We’ve almost made it to the end of the year when we tend to experience a slower time in shelters, but the numbers of pets and people in need this year have not lessened. November was another record-setting month for us at KCPP – providing care for 1,242 animals that arrived in November (718 dogs, 507 cats, 17 other animals). We’ve already provided care for 14,208 dogs and cats in 2023 and are trending ahead of last year at this time. We sent 894 pets to new homes in November (449 dogs, 445 cats, and 10 other pets) and the number of dogs adopted was 21% higher than in November 2022.
However, the number of stray pets arriving from the public rose again in November – with a 32% increase in cats and a 17% increase in dogs. In fact, 2023 has seen the largest number of stray animals brought in by the public in Kansas City’s recorded history – up 121% from 5 years ago.
Here are a few more notable metrics from our November Impact Report:
- Our shelter veterinary team performed 888 spay/neuter and specialty surgeries in November, bringing our total surgeries performed to 8,255 for the year.
- We’ve done 815 low-cost surgeries for community cats so far in 2023, and we’ve already provided free spay/neuter services for 323 dogs that were reclaimed by their owners.
- On Sunday, November 12th, we participated in the first ever community-wide spay/neuter event for owned pets in the Kansas City area. Seven animal welfare organizations (coming together as the Spay/Neuter Collaborative of KC) performed a total of 322 free spay and neuter services for dogs and cats across the metro.
- The numbers of lost/impounded pets being reunited with their families through our dedicated Return-to-Home team continues to rise and are 52% higher than they were 5 years ago.
- Animal Services Officers worked 1,853 case activities in November, travelling a total of 13,779 miles throughout the city, impounding 286 animals, and returning an additional 48 pets back to their homes without having to impound them.
- In November, officers issued thirty-five (35) criminal citations, with 749 criminal citations for ordinance violations having been issued through Municipal Court so far in 2023. The top four reasons criminal court citations were issued for ordinance violations in November were: 1) failure to provide adequate animal care, 2) failure to obtain a city license, 3) public nuisance violations, and 4) dogs running at large.
- KC Pet Project took home 4 Philly Awards from Nonprofit Connect’s awards program this year for excellence in nonprofit marketing in the following categories:
- Social Media Campaign – The Story of Jolene
- Short Video – Giving Tuesday 2023
- Special Event Invitation – Love Finds a Way Gala
- Informational Brochure – KC Pet Project Information Cards
- KC Pet Project was voted the winner of The Pitch’s Best Place to Adopt a Pet in 2023 and we were voted Runner Up for Best Fundraising Event for our Love Finds a Way gala.
- We had 168 news stories and broadcast mentions during the month of November with a total reach last month of 307,415,683 million people.
- In November, 776 volunteers gave 5,250.57 hours of services to KCPP, the equivalent of 30 full-time employees.
- In November, 581 local families with 1,408 pets benefited directly from free pet foods and supplies provided by KCPP – which was the largest number of families ever receiving resource assistance in one month. We held a Drive-Through Community Pet Food giveaway at our Campus on Friday, November 17th. Through a generous donation from Chewy and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), we received a semi-truck of 30 pallets of pet foods and supplies to share with our community. Approximately 18,000 lbs. of dog food, 8,000 lbs. of cat food, 17,000 lbs. of kitty litter, and 30 kennels/gates were distributed during the event.
Winter has just begun, and we should expect to continue to see large numbers of pets in need coming in throughout the season. We are so grateful to you, our supporters, across our community and beyond that help us do this lifesaving work every day.