Marie was trying to give her dog, Precious, away. “I need someone to take her,” she said without looking up. Surrenders – that’s what people in our business call it – happen for a lot of reasons and, typically, none of them are good. An owner has passed on and family can’t take care of...Read More

I learned to be terrified of tornadoes in the spring of 1977. As I lay hidden underneath a wrestling mat with hundreds of my fellow students in a large gymnasium, a twister was leveling the other two schools in my hometown along with what seemed like most of the neighborhoods.  There was no terror for...Read More

Two hours. That’s all I spent outside and a good deal of the time I was in and out of the van, heater blasting full volume against the rush of cold. When we finished – not sure of the time – it was murky and dark. The wind was pushing down on us from the...Read More

Imagine a world without shelters. We do. We imagine them out of business, closed tight, the grounds and buildings put to an entirely different use that has nothing to do with animals being housed until they find homes. And it’s not because we don’t like and partner with shelters or want the staff who dedicate...Read More

I love me a pug. Round and squishy, little tongue sticking out of his mouth. You know the drill. One of them comes into the clinic and I lose my mind. But everytime I see one (after I squee with delight, of course), I remember the difficulties they live with because their genetics give them...Read More

This holiday season, you’ll likely be asked if you can help an organization (or several) with a donation. Thing is, nonprofits like SNKC rely on people like you to keep the mission going. It’s the reality of our world. But – and this is a biggie – SNKC is fairly unique in this space because...Read More

It’s the circle of life. That’s what I tell myself when I think about to that little dog we hastily named Moo. But not in the way you might think. Not in the “Lion King,” living, dying and rebirth narrative that we ascribe to nature as a way to explain (and perhaps feel better) about...Read More

We have spent some time getting to know Jena and Emery, the owners of Nature’s Select Kansas City, ever since they created Kibble 4 A Cause, a fundraising effort through their Nature’s Select pet food business. Their idea was to use Nature’s Select pet food to not just help pet owners feed their pets food...Read More

When I walk in it’s absolute chaos. It can’t be helped though. Vanessa’s house is not a big place so when Maggie and Bella – each one large enough to hog an entire loveseat alone – get moving, they cover ALL the territory very quickly. “Maggie looks like a Twinkie,” Vanessa chuckles. I’d have to...Read More

Sometimes, in this “business,” you just have to sit down by yourself and feel the hurt pressing down on your chest like a heavy boot. There are good days, though. More than you’d think, really. The kind that bring tears of a different kind and remind you why you do this in the first place....Read More