Earlier today, I posted an update on the statistics from KC Pet Project and the Kansas City, MO Animal Shelter through September.
As recently as 2008, the KCMO animal shelter had a live release rate of about 38% -- and tragically resembled the mess that many munipal shelters still are today. Many advocates came forward, and the city decided to privatize the shelter operations in 2009. In 2010, and 2011, new shelter management was able to improve the live release rate to 65% in each of those two years. You can get more details on the history here.
Last year, the city put the contract up for bid again, and a small group of advocates formed the KC Pet Project to bid on the shelter contract. And we won.
Over the past 9 months, KC Pet Project has been able to increase the live release rate to 84% -- including 3 consecutive months now above 90%.
Apparently, what we're accomplishing has caught the eye of the fine folks out at Best Friends Animal Society -- and they've invited me to come out and speak at their No More Homeless Pets Conference in Las Vegas on October 25-28. They are expecting more that 1300 people to attend their conference and I feel pretty honored to be invited to speak as a part of their "Journey to No Kill Communities" track that features some of the top leaders in the No Kill Movement (and many of the people I respect most int he movement) -- such as Susanne Kogut, Ellen Jefferson and Bonney Brown.
I'm really excited about the opportunity to talk about our situation here in KC where the city is working with the animal welfare community in a partnership that can increase life-saving in the community through contracting out the operation of the city animal shelter to a private organization -- and in the process, turning what was until only a few years ago a high kill shelter into a very low kill (and hopefully soon No Kill) shelter. I hope others can learn from the experience. I also am pleased to represent a fantastic army of people in Kansas City that have really helped make this happen -- a great, compassionate staff, a huge (and growing) volunteer base, and an active rescue community that have all helped make this possible.
So join me and some others from our team out in Las Vegas at the end of this month.
You can read a little more about our Bio for the conference here.
Congratulations on what KC Pet Project has accomplished, and on this recognition. May you and your community have even more success in the future.
Posted by: Karen F | October 05, 2012 at 01:38 PM
Nice to read about some good things happening in animal shelter instead of the much too common oops-killings, lost dogs/cats, pain and suffering in many facilities. You have to be proud of what you have accomplished!
Posted by: db | October 05, 2012 at 02:12 PM
Way to go!
Posted by: Selma | October 06, 2012 at 02:23 PM
Great going, Brent, Michelle, and the other hard workers at the KCPP! Further evidence that, when you work your tail off, good things happen!
Posted by: pitbull friend | October 06, 2012 at 08:01 PM