Thanks to auction donators
We’d like to thank some recent auction sponsors – Scavenger Hunts by Let’s Roam and Adventures from ScratchThank you for your donations! You make Second Chances Happen
On January 1, 2019, we rescued our first animal – a dog named George Jetson. Since then, we’ve been dedicated to giving as many animals as possible their Second Chance!
Our 2024 Achievements
ANIMALS RESCUED
That’s over 1000 animals given a second chance at life!
ADOPTIONS
Nearly 1000 pets found their forever homes.
SAVE RATE (%)
Almost every animal we rescue finds a safe place.
FOSTER FAMILIES
Hundreds of families opened their homes to foster pets.
TRANSFERS ACCEPTED
We collaborated with other rescues to help even more animals.
We couldn’t have achieved this without your incredible support! Your donations, dog walking, cat petting, event organizing, manual labor, adoption processing, and encouragement are absolutely critical.
THANK YOU for making Second Chances happen! We can’t wait to see what 2025 has in store!
A Second Chance For Vera Bradley
On a warm July 5th, 2024, Vera Bradley and her three siblings arrived at MSC from a rural shelter. Little did anyone know, Vera’s journey was about to take a dramatic turn. As the day progressed, her foster noticed that Vera wasn’t her usual playful self. Concern grew as her condition worsened, and by evening, she was rushed to a local vet hospital. The diagnosis was heartbreaking: Vera had tested positive for Parvo, a deadly virus that claims the lives of many puppies.
Vera’s tiny body fought valiantly against the virus. Each day was a battle, filled with uncertainty and fear. The vet staff worked tirelessly, providing her with the best care possible. For over a week, Vera’s life hung in the balance. But this little warrior wasn’t ready to give up. With each passing day, she grew stronger, her spirit unbroken.
The turning point came thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters. Their donations funded the life-saving treatment Vera so desperately needed. Slowly but surely, she began to recover. Her eyes, once filled with pain, now sparkled with hope and determination.
Today, Vera Bradley is a picture of health and happiness. She thrives in her new home, mastering basic commands and bringing endless joy to her adoptive family. Her story is a testament to the power of love, care, and community support.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to Vera’s recovery.
Your kindness made it possible for her to find her forever home, where she is cherished and loved. Thank you for helping us give animals like Vera the second chance they deserve.
We’d like to thank some recent auction sponsors – Scavenger Hunts by Let’s Roam and Adventures from ScratchThank you for your donations! You make Second Chances Happen
We were awarded $5,000! Scheels awarded $100,000 to 20 Kansas City organizations this holiday season!
Thank you to these awesome students from California Trails Middle School who chose to spend their community wide day of service at MSC!
You can also listen to this podcast on many podcast services. Links to several can be found on the Dog Words Podcast episode page.
PetSmart Charities awarded us with a $15,000 grant to have new Shoreline kennels installed in our shelter building!
Molly's fosters were not even considering adopting but sometimes we choose them just as much as they choose us!
Thanks to Wally's wonderful foster, he went from a nervous, seemingly unadoptable dog at the shelter to a forever family member in just a few weeks!
Last week we had an industrial washer and dryer installed and it’s a thing of beauty. It’s going to make a huge difference for our team!
MSC saved 10 adult dogs and 2 puppies who were abandoned in negative temperatures.
These puppies were being thrown away like actual trash.They were in a trash bag and someone stopped to throw them over the side of a bridge into a river. Thank goodness a Good Samaritan saw her, stopped her, and saved their 8 innocent lives.They were covered in mud. They whole litter is pretty beat up- they all have scrapes and cuts, we suspect one has a head injury, and one has a problem with their leg. We predict several vet visits will be needed to resolve their ailments and we could use help covering their medical expenses as well as...
Dear Santa,I may be 15 years old but I still believe. Dogs never grow up.This Christmas I really want a forever home to spend my golden years in. Tell them that I’m a jack russell and chihuahua mix. I still get around great and can do steps and hop right onto someone’s lap to watch a Christmas movie!I’m a pretty tolerant guy. I just want a soft place to land and people to love me.I hope my forever home has treats and a lot of soft blankets for me to burrow in!Love,Spock
This time of year it’s fun to share some festive food with your pup or your cat! But what is safe for pets and what isn’t? We have some tips to keep your furry family members safe this holiday season! Consider setting something aside for your pet while you cook! Plain sweet potatoes, potatoes, plain pumpkin and green beans are healthy and delicious treats for your pet before you add the marshmallows and fried onions that make them Thanksgiving classics! Plain turkey or ham are safe to share. But bones and skin are dangerous. Some other foods to avoid are...
While you are shopping all of your Amazon Prime Day Deals don’t forget to use Amazon Smile! It’s a no cost way to donate back to MSC!If you want to pick something up for our furry friends while you shop check out our Amazon Wish List!Details for using Amazon Smile and our Amazon Wish list can be found here! https://www.mscrescue.org/donate/
Pacha’s mom sent us this update: “Our handsome boy Pacha (formerly Bono) has been the best addition to our little family thanks to Melissa’s! We are his 3rd and FOREVER family ❤️” It has our eyes leaking a bit!
We ❤️ happy endings like this one! Ralph was living outside being fed cows milk (which is not a healthy option for cats). He came to Second Chances sick, scrawny and shy. His foster mom loved him and nursed him back to health! Then she found him the most amazing furever home to spend his life in. He even has a cat sibling to play with! Rescue is hard. Kitten season is always a challenge. The pandemic has made it even more difficult. But stories like Ralph’s remind us that the work is worth it!
Every once in a while we have a day that is really special. Today was that day. Today 10 puppies and their mom safely made their way to Melissa’s Second Chances. Our transporters, a mother and son team, Merrilyn and Elijah had arrived where the puppies were living, under a house. The puppies scattered and were hiding under the house’s foundation. The transport in itself is 3 hours each way! So 6 hours total drive time. Elijah spent 3 hours in 100 degree weather crawling under this house retrieving puppies! 3 hours! 9 of the puppies were caught in the...
23 bakers donated 200 items to help us raise $1,836.50 to help make more Second Chances happen!
With the help of The Rescue Project, these two are now safe, vaccinated, fed, bathed, and inside. Lancelot and Guinevere were found during community outreach. They were living on chains with sores, bites and wounds all over them. You could see all of their ribs and they were covered in fleas. Despite their suffering they are the most wonderful and easy going dogs. Lancelot and Guinevere have started their new life in our care. Where the love for dogs is endless. Welcome to rescue, sweet ones. No more chains, no more missed meals, no more sleepless nights outside and unloved. Your...
His name is Tank because this handsome hunk of dog is going to ram his way right into your heart! He's a 5 year old boxer mix with an impressive resume!
Our partners at KCK Pet Help Program spent their Easter Sunday trapping feral cats to be spayed and neutered. Despite the global pandemic it’s still important to try and control the feral cat population in our community. This pregnant mother cat was trapped just in time! She had her babies in our care! The family will be in foster until they are old enough to be adopted. The kittens will be adopted to homes and we will find mom a barn home to spend the rest of her days in! Happy endings for this mother and her babies who she will raise...
Ten days ago, the Second Chances management team sat in a meeting (6 feet apart, of course) to discuss how we were going to handle what was sure to become a crisis as COVID-19 began to sweep our nation. The biggest concern was funding. We knew many people were going to see hard financial times and that as a result the rescue would probably see them as well. The animals currently in our care are very important to us. We need to make sure we can always provide for them. So we agreed that it would be best not to take...
We have the best team at Second Chances! Our cat program is managed by one of our amazing volunteers Susan Hakes Kaufmann! Susan was honored as the Volunteer of the Year by HSUS – Kansas for 2019. We know she is so deserving and we are so proud of her! Thank you for everything you do for the rescue community Susan and for making Second Chances happen every day!
If you’re struggling with leash training we recommend a front pull harness or a gentle leader. These tools will help remind your dog to listen while on lead! Going on a walk is very exciting and it’s easy to get distracted! Keep the leash short and praise your pup for walking alongside you. When they pull, stop walking and wait until they stop pulling and their is slack on your leash before you begin walking again. Don’t use training walks as a way to exercise. You might be stopping a lot in the beginning. In fact your dog might do...