End animal suffering in KCMO urban core

Chain of Hope works in the urban core of Kansas City, MO every day of the week helping animals and their owners. We receive numerous requests for help every day. Sometimes, the situation is literally life or death for an animal. Our response is critical in saving a life. Montana is one of those dogs. Read on.

Chain of Hope received a call from a maintenance man who had seen a dog in the inner city that was in horrific shape. When I called him back, he told me that it was emaciated and that it looked like it would not make it until morning. He said that he had gone to the door of a house where the dog was laying, kind of off to the side. Someone answered the door, they were impaired and mumbled something about “that dog sure needs some food”. The man who was trying to help didn’t know if it was the home owner’s dog or not. He left and called Chain of Hope. I told him that I would head over to look for this poor dog.

When I got over there, I drove back and forth looking and around the neighborhood. I could not find this dog and it was going to be getting dark and much colder soon. After looking for quite a while, I decided that I was going to go to the door of that particular house again and try and talk to them. As I was getting out of my car, I looked over and I saw the dog! It was almost camouflaged in the tree line, just laying there curled up in a ball in the leaves, trying to get warm.

I grabbed some canned dog food and started lobbing some chunks close to the dog as I walked towards it. I didn’t want it to try and get away. It had no interest in the food at all. I crept closer to her, still tossing food and coaxing her to come to me. She finally stood up and tried to take a step towards me and collapsed. She was totally emaciated and very weak. There is no way she would have made it through the night. I picked her up and put her in my car and drove her to the emergency clinic that we use.

When I got to the emergency clinic, they brought a stretcher out. Her head was hanging over the side of the gurney as they whisked her to the back. I was so worried about her making it. I hoped and prayed we’d gotten her in time.

The nurses at the clinic started calling her Montana. They all took excellent care of her! Montana stayed at the emergency clinic the entire weekend, receiving life-saving IVs and expert care. Her bill was almost $2500, but we know she’s worth every penny! Montana is doing great now! We got rid of her parasites and she is gaining weight. She is gaining confidence and now wags her tail almost constantly! Her entire life has changed.

Chain of Hope is called to emergencies all the time. Montana is just one example. We appreciate you donating to us so that we can continue to help the neediest of the needy in the inner city. We could not do this difficult work with you!

Chain of Hope helps thousands of people and animals every year in the inner city of Kansas City, MO. A large group of people that we help with their animals is the homeless population. Many of the homeless in our community have animals. These animals are often their only true companion and friend that they have in this world. Being homeless, it’s hard to provide for yourself, let alone an animal. The truth is that homeless people often hook up with homeless animals and take them under their wing. But due to their circumstances, they need help. Chain of Hope is there, offering help with no judgement.

We have spayed and neutered many animals for homeless people. It can be hard to connect, but we usually can come up with a meeting spot to pick up and drop off their pet. Communication can be difficult because often the homeless have no phone or they are only able to keep their phone on sporadically. We are patient and figure it all out for the sake of the animal that needs help.

Most homeless people love their animals dearly. These companions help them emotionally and mentally to connect to the world. Most of their pets are well cared for with a little assistance from Chain of Hope. If they are not well cared for, we work to get them relinquished and into a better situation. Drugs and alcohol can play a part in the owner’s attitude toward their pet. If things turn ugly for the animal when the owner is compromised, we get it out of there. These cases are in the minority, though. For the most part, they dearly love their animals and just need a little help with food, shelter and veterinary care.

We’ve encountered people that will sleep on the streets with their animals if they can’t find housing where they can take their pet. They would rather do that than get into a facility where they cannot keep their beloved animals. We understand this and help them all we can. It is because of your support that we can step in and help the homeless retain their pets. We appreciate all of you!