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Fall is here, but that hasn't slowed down Scott on his "Goes Rural Tour." Each week Scott picks a rural animal shelter within a few hours of Kansas City and drives down to promote them.
Why rural shelters? Scott knows that many small shelters, especially in rural areas, don't have the same funding resources, volunteers, or even pet adopters as the cities see. So he goes with a desire to bring exposure to them, showcase their work, and promote a donation drive to provide the much-needed resources. And most of the time, he even promotes their longest-term shelter dog to the Mission Driven community, hoping to find the dog a forever home.
In September, Scott toured and promoted four (4) animal shelters, all doing fantastic work. And guess what, as always, the Mission Driven community stepped up and once again showed their generosity. Over $15,000 was raised during September, and it all went directly to the shelters it was donated for.
The first week of September, Scott visited Green Hills Animal Control in Trenton, Missouri. It's 90 minutes outside Kansas City. They had a shelter full of beautiful dogs and cats needing to find forever homes.
And as small shelters go, they had some needs for their shelter. The biggest and most important item was Kuranda beds. (For those who don't know, these beds are elevated off the floor to keep dogs from having to sleep on cold/hot, wet cement floors. This wish list was for 15 beds which would mean every dog in the entire shelter would get one, and not only was that goal met, it was exceeded! Twenty-five (25) Kuranda beds were donated. And on top of that, other supplies were donated, and more than $900 was raised for the shelter.
Scott also met the adorable Tiggy.
Tigger, aka Tiggy, is a 2-year-old Pit Bull Terrier. He has been homeless for nine (9) months. He is a little standoffish when you first meet him, but he is the biggest love bug once you have spent some time with him. And once you build trust, he is a very happy, loyal dog. He's not high-energy but is very content on the couch or floor hanging out.
He is up-to-date on vaccinations and is neutered. He is just so strong and big that he needs a single-dog home with older children. Due to the Pit Bull ban in Trenton, he has not gotten any attention. He just needs someone from a non-ban on Pit Bulls town to come to bring him home and love on him.
If you would like to adopt Tiggy, contact Green Hills Animal Control.
The second week of September, Scott drove an hour outside Kansas City to college-town Warrensburg. He was super excited to visit Old Drum Animal Shelter because, in 2020, the city had voted to defund the local animal shelter. It happens to be the only one in Johnson County, Missouri! This vote did not sit well with Kayla, the director, and others. So they stepped up and organized to take over as an independent organization. January 2021, they assumed control and have been busy ever since.
Already this year, they have had 800 animals come through their facility. They are a no-kill organization and only euthanize when behavior or health issues require it. Their goal is to broaden their foster family pool to continue to meet the demands of all the homeless pets in their county.
After the tour, Scott helped them create a specific Amazon wish list with items they desperately needed. As a result, not only did a ton of donations arrive, but they also received $750 in cash donations!
Then he spent some time with their dogs, who are struggling the most. From owner surrenders, hoarding, abuse, and neglect cases, they have quite a few animals needing help.
Leo was one of those dogs. And just a day after the video had been posted, he was adopted. She said she saw the post and it was love at first sight! She even tagged us in a photo later that day, saying, "You all did tell me he was a couch dog; he definitely found his spot."
Find out how you can become a foster family at Old Drum Animal Shelter.
The third week of September, Scott stayed close to home and visited Furry Kids Refuge.
Furry Kids Refuge is a no-kill, all-volunteer animal rescue organization which started in the year 2003. They have been rescuing animals from high-kill shelters in Kansas City and Nevada, MO, for many years. Still, their efforts do not stop with shelters. They also rescue neglected adult dogs and puppies from breeders, abandoned pets, owner surrender companion animals, strays, abuse cases, and loving pets displaced due to the death of their owners.
All animals in their care are spayed or neutered, receive all vaccinations, and, if necessary, life-saving medical attention. Then, when their foster animals are emotionally and physically healed, they search for the appropriate human companion for each, helping to ensure a loving, forever home. To date, they have rescued over 5,000 animals!
Although they have been a foster-based organization, they are growing and currently building their own animal shelter. The property they purchased was a former boarding facility that was abandoned many years ago and needs repairs and new buildings. Over the last few months, they have been clearing brush, adding fencing, and updating electrical and water. They have twenty-two (22) dogs on site and hope to add more as the other areas get completed.
Their most significant need right now is monetary donations. The quicker they raise more money, the faster the facility can open. And they only had one bag of dog food left when Scott was there. So again, the pet community stepped up and donated $1705, and over 75 Amazon boxes were delivered filled with all essential items.
To donate to their animal shelter, please visit Furry Kids Refuge.
The last week of September, Scott drove 90 minutes to Windsor, Missouri. There he visited the Windsor Animal Pound run by the city.
Windsor is a small town of 3,000 people. The pound has no staff and relies on the compassionate city employees to help out when they have free time in their personal calendar. Talk about amazing! Every week, people from this community volunteer their own time to care for the animals.
So we know the animals are loved, but an animal pound means there are not adequate resources or play areas for the dogs. They have indoor/outdoor kennels that are very small, but they have no yard. And they need this enrichment; the city wants them to have this enrichment where dogs can just be dogs and run around and play.
So Scott saw this need and heard it from the volunteers. With the city's help, he set up a fundraiser to raise money to get the dogs a fenced yard. The town allowed all cash coming into their website for 48 hours to be donated to the animal pound for a fenced play yard.
Thanks to the generosity of our Mission Driven community, we were able to raise $12,000 for the animal pound in Windsor, Missouri! As a result, the dogs will receive a considerable play yard, and the facility will get some much-needed upgrades. The volunteers and city employees are so thankful. They promise to send pictures and provide updates, especially of the new play yard for the dogs. This campaign was life-changing, and none of it would've been possible without your support.
Scott hit up another animal shelter the last week of September. He stayed close to home and visited Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter (FOPAS). They are a no-kill shelter with a mission to house, care for, provide medical treatment for, and find permanent homes for the abandoned and stray animals in their care.
They have a handful of staff members but rely on the volunteers they get every week. And their volunteer list isn't small! Every week they have 60 volunteers who come and help out.
On average, they have 40 cats and 20 dogs with indoor and outdoor living spaces. Unfortunately, they are not open every day of the week, so if you visit, be sure to check their hours of operation to the public.
While touring, Scott noticed they were entirely out of canned dog food. So he helped them create a very specific Amazon wish list hoping that donations would come in to stock them through the winter. And, of course, it shouldn't surprise you that you all stepped up again. As a result, their shelves were stocked with their wish list, and that's a huge thanks to you!
Scott also promoted one of their long-term shelter pets.
Nova is a one-year-old Labrador Mix. She is the most affectionate dog at the shelter. She is house-trained, spayed, and all her vaccinations are up-to-date.
She's the kind of dog that when people meet her, they say, "This is such a great dog!" Nova lost her former home through no fault of her own. She has excellent house manners and is crate trained and housebroken. She is easy to walk, and she loves taking them. Nova loves to play with most dogs, male or female, but she plays pretty rough, so a dog smaller than she may be intimidated by her.
At 10 months old, she weighed about 40 pounds. She is getting ready to have surgery for hip dysplasia and will need a loving home to recover in. FOPAS would love to find a foster home to get her through the surgical recovery or a foster to adopt home that would foster her during recovery, then adopt her once she's fully recovered. However, you must live in the KC Metro area and be able to transport her to the vet for surgery and any follow-up visits, but her surgery is wholly paid for by the shelter!
If you are interested in Nova, please contact FOPAS.
