KC Pet Project accused of being too lax on animal control. Here’s what the data shows
Kansas City Council members have been scrutinizing KC Pet Project’s track record enforcing the city’s animal control laws leading up to a vote that could bring the services back under city control. At the core are these questions: Has KC Pet Project failed at handling animal control, and can the city do better?
The city managed municipal animal control until December 2020, when it started contracting with KC Pet Project to oversee the services.
KC Pet Project has experienced turmoil in recent months, including uncertainty in its shelter contract and changes in leadership. The upheaval comes after a man was mauled to death by dogs in south Kansas City in early November.
Since most of the data on animal control was collected by two separate organizations – the city and KC Pet Project – the procedures for recording the information may vary, which is important to consider when making comparisons.
On Thursday, Kansas City council members will vote whether the city or nonprofit KC Pet Project will run animal control. Here is what the data says about the city and KC Pet Project’s management.
Ticketing pet owners
A third party source for data on animal control is cases filed in the Kansas City Municipal Court by fiscal year. The court deals with animal-related city code violations, including animal attacks, pet abuse and neglect and unlicensed pets. An animal control officer can either issue a verbal warning, an official Notice to Correct Violation ticket or a citation, and the latter could require a court appearance.
When the city was in charge of animal control, the busiest year for animal court saw 4,781 cases filed from May 2016 through April 2017. In a 2017 audit, the city was criticized for focusing too much on issuing tickets to pet owners.
When KC Pet Project took over in December 2020, halfway through the fiscal year, the filings dropped dramatically from approximately 3,300 the previous year to almost 600 that year, an 82% decrease.
The first full fiscal year with KC Pet Project in charge of animal services created a record low number of animal filings: 64 in 12 months. Unlike the city-run animal control, KC Pet Project has consistently stated that they focus on educating pet owners instead of only issuing citations.
Investigating pet bites
Pet bite investigations increased dramatically when KCPP took over animal control, which could point to either an increase in bites or an increase in enforcement. This includes cases where a pet bit a human or another animal, but not wild animal bites.
From 2017 through 2019, city-run animal services closed on average 279 bite cases each year, according to self-reported 311 information. In contrast, from 2021 through 2023, KC Pet Project closed on average 1,029 unique domestic bite investigations each year, according to KCPP data reported to the city.
Of bite investigations from 2021 through 2023, 91% were marked as completed by KC Pet Project. For the other cases, there were a variety of outcomes, including if an animal was taken into custody, if the call was canceled, if the report was a duplicate or if the case was left open.
Passing state inspections
KC Pet Project also runs the city-owned animal shelter in Swope Park at 7077 Elmwood Ave. That facility has passed all of its routine Missouri Department of Agriculture inspections since it opened five years ago, according to reports obtained through a Sunshine Law request.
The most recent inspection was conducted in May 2024. At the time 124 dogs and 75 cats were living at the facility. In addition, KC Pet Project foster homes took care of 116 dogs and 185 cats at the time of inspection.
Animal Services Officers
When a Kansas City department was responsible for animal control, it had a staff of 23 employees, according to a 2019 presentation. There was space for 17 animal service officers, though there were four vacancies. Animal services officers were union city employees.
The city budgeted $1.11 million a year on animal control employee wages, while KCPP proposed $1.12 million on wages, according to the 2019 presentation.
KC Pet Project’s animal services division can employ at least 21 people, according to the organization’s website.
The staff includes space for 15 animal services officers, a manager of animal cruelty investigations and compliance, a chief of animal services, and an unknown number of dispatchers and animal services supervisors.
As of this week, KC Pet Project had two unfilled animal services officer positions, according to Eric Thompson, interim chief of animal services.
KC Pet Project’s animal services officers earn $18-19 an hour, according to a job listing on the nonprofit’s website.
What happens next?
On Tuesday, the four members of the Neighborhood Planning and Development committee unanimously voted to advance a plan for city-run animal control.
The full city council is set to vote on that recommendation at Thursday’s meeting.
If the ordinance passes, the city’s Neighborhood Services Department would start holding community meetings in March and April and begin hiring employees in April, in order to be fully city-run in October or November.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 11:55 AM.
