The KCPP is a no kill animal shelter operating in the greater Kansas City area that focuses on adoption of homeless or abandoned pets and creating a “No Kill Kansas City.” A major part of creating a city with no kill animal shelters is the ability to foster animals until their adoption. Fostering keeps shelters from becoming overpopulated, which is the main reason some shelters still see the need to euthanize when they get too crowded. Fostering also creates awareness about the dogs up for adoption, since more people will come in contact with a fostered dog than if it were only seen by those who visit the shelter.

Siuda has been volunteering with KCPP for the past three years and recently decided to bring the project to Jewell. By starting her own initiative, Pawsitive Interactions, Riley has made Jewell a haven for shelter dogs.

“Pawsitive Interactions gives students the opportunity to interact with dogs on campus. My goal is for the foster dogs to become a campus-wide project in taking care of and promoting/advocating to find each foster a home,” said Siuda.

First, she had to make some changes in Jewell Policy.

Currently, Jewell has a “No Pet Policy” in place for students who are required to live on campus all four years. Siuda sought to change this regarding foster dogs. By visiting Stephen’s College, a pet friendly school, in the spring in order to get to know how their foster program works, Siuda put together a proposal that adhered to Jewell’s Emotional Support Animals Policy, Stephens College’s Pet Program and KCPP’s foster contracts to try and change the policy at Jewell.

“The proposal started in the Student Life office and worked its way up the chain of command to the Provost, who spent the summer looking into the logistics of such a program on our campus. Pawsitive Interactions was approved for a trial phase this semester,” Siuda said.

Wilkinson’s current foster dog, Bastian.

By getting in contact with some Resident Directors (RDs), Siuda was able to find dogs at the shelter foster homes right here in Jewell dorms during Pawsitive Interactions’ first trial period. Katie Wilkinson, Resident Director in the upperclassmen triangle, also realized the benefits of taking in dogs and decided to join the foster program when Siuda reached out to her. As of now, Wilkinson has fostered two dogs through KCPP while at Jewell, an 11-month-old black lab shepherd mix named Rooster and an 11-year-old mini poodle named Bastian.

“I would love to get students involved with something new and different on campus,” Wilkinson said.

Fostering the dogs in such a concentrated setting gives students more exposure to the program and can make a student’s day just by being able to pet one of the fostered dogs.

“Students have responded really well. They have actually been really excited and engaging and ready to play with the dogs,” Wilkinson said.

Not only do students get to interact and play with the Jewell foster dogs, interacting with them can also open doors to volunteer work and jobs assisting with the shelter. Students can get involved with the KCPP in other ways as well, such as marketing for the shelter and raising donations.

This does not only affect students. The foster program has a big impact on the Jewell staff. Staff can get involved with the KCPP whether it be through the routes listed above or fostering a furry friend of their own. Staff have also gone so far as to adopt the dogs that their coworkers have fostered. It took only six days of boarding for Wilkinson’s first foster, Rooster, to be adopted by Tracy Hart, Administrative Assistant and Coordinator of the Truman Scholarship Program.

The amount of interaction the animals get not only benefits the people on campus, but the animals too.

RD Ryan Zavacky with his puppy Frank, who is not a foster dog, but still a furry friend at Jewell.

“The beauty of fostering is that it gives an animal one-on-one care, a personal advocate, as well as opens up a kennel for the next animal that arrives at the shelter,” Siuda said.

Another benefit is that because more people see the fostered pets than say, in a neighborhood that is not as interconnected as a college, the dogs may get adopted faster.

“The shorter the foster period the better… we want to get [the dogs] in their forever home with their new best friend,” said Wilkinson.

In 2016, the total intake of KCPP shelters was 9,700 (6,136 dogs, 3,128 cats, 436 other). Of those animals, 6,240 were adopted, 1,486 lost pets were returned to their owners and 1,034 animals went to other caring shelters.

To see pets that are being or have been fostered and adopted through Jewell, or to get involved with the KCPP itself, visit this Facebook page or KCPP.

Photos by Clare Kimmis.

A previous version of this article was publish with inaccuracies. The Monitor has updated it to include the corrections.

Kansas City Pet Project (KCPP) is the largest no-kill animal shelter in Kansas City, Mo., and the third largest in the United States. Founded in January 2012, it is a nonprofit organization that works with other organizations in order to increase the number of homeless animals adopted each year. The goal of KCPP is to end the killing of healthy and adoptable pets in Kansas City, through progressive lifesaving programs and promoting effective and safe animal control policies.

According to its website, the organization works collaboratively with other animal welfare organizations to promote pet retention, animal identification, lost pet reunions and pet ownership education throughout the community.

KCPP has two popular adoption locations: one at the shopping center at Zona Rosa and another inside of a Petco located in Overland Park, Kan. There is a main shelter on Raytown Road in Kansas City. There is a large amount of space in all three buildings, but employees have to be creative about how they use this space. Most adoptions go through the center at Zona Rosa.

“With nearly 10,000 animals coming in every year, we get a wide variety of different animals, and of course different situations,” said Annie Frisbie, marketing assistant for KCPP.

KCPP is an open admission shelter, which means that it does not turn any animals away. Since so many animals come in every year, the shelter relies on the public to give these animals loving homes. The animals come from many places, such as KCMO Animal Control, the public and owners wanting to surrender their pets.

Like any other animal shelter, KCPP occasionally gets full. The shelter has some programs in place to avoid getting too full and having to turn down animals. One of those programs is the foster program.

“In our foster program, you can sign up online to become a foster parent. We are always looking for new fosters,” said Frisbie.

The purpose of the foster program is to allow homeless, sick and abused animals to receive the proper care needed while they wait for their “forever home.” Foster parents take care of animals that may need more medical attention so the healthier pets can remain in the adoption centers. After they have been cared for and are healthier, the foster pets can return to the shelter and be adopted.

Another program by KCPP is the barn cat program. Many cats that go through their shelters are feral or extremely unsocialized. In those cases, the shelter puts those cats up for adoption through this program. When these cats are adopted, many services that would usually be additional charges are included in the price, such as a spay/neuter surgery and essential vaccinations.

KCPP also offers other programs such as Pit Bull EDU and playgroup program, descriptions of which can be found on its website.

Because the shelter is a nonprofit organization, fundraising programs help with expenses. One of the fundraising efforts in place is called the roadrunner fund. Many of the cats and dogs that come through their doors are in immediate need of critical medical attention. This fund covers the expenses needed to pay outside veterinarians and continue treatment for ill and abused animals.

Businesses, individuals and families can sponsor a dog or cat kennel at the shelter. In order to sponsor a kennel, the group or individual will make the donation, and an honorary plaque will be placed on the kennel that they have decided to sponsor.

In addition to these fundraising efforts, individuals can make general donations online or in person at the shelters.

There are many volunteer opportunities through KCPP. Volunteers walk dogs, work at fundraising events, help with paperwork, collect donations, drive animals to veterinary appointments and socialize with the animals in the shelters.

Christy Weinhold volunteering at KCPP

Christy Weinhold, first-year non-profit leadership major, is a regular volunteer at KCPP.

“I volunteered for dog rescues back at home in Saint Louis, so before I got to Jewell, I looked for a rescue to volunteer at. It is a humbling experience that is extremely educational while giving me a sense of my home life,” said Weinhold.

Weinhold usually walks dogs when she goes to volunteer at the shelter. The dogs were the main reason for her choosing to volunteer at KCPP.

“My favorite part of KCPP is the organization that they have achieved,” said Weinhold.

When Weinhold volunteers at KCPP, all she has to do is look at the white board that they have at the shelter, which displays information about all of the animals, and determine which dog most needs a walk. She said that she gets to work at her own pace and really spend quality time with the dogs.

“KCPP has specific leashes, a certain way to walk the dog and a strict policy to make sure the animals do not come in contact with each other. Their organization has made a big difference in the dogs’ behavior and likelihood to be adopted,” said Weinhold.

Kelsey Jones, sophomore nursing and ACT-In major, adopted her kittens through KCPP. Her family adopted at the main center on Raytown Road. According to Jones, the employees at KCPP were very helpful throughout the process.

“[We were] led into a room where we were able to play with and get to know [the cats]. They also helped you with your decision by showing you which cats would work best for your home situation,” said Jones.

After you pick out your future pet, an on-staff veterinarian checks out the animal to make sure that it is in the best shape possible to be taken home.

“We had a very good experience there,” said Jones.

KCPP is making strides to reduce the number of homeless and sick pets which go unadopted each year in the Kansas City area. To learn more, visit their page at kcpetproject.org.

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