KC Pet Project
A no-kill nonprofit that has operated the City of Kansas City's animal shelter under contract since 2012, transforming KCMO from one of the highest-euthanasia municipal systems in the country into a consistently no-kill operation.
KC Pet Project is one of the more dramatic recent stories in American animal welfare. The organization was founded in 2011 by a group of Kansas City animal advocates and began operating the City of Kansas City, Missouri's contracted animal shelter in 2012 — taking over a municipal operation that, at the time, had one of the highest euthanasia rates of any major American city.
Within several years, KC Pet Project had transformed the shelter into a consistently no-kill operation, with live release rates that have remained above 90% since the mid-2010s. The organization now operates out of the KC Campus for Animal Care, a purpose-built facility that opened in 2020 in southeast Kansas City near Swope Park.
How they work
KC Pet Project adoptions begin online or in person. The application is short, the interview is conversational, and meet-and-greets happen for animals that look like a fit.
Adoption fees vary by animal and time of year. Fees include spay or neuter, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchipping, and a starter pack.
The shelter operates as no-kill in current practice, with live release rates that consistently exceed 90% — unusual for a contracted municipal shelter operating in a metro of Kansas City's size and intake volume.
Beyond standard adoptions and the contracted municipal services, KC Pet Project runs:
- A full-service veterinary medical center at the new campus, providing care to adopted animals and broader community access.
- Animal control and lost-and-found services as the contracted municipal animal services provider for the City of Kansas City.
- Spay/neuter services at reduced cost across Kansas City.
- Pet retention programs including food assistance, behavior support, and resource referral.
- Foster networks that handle puppies, kittens, post-surgery recoveries, and seniors.
- Behavior and training programs for animals requiring rehabilitation.
- Community outreach in underserved Kansas City neighborhoods.
What changed in Kansas City
The KCMO municipal shelter, before KC Pet Project took over operations in 2012, was euthanizing thousands of animals annually — at rates that put Kansas City in the upper tier of American cities for shelter euthanasia. The dynamics behind that were the standard combination factors: limited municipal budget, limited adoption infrastructure, limited foster capacity, limited public engagement.
KC Pet Project's takeover changed nearly all of those factors simultaneously. The organization built out adoption capacity, established a robust foster network, expanded transfer partnerships with no-kill organizations in nearby states, and increased the operational marketing of available animals to the broader Kansas City community.
The result has been one of the more measurable shelter-policy improvements of the 2010s. KCMO went from a high-euthanasia system to a consistently no-kill system within about five years, and the model has been studied and partially replicated in other cities considering similar contract arrangements.
The 2020 opening of the KC Campus for Animal Care — a purpose-built, architect-designed facility that replaced the older municipal shelter building — was the operational culmination of the transformation. The new campus is one of the more impressive shelter buildings in the country.
You can support KC Pet Project in the standard ways:
- Adopt from the KC Campus for Animal Care.
- Foster — the foster network is large and constantly recruiting.
- Volunteer — dog walking, cat socializing, medical clinic support, lost-and-found support, event work.
- Donate — KC Pet Project publishes detailed financials annually.
Field & Era at KC Pet Project
The Elmwood Avenue coordinates — the new KC Campus for Animal Care — appear in Companion Edition orders shipped throughout the Kansas City metro and across the broader Missouri/Kansas region. If you adopted from KC Pet Project and want the address set on archival paper, see the Companion Edition. 10% of every Companion order supports a rescue partner.
Last verified May 29, 2026. Facts about hours, intake policies, and adoption fees can change. Confirm with KC Pet Project directly before visiting.