The Wichita Animal Shelter in Wichita, Kansas (also known as WAS) is the intake facility for animal control.  Animals deemed adoptable are passed on to the Kansas Humane Society which is in a building adjacent. These facilities are managed by the Wichita Police Department. The management has no experience in animal care or behavior. The police management do not participate in any ongoing training that they speak of.

WAS can’t be called a shelter. The facility is supported wholly by rescues! If it weren’t for this support the euthanazion rate would be sky high and it is already unacceptable! The Beauties and Beasts Rescue in Wichita posts photos of dogs almost everyday with little info available on the reasons for animals being on the euth list! WAS does nothing to promote these animals primarily dogs and cats. 

The reasons for dogs being euthanized are questionable and not based on fact in most cases. “fear”, “possible kennel cough” are examples given by WAS. These are unacceptable reasons. The facility is never at capacity typically running from 50-70% occupancy. There are not any blankets or beds in the kennels even in winter due to the fact the kennels are half size and the divider to make them full sized is closed. The size is probably 4’ x5’ and houses dogs of all sizes! If a dog poops or pees in the kennel there is no place for the dog to get away from the situation as seen on the videos taken by rescues when posting the dogs online! There sits the pile or wet and the dog! 

The comments on the Beauties and Beasts Rescue Facebook page contains negative comments about the facility by public followers and  it’s treatment of the animals and the city for allowing this crisis to continue. These pleas are useless! 

An example I am very familiar with is a small mixed breed dog that was in a kennel. A rescue showed interest and picked up the dog from its kennel to hold it and detected its ear had been cut off and it was bleeding from cuts to its neck. If not for the rescue the dog would have probably died due to its injuries, infection  or would have been euthanized. Apparently there was no plan to treat this dog while on stray hold or every which is unforgivable. The rescue apparently insisted the dog be examined and ultimately saved the dog! How could they have placed this bleeding little dog in a kennel with obvious injury! 

The Wichita Animal Shelter is in a large city yet the funds are dwindling yearly. Some even wonder if the dogs bodies are SOLD to make animal feed which does happen in places! 

I bring attention to this facility to wake up the city management in an effort to improve the care and management of these animals who are being held carelessly at the Wichita Animal Shelter! 

I realize there are shelters that are overcrowded and have serious problems as well but there are successful shelters such as the one in Austin that are a model for others. Maddie’s Fund offers free training and great information for shelters nationwide! There is help available to turn negatives into positives in the shelter or humane society world!