KC Pet Project Reports Rising Dog Intake Despite Recent Adoption Success

On Friday, the shelter announced it had reached critical capacity and urgently needed more adoptions. To encourage this, they waived adoption fees for dogs over 40 pounds over the weekend. Staff noted that they had only two kennels available for any new dogs during this period.

"We were able to get 130 large dogs adopted over the weekend last weekend. But even during that adoption period, as of today, we've still taken 152 dogs," said Caity Lothamer, Senior Marketing and Communications Director for KC Pet Project. Although the shelter is no longer in an emergency situation, ongoing challenges remain as more dogs are arriving than being adopted.

Lothamer explained that the summer months typically see an increase in stray animals as well, which contributes to the rising numbers. Nearby shelters, such as the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, are facing similar issues. Katie Grissum, Development Marketing Specialist there, noted, "We're seeing a bit of an ebb and flow of capacity right now. We do have quite a bit of dogs. We have eight available dogs, which, you know, compared to some of the shelters, isn't a lot. But at our size, it is."

Both shelters indicated that longer stays and increasing intake levels often disproportionately impact larger dogs. Factors influencing owner surrenders include housing restrictions and financial constraints. Lothamer mentioned that common reasons for surrender often relate to housing challenges, such as moving to places that don't allow pets or other financial difficulties.

This weekend, six shelters are collaborating to offer discounted $25 adoption fees for all animals, including Independence Animal Services, Humane Society of Greater Kansas City, Great Plains SPCA, KC Pet Project, Lawrence Humane Society, and Wayside Waifs.