The building that is today’s Kansas City, MO Animal Shelter was never intended to be an animal shelter. It was originally constructed to house the equipment used to build Arrowhead Stadium. Once that project was completed nearly 50 years ago, city officials decided to convert the building into Kansas City’s “dog pound”. It was a “catch-and-kill” style facility with all homeless pets housed together in one loud room, located in a remote location, in a flood plain, and adjacent to a former landfill.

• The number of animals coming in has increased 57% since KC Pet Project took over in 2012.
• The shelter is not ADA-compliant, and it is too expensive to upgrade to meet requirements.
• The shelter sits upon a hazardous hill that creates challenges for visitors & volunteers.
• The remote location does not promote volunteerism, visits, or adoptions.
• The shelter is 1/4 the size necessary to accommodate the volume of pets that arrive every day.
• Dogs are housed in one large room in kennels that face each other and are stacked two high. This causes significant stress on the animals in our care and presents many challengesfor staff and volunteers caring for them.

For the first time in Kansas City’s history, we will be building an animal shelter campus and it will be one that our residents and pets all deserve. Imagine, if you will, one of the world’s most state-of-the-art animal welfare facilities located right here in Kansas City. A place that will attract thousands of visitors and will service over 25,000 families annually from all across the metro area.

This campus-like environment will have multiple activities happening every day. The new shelter will be located in Swope Park at Gregory Boulevard and Elmwood Avenue, right down the street from the Kansas City Zoo, Starlight Theatre, Lakeside Nature Center, and the Swope Park Dog Park.

• Four times the size of the current facility at approximately 54,000 square feet.
• Separate entrances for Adoptions and Admissions Departments.
• Modern and “fear-free” animal housing with dogs in separated “wards” to bring down stress and sickness for shelter pets, cats in kitty condos, a small animal room, and other housing options for pets based on their status at the shelter.
• Outdoor “catios” for access to fresh air for our kitties, including one for FeLV positive cats.
• Natural light exposure to nearly all animal areas.
• Indoor meet n’ greet rooms and play rooms for dogs and cats.
• Outdoor play yards for dogs for adopter interactions, volunteer engagement, and daily playgroups.
• Proper HVAC to decrease disease/odor.