Update (4:06 p.m. May 28): The Pet Connection's Jason Huff tells The Pitch that the no-kill shelter's 5918 Broadmoor location remains open, and the clinic at 7021 Johnson Drive will temporarily cease veterinary operations and serve as a shelter for the time being.
"Up til Wednesday, the entire operation was threatened
with shutdown," Huff says. "Our
plans are to get the vet clinic back open, we just have to fill out forms to get the clinic filed under another
veterinarian's name. Our attorney worked with the Kansas Animal Health Department to assure
us they wouldn't come confiscate the animals currently housed there while our new
license for that property is in the works."
Dr. Andrea Kennedy, the Pet Connection's former vet, has more
than two decades of service with unblemished record, Huff says,
but she agreed to sever her ties with the Pet Connection under a consent
agreement with the Kansas
Board of Veterinary Examiners.
For more background, check out
the Facebook page of the Pet Connection's Melody Kelso here.
Original story (10:30 a.m. May 27): The Pet Connection, a no-kill animal shelter at 5918 Broadmoor Street in Mission, Kansas, will have to close its doors Friday unless Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson intervenes, according to the shelter's Web site.
The shelter's veterinary clinic, which provides low-cost services for pet owners, failed to pass an inspection by the Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners earlier this year. Now, the no-kill shelter may have to close its doors.
A phone and letter-writing campaign is underway. The Pet Connection's
staff asks anyone interested in saving their clinic and shelter to
contact Parkinson's office and ask him to temporarily halt the vet
board's action. They want the governor to appoint an independent
investigator to assess the
situation and make recommendations thereafter.
As of last night,
Fox 4's Tess Koppelman reports
that Parkinson does not plan to intervene.
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im ashley gavin from bismarck high school and im doing a project of a animal shelter in bismarck arkansas and was wondering if i might be able to help out with the animals and try to give them to a good home. Email me back with some information. how much would it cost to do this and when is a good time. thank you. (ashley gavin)
I just have to say, good info. i've been seeking something like this for a although. can i subscribe somehow to new content? like email subscription or rss feed?
like most people you didnt read what i wrote i wasnt specficly stating pet connecton when talking about the addoption process.
nothing wrong with getting a mesasge but if your mission is to help gets pets adopted then take the time to talk to someone who is interested not just take a number and never call them.
i have adopted aniamls before and will always pursue that over a breeder. i even have a dog we resuced from the olathe animal shelter. But when shelters want to start praying into personal affairs and bills then that is too far and the application may be 2 pages and a 20 min interview but what does it consists of.
Iam happy to share that since this Tuesday TPC will be open during the week again (minus mondays). Woooohooo!
And Mike, you are very wrong! Pet connection has a very simple adoption process. You fill out an two page application (ooooh difficult stuff) and sit down with a staff member for 20 minutes to go over the contract. And yes sometimes staff members do recieve messages from a volunteer who does it for a living. It is her way to give back to the community & you know what these people spend most of their time rescuering animals so they deserve a nice 15minute message her & there. And they probably didn't call you back because nothing came in that you were looking for!!
Ok what needs to be asked here is what kind of violations there were on vet care side. I have been in the location off johnson dr and the animals are well cared for no question on that.
As far as the ridiculas pet addoption process that most places in this town have i agree with chimpo. I understand the thought process of making sure the pet is going to a good home but i think some parts are taken too far, and that will make someone go to a breader instead.
A side note, i went to the pet connection and the lady was getting a message and wouldnt get up to help me, and when she did she took my contact info and never called me. How are they trying to place animals without trying?
I am very disappointed with how the situation at the Pet Connection was handled by the Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners. I would like to see them hold all other Kansas veterinary practices to the same standards they are charging The Pet Connection with violating. The veterinarian at The Pet Connection has treated all of my pets for years and I can attest to her superior veterinary skills as well as her immense compassion for the animals that she treats. She would not knowingly violate rules of her profession. She has and always will have the animal's best interest at heart.
Pet connection is an invaluable resource in our community. It helps sooooooooooooo many animals & people. They have helped reduce kill rates drastically and have even helped many people we'll find their niche. A lot of community service workers come through their doors for volunteering hours & several times when their need time is done these people come back and continue to and have even said that TPC has helped them get on th right path again! It would be catastrophic & devastating if the pet connection has to shut it's doors.
Now Jane, I have to disagree with you. Pet connection staff & volunteers spend all day cleaning the lobbies, rooms, offices ect. I mean it is an animal shelter & animals are dirty so it is never 100% spotless (no shelter ever is) but is for the most I have to say....98.7% in the clean department. The animals are also very clean and are always properly brushed & groomed and bathed when needed. They are also some of the most healthy & simply happy shelter dogs & cats I hav ever laid eyes on. The shelter is normally pretty quiet as far as barking dogs go. You don't have to go through rows of sad barking dogs in cramped cages. No this shelter is different. You walk in & not many dogs are chatting because they have been walked & excersised and are contently napping on comfy beds in their spacious rooms. You see colorful walls, a clean & orginized facility, smiling people & animals and you ultimately get a "homey" feeling with the couches and pictures and the low stress enviroment.
So all you haters here instead of targeting this shelter how about, if you truly are animal lovers, you donate or spread the word of their plite to friends & fam who might be able to help. I know that is what iam doing because I actually care about animals.
The Pet Connection is an amazing place. And chimpo & "animal lover" (yeah right) I don't know why you have such a negative view on this wonderful shelter. Apparently you do not know anything about them because if you did you be supporting them not bashing them!! I have voluntered here for almost two years almost it is the highlight of my week. Almost all of the animals are pulled from a local AC when they are about to be put down. The animals are very healthy & are fed one of the highest quality pet foods currently on the market. They Are not caged up in small pens all day, no they have ROOMS!!! With roomates (if they want one) beds & even couches and more toys then you can even count! They recieve excersise, training and love. Lots & lots of love!!!! These animals are treated like beloved parts of the family until they are adopted out, wether they are there for 1 day or 4 years. And this place is very clean & orginized and I have no idea what you all are talking about because the shelter is spotless! Now with the clinic sadly closing the shelter has lost it's main source of funding so they still need a lot of donations so please spread the word.
And people, calm down! How about you stop bashing & harrasing places & people that are doing real good in the world and focus all that negative energy on the bad horrible people out there instead!! Thank you...
I wish they'd kill all of the animals so they could clean the place up. Then they could pass the inspections.
I was so surprised to see this article and glad for the update the none of the shelter animals are in danger!! It's great to see so much vehement community support for the no-kill shelter, such an important service.
I have visited TPC vet when my kitty developed a strange, unexplained bump. The vet was very nice and the staff were helpful. They did not know what the bump was but advised me not to worry about it.
Later, I went with a friend to look at cats for adoption.We went to see a kitty in the back, where there was a bit of ringworm going around that was just about treated. I was shocked at the disgusting conditions in the back of the shelter (where quarantined animals are, laundry area, storage, and so on). I was also not very comfortable with the cleanliness in the back of the vet area. Even on a tight budget, I feel that the health and safety of the sick animals and ones up for adoption should be a paramount concern. In my mind this includes keeping the surgery area pristine and all cages, rooms and so on clean, organized, dusted, regularly disinfected, etc. The back area had a feeling of extreme disorganization, smelled terrible, and I found it to be filthy.
I have not read any documents about the failed inspection here. I do not know any of the politics that might be involved. However, after my experience, if someone told this shelter to clean up or shut down I think that it's great that someone stepped in. I'm glad that the shelter will not be shut down, as organizing and running the place in a clean, hygienic fashion should be quite possible and a very beneficial change for the people and animals. Perhaps a stern warning was in order.
I had a very easy time adopting our cat max. The staff was always very nice and helpful. When we fell on hard times we took to the low cost vet clinic. they really care about animals. when our other cat daisy got her tail caught in a door the pet connection's vet clinic really cared and did a partially tail amputation even though we could not pay very much. without the pet coneection our cat would have gotten very sick and possibly have died. I think that closing the pet connection would be a horible thing. hundreds of people have a dopted animals there and hundreds of animals have been saved by the pet connections efforts.
Is this where jason miller took the many pets he got rid of over the years?-- an igauna, a snake and a cocker spaniel to name a few== because he was sick of caring for them!
I guess my question is: will the pets be better off from the closing of the low cost clinic. I DON'T THINK SO!!!!
Didn't Kansas just close a bunch of their schools? People come first, especially children and their educatios.
Yes, Jayne from the UK, if only you knew how awful the care is at The Pet Connection... cats have rooms with roommates, furniture, windows, pillows and toys. Dogs have their own rooms with friends, pillows and toys also. And, if you can stomach it, they have three large yards at the adoption center just for playing during the day with other doggy friends. It's just atrocious that they are not left in cages 24/7 to pee on themselves and not get any exercise or socialization. Oh yeah, and in addition to feeding their animals this horrid holistic health food, they also make yummy stews and cook real meats for them like whole turkeys and chicken. And hold on to your seat, the cats get wet canned food everyday along with probiotics to keep them healthy. And it's terrible that the animals are brushed regularly, bathed, receive obedience training, get walked, jogged and get to go on play dates. I have been to many shelters and I have never been to one that takes care of animals in this manner.
And Chimpo, you are so right, that one page adoption application is just TOO HARD for the average person to figure out and it's such a pain in the ass that you have to fill out the front AND back. Those adoption councilors that sit down with you to discuss the potential pet's background, medical history, known behavior issues and any questions you might have are such a waste of time! And really, who wants free behavioral training for the life of your pet anyway!
The community needs programs like ours and because the lead investigator has a business that is directly competitive with not for profits it makes it hard. There has to be someone who sees this conflict that can help out.
What does being intimate with the employees have to do with the services they provide? If you go to the market to get the food you need to survive you don't have to like the cashier.
Clearly Love For Animals is a former disgruntled employee or volunteer who's values do not coincide with the Kansas City No Kill movement.
This article is somewhat incorrect. The Pet Connection's no-kill animal shelter at 5918 Broadmoor will not close. The shelter animals are not in danger. The Pet Connection vet clinic at 7021 Johnson Drive is what faces the shut-down.
I didn't say why I was denied because I never was denied. As I originally said, their process for adoption at the time we were looking was excessive (pain in the ass) and the person we dealt with was unsavory, so we chose to go somewhere else.
As a business, you're only as good as the people you let represent your brand. From the person we dealt with when looking to adopt to the staff now that is causing failed inspections, Pet Connection can't seem to get out of their own way.
Love for animals apparently has never heard of due process. And he/she does not clearly does not understand the personal agenda of the director of the KS Vet Board who is the also the investigator and prosecutor in the matter. Clearly Love for Animals does not understand the business the director runs that is a conflict of interest. Not to mention the false charges he has brought against others. Just because someone makes an allegation does not mean it is the truth. This is a case of someone who has a personal agenda and is exploiting power.
Chimpo - you are right on the money. Maybe you (and none of the other bloggers) have actually read the 24 page petition which lists the 18 allegations worth up to $5,000 in fines against the clinic. This is just what has been made public. You should really read it - make an informed decision about where you take your furry family members. I absolutely love animals and always will, therefore I make informed choices about where we take our pets.
Clearly Jayne Matthews from the UK has absolutely NO first hand knowledge of TPC, the services they provide, and the issues at stake here. I absolutely guarantee that if any of you were intimiately familiar with this group you would not support them.
And Yes, the animals will be taken to other rescue groups in the community to better conditions, more consistent care until they find forever homes. NONE of them will be killed.
Mr Chimpo You shouldn't make statements like that or You will find your self being investigated for Animal cruelty, and in jail. You never said why You were denied adopting a pet? It could of been for a reason not realy bad, ie money, or already having 2 Cats. Making a statement like You just did, even if You didn't mean it, just shows Everyone reading this that They made the right call.
Due to all the vitriol against me in the comments, I'm now super angry and will have to go home and take it out on the two cats I didn't get at the Pet Connection. Do dried cat skulls look as bad ass hanging on a wall as cow ones do?
Please call the Kansas Sate Attorney General's office on behalf of The Pet Connection. 1-888-428-8436
Dirk Hanson, the Executive Director of the Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners, is trying to shut down The Pet Connection's low cost veterinary clinic. Dirk Hanson also owns www.myvetsmeds.com, a business that is in direct competition with The Pet Connection.
Please tell the Kansas State Attorney General that his use of the powers of his agency to put a lower-cost competitor out of business sounds like an ethics violation and a neutral third party should be brought in.
Please do not shut down one of the few no-kill shelters in the country. It would be a dis-service to good people who are operating a very humane shelter. And the low-cost spaying and neutering program is much needed in every com-munity across the USA. Those defenseless animals have no voice, yet they do have emotions, feel pain and are capable of making families very happy with the love they will give them and vice-versa. I plead with you, Governor Mark Parkinson to do the right thing and let the much-needed shelter remain open. You will be a hero for the many animal lovers everywhere in this country and other countries. This is a very public issue and I think funding can be raised by many of us if that is a problem. Resturants get many chances to make things right. Why not this wonderful shelter. They deserve another chance. Please intervene!
First...Chimpo...You're a real CHUMP..O! Only someone who was turned down as an adoptee would feel as you do.That being sadi,wasted enough time and space on your dumb ass.
Second: This closing will not only be a great loss to the city,and America as a whole,but the poor animals they have been helping as well.
Well why doesn't Jason Miller take in all the animals? On second thought, he probably doesn't have any time to help animals with all the extreme demonstrations he puts on. Oh, hey Jason, maybe you can start mailing boxes of dead kittens to the governor*, that'll get his attention!
*I in no way advocate sending dead kittens to anyone.
It�s utterly irresponsible for the KS Board of Vet. Examiners to want to shut down, The Pet Connection a no-kill, non-profit animal shelter,a low-cost faciliy center. Where do they suppose these poor animals should go and the people who need these facilites who can�t afford to go anywhere else? Everyone knows these are very difficult times now. Is this their way of helping the community? It is also my understanding that the charges against The Pet Connection were wrongly accused and manipulated. Because of this it would be in the best interest for the public to demand a full investigation by an impartial and unbiased third party appointed by the Governor Mark Parkison. I see know other way for justice to be served for all.
I am from the UK and even I know that 'no kill' shelters seem to be very few and far between in America. The closure of Pet Connection would be a devastating loss to all the animals they help, not to mention the owners who get veterinary care for their animals at a discount price. Please I respectfully request that this place is not closed until an independent investigation has taken place. I think they are owed that much for all the help they have provided in the past.
Pet Connection has rescued and provided low cost vet care for tens of thousands of cats and dogs over the years....they are stringent on their adoption standards so that dog fighters, vivisectors or other types of exploiters/abusers don't get their filthy hands on the precious animals......Melody Kelso and Jason Huff are saints for the sacrifices they've made on behalf of companion animals....
Of Course, CHIMPO, YOU would find it a pain in the ass because YOU are a MORON...OBVIOUSLY, you are just jealous because they wouldn't turn over a precious animal to you. The Pet Connection has been doing a WONDERFUL job of Rescuing, Protecting, and Taking care of animals...So just SHUT UP.
If the shelter IS shut down tomorrow, what happens to the animals? Will they end up in another shelter?
A no kill shelter fails an inspection and is to be shut down !?!!?? Even if they are doing the right thing by not killing innocent pets that don't have a home at the moment .
Yet factory farms of death and cruelty keep going no problem .Ass-backwards world .
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