KC Pet Project’s animal shelter is at crisis capacity. Here’s what you can do to help

KC Pet Project’s shelter is at crisis capacity. They’ve taken in over 425 new pets in the last 12 days, and their animal intake for 2022 is projected to be higher than 2021’s total of 14,000.

It’s more than the organization finding strays, bringing them in and taking care of them. Due to the economy, families are having to give up their pets because they can’t afford to keep them.

The shelter is so crowded that they’ve had to turn a playroom for dogs in the building into a temporary shelter to hold kennels for animals. KC Pet Project is doing all they can to help the animals, but they could use more assistance from the community.

Tori Fugate, chief communications officer with KC Pet Project, shared a few ways people can help during this time.

ADOPT A PET

While not the easiest, the best way to lower the capacity is to adopt one of their animals. Starting Thursday and running through Sunday, all dogs over 30 pounds and all adult cats — six months or older — will only cost $30. Pets in foster homes are also eligible for this special.

The special is available at all of their locations, and you can find your closest KC Pet Project site here.

MAKE A DONATION

With more pets comes more responsibility and an immense need for more resources. You can donate money here, or you can buy one of the items on the shelter’s wish lists.

• If you buy an item from this list, you can drop it off at one of their locations.

• To view their Amazon wishlist, click here.

• Their Chewy wishlist can be found here.

FOSTER A PET

While KC Pet Project’s Foster Care program is temporary for people who sign up, it still creates space inside their buildings and gives animals a loving home, if only for a limited amount of time. KC Pet Project is mostly in need of foster homes for medium and large adult dogs.

If you’re interested, sign up for one of their foster care programs here

SHARE THE LOST AND FOUND ALBUM

KC Pet Project shares a lost and found album every day. It’s a collection of pets that were delivered to their shelter after being found in the community. If you’ve lost a pet recently, they could here.

To check the lost and found, check out their Facebook page or click here.

Joseph Hernandez

The Kansas City Star

Joseph Hernandez joined The Kansas City Star’s service journalism team in 2021. A Cristo Rey Kansas City High School and Mizzou graduate, he now covers trending topics and finds things for readers to do around the metro.