The Pet Connection

When our family decided we were ready for a dog, we had several factors we needed to consider. We…read morehave a yard, but it isn't fenced-in. I used to get allergy symptoms around our Labrador mix in high school, but when I'm around my friend's German Shepherd nowadays, I'm ok. But I was leaning toward hypo breeds just in case. The biggest factor in our decision was that: we wanted a rescue doggo, and preferably not exactly puppy age but just a bit older. So I looked at and monitored animal shelters all over NE Kansas. I quickly noticed that dogs who got close to fitting our criteria were very quickly adopted or were considered high profile animals that demanded much higher adoption fees (into the hundreds) which was a major letdown. But then I expanded my search to Prairie Paws in Ottawa, KS, and I'm so glad I did. Not only was there a variety of healthy, adorable pets, but the facility is new and inviting. It's next door to a veterinarian clinic. You notice as you pull up that you're greeted by a dog run-type area. And the staff and volunteers truly love everything about what they do. The dog we chose fit all of our criteria and more. I mean, he walks in his hind legs. That's just bonus! We noticed how much he loved the staff, and that spoke volumes to the level of care he received in the short amount of time he spent there. All of our questions were answered patiently and thoroughly. While our family was going through this adoption experience, we noticed that Prairie Paws does a ton of events for the animals, volunteers, and community. Once I got on their social media, I noticed that they promote the work they do in order to be awarded grant money to expand that. I was so impressed. We all were. As soon as we got our new little guy home, he stood on his hind legs and looked at me as if to ask if it was ok to get on the couch. I said that it was and my son patted the space next to him. Then he hopped up on the couch, promptly plopped down, gave a huge sigh, and fell right so sleep. He knew he was home.

Wonderful job with helping us spay our puppy. So informative & wonderful to work with! Highly…read morerecommend!!!

Always & Furever Midwest Animal Sanctuary

3.0

They don't even try to reunite with the previous owners. The owners felt forced to make an…read moreemergency decision without the funds right on the spot for an emergency surgery. They reached out the next day with all the finds and after several attempts , not one explanation as to why they can't be considered. These owners were not abusive, not banded, just panicked in the best I treat to their dog Bella. Just to be taken advantage of and used their dog to raise money. They are not who they say they are. Reuniting is a false statement on their website site. See their story here https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18K5rhokHy/?mibextid=wwXIfr

This place sucks. My friend and I were pet shopping and we found a beautiful cat at petsmart and we…read morewent through the whole application process and we got a text saying they would process it and never texted me back. My friend and I ended up going back to petsmart and saw he was gone and the guy up front told us he was adopted. There was zero communication that the cat we wanted was already getting adopted or there was people wanting him so I Don't recommend this place at all

Second Chance Pet Adoptions

2.3

(3 reviews)

My boyfriend and I were looking to adopt another cat to be a companion for our first one…read more We went online and found a four year old cat named Katie through a lady on Craiglist. She had found Katie and had taken care of her. I talked to this lady for a week or so about Katie and we decided to meet at the PetsMart that she was being kept at. My boyfriend and I fell in love with her, and were ready to get the adoption going. We sat down at the adoption table and started filling out the forms. Then the Adoption lady and her daughter asked us how old we were. My boyfriend was 20, and I 19. We did not see that as a problem, and neither did Katie's finder, however the adopters were disgusted. As soon as they found out our ages, they wanted to get us out of their adoption place as soon as possible. Asking us questions in a snotty way, and being completely rude. We would have been great owners for Katie. I have been an animal lover my whole life, and worked at a PetsMart. I am an animal activist, and Katie would have gotten nothing but love. The adopters knew that, but once they found out that neither of us were 21, it was all over. The last thing the adopter said to me was "We will call you if you get approved for the adoption, but we don't call people who don't." HOW RUDE? The lady who found Katie talked to us afterwords and expressed her feelings towards Second Chance Pet Adoptions, and said that if she had known that they would treat great pet owners that way, she would not have asked for their help to find Katie a loving home. I called the Second Chance Pet Adoptions and left a voice mail a few days later inquiring about my application, and saying that if we did not get approved we would appreciate a call anyway because we wanted Katie to find a home. However, i never receive a call or e-mail or anything. We wanted to give a cat a second change. This cat was 4 years old, and most people want kittens. But we loved Katie. Adopting cats is a great thing to do. I am glad that there or organizations that do it. But, when someone pretty much spits in my face for being young, despite my aptness to adopt and love an animal, that place should be shut down or put under new management. It was absolutely absurd. So a few weeks later we went to Wayside Waifs, where the staff was super friendly and did everything that they could to help us find the right cat. They adopted to us the same day. We did fill out an application and were asked various questions, but they saw what kind of people we were, and that we would take care of any animal.

We can't thank the ladies from Second Chance Pet Adoptions enough for our new addition!!! I did not…read morehave the experience that Mary did... I will say this, they were very protective of their pets in the respect they were diligent on their placement. Their concern was clear on the animals. We couldn't be happier. We adopted our pet at their Adoption Center on Northoak. It is so clean and beautiful there. We love our dog and thanks so much!! Highly recommend them!!

Great Plains SPCA

3.5

(62 reviews)

We were extremely disappointed with this animal shelter. It took an act of congress just to go see…read morethe animals and you couldn't really interact with them without signing your life away. Some of the folks there were helpful but others seemed like they didn't want you to be there. No help in the dog area at all. It's like you are at an outside mall that only allows window shopping. Not a friendly place that would make me want to adopt an animal. I do feel bad for the animals there. I'm hoping they pay more attention to them than the people coming into the shelter to adapt them.

What an amazing experience! We were very impressed with the staff with so much care and concern for…read moretheir pets. We called several times with questions and sent our adoption survey. Luckily our amazing dog to adopt was still waiting for us. We love you Bailey and we were confident in understanding your needs as a staff member helped us to understand how to live your best!

Unleashed Pet Rescue

2.1

(134 reviews)

When I adopted my dog years ago he looked terrified in his picture on the website. When I went to…read morepick him up I wasn't allowed in the back. The front was bare and shabby looking. While I was waiting they were baiting a big German Shephard with a cat behind the counter to see if the dog got along with cats. That was when I decided "I don't like this place." When I got my dog they made me sign a waiver that said if he was ever surrendered he had to go back to Unleashed. That's a big NO.

I adopted a dog from this organization in 2019. I drove 2…read morehours to pick the dog up & suspiciously the heart worm results had been misplaced. They said I could come back another day to pick up the dog. No regard for my travels. They couldn't get the test done that day. Go figure. I decided to take the dog anyway. What a shocker to find out it she was HW positive... almost as if the script had been written. The head of this rescue treats herself to a nice 6 figure salary while the animal treatments fall short. A simple web search will let you know they've been investigated for poor practices. They have a history this. Volunteers will tell you the facility conditions are horrid & only certain folks are allowed behind the scenes. Beware!!! https://fox4kc.com/news/problem-solvers/new-details-released-in-states-investigation-of-unleashed-pet-rescue/

Kitty City Kansas Rescue

We've adopted three kitties from Kitty City over the years and they are a wonderful organization to…read morework with. They work closely with shelters with euthanasia policies to rescue kitties that might otherwise be euthanized. They are a foster home-based shelter so their kitties get plenty of socialization and attention and they make the trip to the shelter on the weekends so they can meet potential adopters. I've found Kitty City to be very easy to communicate with and they are deeply passionate about their mission.

Furry Kids' Refuge

My family absolutely adores FKR! We adopted a dog from them back in 2013, and are going back for…read moreanother dog tomorrow! We love the love they have for what they do!

Rescue K-911

4.5

(2 reviews)

It appears that you at rescue k-911 do provide a real service to the community and the animals you…read morecare for. I have not yet adopted a pet but ran across your web site and was impressed with the work you seem to be doing.

Thank you every one else at rescuek911 for all that that you have done and continue to do with such…read morea passion for helping others....I know you don't get the media exposure you deserve I have a huge soft spot for people in need as well as for any animal at all.... I have now adopted from RescueK911 twice and both times was an outstanding experience, very easy to deal with, yes they do look carefully at who they adopt to to make sure each animal is going to the best possible home for it.... if you are in search for a dog or cat I VERY highly recommend giving RescueK911 a very good long look you won't regret it at all!!!

Independence Animal Shelter

(2 reviews)

Everyone at Independence Animal Services has been Fantastic to work with! Tonya does an amazing job…read moreof responding to texts in a timely manner and is always incredibly supportive! The facility is awesome & you can tell everyone there really cares about the animals.

The facility was well maintained, and the staff was very helpful! We were given plenty of time to…read morelook at/ play with a few dogs. We later came home with our best friend!

Quivira Road Animal Clinic

4.1

(9 reviews)

My little dog and I stopped by for a simple nail trim, and it was a very good experience. The…read morecounter staff was friendly and they were very sweet to my dog. The lady who cut Petri's nails was very thorough, and very sweet with him, even though he was terrified, because he always is. We will be back! Also nine dollars for a nail trim is a very good price.

My dog cut the inside of her ear on something at Shawnee mission dog park. She was bleeding quite a…read morebit. I tried to take her here and they wouldn't take her because we didn't have an appointment lol. I didn't see any other customers being helped either. They didn't look too busy to take a bleeding dog. I have been bringing her here for the last 2 years and won't be coming back. Called marketplace animal hospital off of College Blvd in Lenexa and they took her right away. Looks like I have a new vet.

Wild Bird House

4.5

Came in and was greeted right away by a woman who worked there who was also coming in the door with…read moreus. She was exceedingly nice but never asked us if we needed help. The store is not large so we located the section we needed right away. However, we still couldn't find or determine if the item we were looking at was right for us (again, no one ever asked us if we needed help) and eventually landed on a garden flag stand. We had been to several stores previously for weeks and like to buy local instead of online when we can. This was the first store we found that had substantially stronger garden flag stakes. This whole time, there was a man working that kept his eyes on me and my partner but especially me, scowling. I just ignored it as RBF cause he was an older man, and I had done nothing but smile and greet him when we came in. I could feel him staring at me several times while we were shopping. Every time, I just smiled and he'd look away. We decided to look around the store after deliberating alone for about twenty minutes to see if maybe we could get other gifts for people and bought a few other items. Note, there were two older women working and the older man. When we got to the store, there may have been only 1 other person in there. A small family had also come in at one point but left before we did. Otherwise, the store was entirely empty. At checkout, there were two areas to check out of at the counter. We were still meandering when I came up to one side to look at the stickers. He alerted us that check out was on the other side. He checked us out and I realized he had bagged our items, but we had brought our own bag. When I mentioned this, my partner was like, "Oh yeah! We have our own, we don't need one but thank you." I added in, "Yes save it for another transaction." This man, scowled and stared me down for a solid 15-20 seconds--he literally kept his head facing me, locking his eyes on mine as he put the bag back in the rack behind him. It was so awkward and uncomfortable and honestly rude. I just smiled bigger at him politely, but widened by eyes to make it clear that I DID see him rudely staring at me for refusing a bag. He finally relented, greeted us goodbye. The other female worker had just come back up to the checkout platform as well as we walked out and thanked us with a goodbye as well. It was a very odd shopping experience. The store is very quaint and woodsy. Items are priced to match inflation. They have a variety of things not just for ornithology enthusiasts. The garden flag stand was the best we could find in the area and is very sturdy. I had contemplated coming back to get a bird bath, but I'll try elsewhere cause of the weird interaction.

Friendly staff and good selection. They have the best bird food. The birds love it and the…read moresquirrels hate it. Win win.

Brookside Barkery & Bath - Shawnee

3.6

Took my furry friend here to wash her myself. When I got there, they showed me how to use…read moreeverything and pointed out the shampoos, conditioners, and doggy cologne for afterwards. There was no time limit like other dog washing places I have been to, so this was great knowing I could take our time and work on brushing out all of her hair! When we were done with washing and conditioning, the lady at the counter helped me with the dryer. The only downside was that I found out after we left that for an extra charge, they will help you clip my pup's nails. So we missed out on that, however I'm sure my pup was fine with that. Despite that little blip, everything else was great!

My pup was soft, smooth, and looks like a show dog! Helen and crew get a high 5 because I don't…read moreworry about a thing when I drop her off. If you want your pup to happy and well groomed, Brookside Barkery is the best! When we walk in, the staff always greet Molly first, and there's the proof in the pudding! I love their caring and doting welcoming!

The Pet Connection - animalshelters - Updated July 2026

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Wilhite & Frees Equine Veterinary Services

3.5

(2 reviews)

Dropped everything to come take care of our horse. Although the result was heart breaking, true…read morecompassion was shown and we truly appreciate everything done.

Their billing department has a lot to be desired and Dr. Trahan's moral values are in question. I…read morewas in Ireland when my horse got colic so we had to discuss everything over the phone. Dr. Trahan said it was going to cost me $1000 for them to look at my horse. I authorized that expenditure. As it turned out, the horse wasn't going to make it so he called me back. I authorized $300 for euthanasia and $600 for the disposal of his body. Total came to $1900. However, they charged a little of $2400 to my credit card. When I disputed the $500 he over-charged me, he got very standoffish and told me that if I didn't pay the additional amount, I would never be able to use his hospital again and that I would have to take my horse to Columbia. I asked him if my next horse was in dire straits and needed the use of their facility because it was a matter of life or death, what would you do, he said he would close the doors and tell me to go to Columbia. He would rather see my horse die than work on him... all because I challenged the fact that he overcharged me. After talking with several other people that have dealt with these guys, the common denominator is that it's nothing unusual for them to overcharge people..

Kitty City Kansas Rescue

Somerset Animal Hospital

4.6

(10 reviews)

We suffered through the mistreatment of our Australian Shepherd at this clinic. Our beloved dog…read moreyelped in pain twice at the rough handling during a nail trim. Vet techs Valerie and Hagen need training on how to handle dogs. They wouldn't bring in a mat for our dog to stand on. We told them he is a senior and the floor is slippery. Our dog was fine when he walked in and could barely walk to the car after being twisted and restrained. We took him to an animal chiropractor, and now he is walking again, and moving better. We first went to this clinic after moving back to KC. We saw Dr. Gabriella, I don't know what happened to her, then another doctor had his name on our receipt for a toenail trim. I have seen 4 vet techs come and go during the 4 months we went there. The high staff turnover tells me this clinic is poorly managed. We ordered Heartguard through their website, Dr. Sparrow cancelled and redid our order without consulting with us. This is unethical. We had to go in to the clinic to find out what happened with the charges on our credit card, because we couldn't get a straight answer over the phone. Thumbs down to Dr Sparrow, when we described the incident with the new vet techs she tried to talk us into getting tests run on our dog!!! She wasn't even interested in the fact that our dog was injured at the clinic!

I downloaded Yelp just to say how much we love Somerset Animal Hospital! The staff is AMAZING and…read morethey take such good care of our pup

Humane Society of Greater Kansas City

3.3

(25 reviews)

Very easy to schedule via email. Prompt response in scheduling. Thanks for all that you do!read more

I adopted my first cat here several years ago and the whole process was so smooth and enjoyable…read more.. don't know what happened but this place has gone downgraded now. Although the people was still nice, the process of me adopting my second kitten wasn't as smooth and detailed as it used to be. I guess maybe they're understaffed or don't have much budget. I hope they get their stuffs together though because I always recommend people to adopt pets from here!

Sunflower Animal Hospital

(21 reviews)

You can trust and depend on this vet practice. This is one of the few non corporate owned; vet…read morepractices left! We need to support these family owned practices. Dr. Scott and her team truly care about you, and your furry friend. They have a heart and skills! I trust them 100% they identified a problem with my puppy, and explained the issue. They provided a number of solutions, and Then supplied scientific data backing up the different treatment solutions. Dr. Scott spent more time with me than any vet; I have ever known. She was not happy, until I was comfortable and knowledgeable on the treatment protocol.

Highly recommend it. I have taken our pets to Dr. V for over 30 years. Will miss Dr. V but look…read moreforward to new team.

Home With Dignity - Kansas City