2018 Statistics

Awards

Nonprofit Connect Philly Awards

• Gold Award for Best Special Event – Happily Ever After, a Dog Wedding
• Silver Award for Best Medium Length Video – Unsung Hero Award

The Pitch Best of Kansas City

• Best Place to Adopt a Pet

Major Successes

While they were many, one of the major successes was that we finished 2018 with a 95% live-release rate!

Dogs

Our save rate for dogs last year was 94.2%! We took in 5,755 new dogs in 2018 (which was 104 fewer dogs than in 2017). Despite a record number of stray dogs being brought in from the public, there were fewer dogs surrendered by their owners in 2018 (due in part to counseling, resources, and intake alternatives offered by our staff).

Families adopted 3,263 dogs and puppies from KC Pet Project (86 more than last year), and another 2,013 dogs were reunited with their families (RTOs) or transferred out to other rescue organizations.

Where did those 3,263 dog adoptions occur last year?

• Main shelter processed 1,684 dog adoptions
• Zona Rosa processed 832 dog adoptions (that’s 260 MORE dog adoptions than last year)
• Petco at 95th Street processed 423 dog adoptions
• 311 dogs and puppies were adopted directly from foster homes and 13 dog adoptions were processed from our Canine Resource Center and other adoption resources

Our Canine Foster Manager sent 818 dogs and puppies out of the shelter and into foster homes. Our Transport and Rescue Manager utilized 63 different shelter or rescue organizations across the US last year to help us save 644 dogs. Our kennels and foster homes were always full – on average we were providing care for 363 dogs in our system every single day. And our parvo team treated 121 dogs and puppies in our small parvo ward in 2018 – a new record!

Cats

2018 was the Year of the Dog – but it was an amazing year of lifesaving for cats at KC Pet Project! Our shelter took in more cats AND adopted out more cats than ever before in the history of our organization!

Despite taking in nearly 4,000 cats in 2018, we found homes for 3,579 cats – by way of 8 Petco cat habitats, our 3 adoption centers, the new Whisker’s Cat Café, lost pet reunions, and our Foster Ambassadors. And we sent 1,441 cats and underage kittens to foster homes in 2018.

In fact, thanks to the increased demand for cat and kitten adoptions, we were able to transfer in an additional 567 cats from other municipal shelters in surrounding communities throughout Missouri, as well as several cities in Iowa. This helped neighboring communities save more lives, too!

We’re especially proud that 174 cats and kittens with FIV or FeLV found new loving homes this past year through our shelter (82 FeLV, 85 FIV, 7 FIV/FeLV)! And many cats adopted in 2018 were saved from Panleukopenia, were over 10 years old, had ringworm, were diabetic, or had other significant medical issues.