![]() On Monday, December 17, the Independence city council will vote on whether to house homeless animals in Independence’s existing city shelter (a 7,100-square-foot facility built in 1978) or contract with Jackson County to use Great Plains as a third-party vendor and move Independence’s animal shelter to the new, state-of-the-art, no-kill facility. Jackson County recently contracted with Great Plains SPCA to operate the facility as a no-kill shelter beginning on January 1, 2013. Independence now has the opportunity to partner with Great Plains SPCA to operate Jackson County Missouri’s new 28,000 square-foot Regional Animal Shelter built earlier this year. ![]() Let’s hope that Independence, Missouri council members make a better choice for homeless pets. Though KCPP claims it has achieved no-kill status, its reputation is still tainted by rescue community concerns over irresponsible adoption policies, high staff turnover and a president and vice president who work full-time jobs somewhere else. The group operated for half a year without an executive director after its initial director resigned after only five months. So Kansas City council members selected KC Pet Project, the low-bid organization, which has since had more than its share of problems in its first year. Kansas City Missouri didn’t want to spend money to house animals in a humane and modern fashion or pay for an experienced, proven organization like Great Plains (Heartland) to turn its shelter around. ![]() Kansas City, Missouri’s animal shelter has long been an embarrassment, with cramped, rusty cages and an ancient HVAC system that croaks out a steady stream of disease into the kennel area. Last year, the Kansas City Missouri City Council rejected Great Plains’ (then known as Heartland SPCA) bid to operate its city shelter and instead chose Kansas City Pet Project, mainly due to that organization’s much lower bid. In fact, the attitude of city officials around here has long been to provide bare-minimum space to house homeless cats and dogs until those animals are euthanized, adopted or claimed by owners. Unfortunately, the idea of a comfortable - even comforting – place for homeless animals to bide their time until adoption hasn’t yet made its way into most city-run shelters in the Kansas City area. This is how animal sheltering should be done. Cats intently gaze at television screens of chirping birds. Smiling volunteers are everywhere, eager to help throngs of people petting puppies and tossing toys to tail-wagging dogs. Natural light pours through a wall-size window in the “sun room” as kitties lounge on assorted cat trees. There are cheerful yellow dog runs with beds above the floor and Plexiglas kennel doors to prevent spread of disease. Great Plains’ new shelter is the antithesis of sad and depressing animal housing. Chillin’ Feline Style at Great Plains SPCA
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