Looking for (puppy) love? These matchmakers in Johnson County would be happy to help

Dog lovers in Johnson County have been thinking paws-itively while fostering dogs for a local nonprofit. Pawsitive Tails has been helping canines in need of families since 2015.

The organization focuses on dogs that come from rural JoCo shelters, but it also works with Kansas City, Kansas, Animal Control; the KC Pet Project; and shelters in Wichita.

Crystal Tucker, director of Pawsitive Tails, said that while the group takes dogs of all ages, sizes, breeds and temperament levels, pregnant dogs and their puppies hold a special place in her heart.

“We take pretty much any dog I can find a foster for. We save anybody we can save,” Tucker said.

Her first priority is to save dogs that are on euthanasia lists at shelters, but if she can, Tucker will accept owner surrenders.

Like other animal rescues in the metro, she saw the number of people taking in pets skyrocket at the start of the pandemic. Usually the group adopts out 700 to 800 dogs per year, but in 2020 it was almost 1,000.

“I had people lining up to foster, and I literally couldn’t find dogs to give them, because everybody wanted one,” she said.

Now, it’s a different situation.

“We always knew that that bottom was going to fall out, but we couldn’t imagine how badly. We’re seeing a rescue crisis like we’ve never seen before,” she said. “Every day, I’m overwhelmed with surrender requests. I’ve got eight requests just since this morning.”

The other effect of the pandemic is that many animals only got to know the families they lived with and weren’t socialized to interact with lots of different people, which can lead to behavior problems.

At the moment, Tucker has approximately 58 families fostering 158 dogs, although she has a total of about 100 who regularly take in dogs. Usually when a family takes in multiples, they’re puppies.

Although the group is based in Olathe, only about 10% of its volunteers live there. Foster families can be anywhere from Manhattan, Kansas, to Clinton, Missouri. The group’s contracted vets are in Olathe and Liberty, and typically, families need to bring a foster to one or two vet visits during their stay.

Pawsitive Tails trains mentors in each geographic area where they have foster families to give the dogs vaccines. This cuts down the number of vet trips families have to make, especially if they’re taking in puppies.

Tucker said that she asks families to take a week off in between each foster placement. That gives enough time for everyone to take a breather and to go through the group’s strict cleaning procedures.

Foster volunteers don’t have to pay anything for the dogs’ care. Pawsitive Tails picks up all the costs, including food, blankets, treats and vet care during the foster placements. To try to make sure they will match well with the dog, foster families do meet and greets with potential adopters.

Stilwell resident Marianne Perie has been fostering with Pawsitive Tails since 2019 and estimates she’s taken care of about 125 dogs through the group.

“I know we have such a huge overpopulation problem. Anytime I can free up space in shelter allows another dog to get rescued,” Perie said.

She loves to take in dogs that need extra care, such as ones that might be shy or fearful, or dogs recovering from illness or injury.

“Giving them a chance to be scared but to watch my dogs trust me and watch them build trust is one of my favorite things,” Perie said. “Seeing a dog go from scared, hurt, sick, whatever, and blossoming into the character they’re meant to be is incredibly rewarding.”

Perie credits Tucker with making Pawsitive Tails a great group.

“She really has brought in some of the best people, so I don’t ever have an issue of, ‘Hey guys. I’m going out of town for a weekend. Can anybody watch my foster?’ Within an hour, I’ll get three people volunteering to help me out,” Perie said.

“Or, ‘My (dog) mom just gave birth. I definitely need puppy formula, but I’m stuck in meetings all day.’ Not an issue. Someone’s going to go get me formula, and someone’s going to put it on my front porch.”

For more information about how to adopt or foster a dog through Pawsitive Tails, visit pawsitivetailskc.org. Adoption costs range from $100 to $275 depending on the age and size of the dog.