and President.
The price of neglect
The stakes are high for pet owners. In Kansas City, Kansas, animal control officers issued 2,321 citations in 2015. A spokesman said some people received more than one. Fines in KCK range from $50 to $1,000.
In Kansas City, Missouri, officers issued 2,205 citations in 2015. Fines there range from $75 to $500. According to KCMO records, 930 of those citations were for failing to have the proper license. Another 460 citations were written for dogs running loose.
"A majority of our animal control problems has to do with stray animals, but on a daily basis, it varies," said Eron Dawkins, KCMO Special Investigator for Animal Health.
"There's usually not a day that goes by where we turn a block somewhere and we don't see two or three dogs that we haven't seen before running down the street," said Meyer.
Stray cat strut
The 41 Action News Investigators followed the HERO team for its third stop at an abandoned home at 27th and Denver in KCMO. There, Meyer petted a black and white cat whose loud meowing let him know the stray feline was ready for lunch.
The HERO team put out wet and dry food as well as water on the front porch and the cat ate heartily. When the investigators left a camera rolling behind, we caught the cat going back for seconds.
Across the street, a white cat waited for all the humans to leave the front porch. Then the investigators camera captured the feline's stray cat strut up to the lunch buffet followed by a black cat.
"People are definitely appreciative of what we're doing and people in the neighborhood look out for each other," said Hacker.
Stray animals are a constant issue in both KCK and KCMO.
- In KCK, 2,083 animals were taken into the city facility in 2015. Of that group, 148 were euthanized, including at least 13 wild animals.
- KCMO animal intake for 2015 was 9,196 animals. Of that group, 711 were euthanized.
The resources to take care of the problem are starkly different in the two communities. In KCK, there are five animal control officers, one kennel master and one director, for a total of seven. In KCMO, there are 17 animal control officers, two special investigators and eight support staff, for a total of 27.
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Andy Alcock can be reached at anderson.alcock@kshb.com.
