“Kansas City-area animal shelter facing eviction, needs to find homes for 100 pets - LJWORLD” plus 1 more

Kansas City-area animal shelter facing eviction, needs to find homes for 100 pets - LJWORLD

Posted: 20 Nov 2010 04:18 AM PST

MISSION — A no-kill animal shelter in northeast Kansas needs to find homes for more than 100 dogs and cats before it is evicted.

The Pet Connection in the Kansas City suburb of Mission will be open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. through the weekend to try and place the animals — for free.

Volunteer Jason Huff told The Kansas City Star that if the shelter can't come up with rent for December, it will be forced out of the building.

The shelter has been struggling since a veterinary clinic next door was forced to close this summer. The clinic was the non-profit shelter's main source of revenue.

The shelter has about 74 dogs to place and the rest are cats. They are all spayed or neutered and can be adopted for free.

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Senior pets, senior people: A good match? - Wichita Eagle

Posted: 19 Nov 2010 09:58 PM PST

BY DIANE McCARTNEY

The Wichita Eagle

You see them in the animal shelters or on the websites: older dogs and cats with cloudy eyes and graying faces — sad faces that seem to ask, "How did I end up here?"

October is Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month, when Petfinder.com urges people looking for an animal companion to bring a mature dog or cat into their homes.

Animal rescuers find that most older pets in shelters are there through no fault of their own.

Many of the senior pets available for adoption through Lifeline Animal Placement and Protection, a Wichita animal rescue and no-kill shelter, are there because their owners died or had to go into a nursing home, said Mary Pat Morriss, director of LAPP.

"It's really sad," she said.

But what Morriss finds even sadder is that few people — especially older people — are interested in adopting a senior pet.

"Older people want to adopt a puppy," Morriss said. "They want something that's going to outlive them. But it's not fair to the pet. They would do great with a pet that's older."

Morriss gets frustrated because she knows that when the older person is no longer able to care for the pet, she often gets it back.

Skittles, a papillon mix, was a puppy when she was adopted nine years ago by a couple in their 80s. Now a senior herself, Skittles is back at the LAPP shelter. "They wanted a young dog," Morriss said.

Three of the four senior dogs available for adoption at Pals Animal Rescue are there because their owners died. Another, Gracie, a sheltie, was adopted as a puppy eight years ago and was returned to Pals when her owners had to go into assisted living.

"There's nothing more frustrating than having a dog that's great, and the only reason people don't want it is they perceive it as being too old," said Pals director Ellen Querner. "Usually, older dogs are a joy to have around."

Querner said she understands why seniors might not want to adopt a senior pet.

"They're afraid they're going to lose it," she said. "They already have lost one usually," maybe a spouse, too, she said. "They don't want to have an older animal die on them."

Querner said she tries to tell potential adopters the advantages and disadvantages of getting an older pet.

The advantages are that they are "usually calm and well mannered and house-trained," said Querner, who may discourage older people from getting a puppy that's too active.

The disadvantages? "Sometimes they will end up costing some money in medical care," Querner said.

"But sometimes I think having a nice, mature, well-trained, calm dog overrides that."

Some of the senior dogs available at the Kansas Humane Society were seized by the state last month from a breeding operation in northeast Kansas.

Most are in good health, said spokesperson Jennifer Campbell, although some have "dental issues, which is typical for senior dogs."

Some people are concerned that they "won't have as much time with an older pet," Campbell said, but "we don't know how long any pet is going to be around."

Studies have shown that pets can help seniors live happier, healthier lives, and may even help them live longer.

"I think pets are very important for senior citizens," Querner said. "Sometimes they are there when relatives are not there."

Morriss, Querner and Campbell said it's important for pet owners of any age to make provisions for their animals in the event they are no longer around.

A dog or cat is a 10- to 15-year commitment, Campbell said, and pet owners should "plan accordingly. Discuss with your family what you want."

That's what Morriss tells people about older pets: They have a lot of life — and love — left in them.

Cats and small-breed dogs can live almost 20 years, said Morriss, who has a 19-year-cat.

"And a 10-year-old poodle — that's not even old," she said.

Reach Diane McCartney at 316-268-6593 or dmccartney@wichitaeagle.com.

Pets Zone

Saturday, November 20, 2010