Pet Resource Center of Kansas City (Formerly Spay and Neuter KC)

Our ultimate goal is to keep "owned" pets out of shelters which will allow shelters to house and care for animals in true need (abused and neglected pets) A major factor behind pet homelessness is poverty and the lack of resources available to lower income pet owners. Education is key to making generational impacts in how our community cares for pets. Nearly 85% of the pet owners we serve have taken their pets in off the street. Over 90% consider their pets a part of their family. However most cannot afford basic veterinary care for their pets. We can't stop low income people from owning pets, nor should we. The animal-human bond has many benefits. These pet owners simply need access to the resources to ensure their pets live a happy and healthy life. Those resources include vaccinations; spay neuter, education, pet food pantry and other basic pet supplies. By providing these resources and education we can deter animal control calls, reduce pet relinquishment and keep pets in their homes with the owners who love them. We know we have succeeded by lowering the number of ""local"" impounds or animal control calls within our current shelter system.

Our strategies are what have made us most successful so far to date and include building personal relationships with pet owners in our community, working with a compassionate and non-judgement attitude towards these pet owners. It also includes not waiting on pet owners to call us, we go to them. Our team members go into the areas of Kansas City where there is a higher rate of animal control calls. We provide education; basic resources and ability to schedule spay neuter surgeries and vaccinations for the pets in these areas.

With the impacts of COVID we have seen an increase in demand of services and to help meet those demands we have revamped the way we serve our community. It is our goal to make sure we reach all those in need and do so by:

*Having a very efficient and safe process to serve pets and clients at our clinic
*Set up off site drive through locations
*Have added mobile services to go curb side to those at highest risk of contracting COVID, have transportation issues, disabled and financial struggles.

We are empathetic and compassionate towards our pet owning community no matter the size of their wallet. In the animal welfare field, it is not uncommon to hear, ""If you cannot afford a pet you shouldn't have one."" We feel the opposite. Knowing that 85% of the people we serve have taken their pets off the street, that tells us they most certainly care. Also knowing that 90% of them consider their pets a part of their family shows the incredible power of the animal-human bond. Our approach with the pet owners in our community is nonjudgmental and with a dedication to simply help improve that pets quality of life through basic resources and education. We provide our clients the best customer service and teach about the value of our services and the benefits of those services to the pet's health and to our community. We also inform pet owners that while no one is turned away for their inability to pay, what they do pay towards their services ensures we are able to continue to help other pets in need. This then in turn puts value into the pet which then increases pet retention. Our Leadership Team has strong visionary skills and are strategically looking ahead decades down the road. While we know the numbers of animals needing to be spayed or neuter will likely continue to decline (due to mass sterilization of community pets) poverty will not likely change drastically. Pet owners will always need access to resources and education to help provide their pet a long and healthy life.

In 2002, nearly 20,000 pets were being killed in our area shelters for space and due to a lack of progressive and innovative adoption programs. Killing was status quo back then, but things have changed. With over 100,000 spays and neuters performed in our program, and better sheltering and adoption programs that number has dropped below 3,000 annually and community wide. We have not been able to make a dent in the feral cat population where it is estimated over a half a million feral and community cats roam the streets in Greater Kansas City. We don't know if we will ever get control of that number, but the several thousand being Trapped Neutered and Returned are doing some prevention. Our hopes are to have over 70 local veterinarian clinics participate in a city wide TNR program where possibly 10,000 or more feral cats are sterilized.