URGENT: BRING PETS INSIDE THIS WEEKEND!
If you are in need of a Bring Your Pet Inside Kit, please contact hero@greatplainsspca.org for more info.
Pet Admissions & Retention
Admissions & Lost Pet Hours
Everyday | 8:00am – 7:00pm
Municipalities We Serve
Animal control agencies for Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Prairie Village, Lake Quivira, Johnson County Parks Department, and Johnson County Sheriff’s Department take their animals to Great Plains SPCA Admissions and Lost Pet Center.
MICROCHIPPING SERVICES
We offer microchipping services daily between 10am and 5pm or $25. Residents in cities listed above 10% off microchipping services!
Pet Admissions & Retention FAQ
Is your recent adoption not working out?
- It takes time to build a bond with your new pet. Please review our Rule of Threes guide to acclimations times for your new pet.
- Is your pet having medical issues? Within 7 days of adoption, your pet may be seen by our Shelter Medicine Team for a post-adoption appointment. You may call them at (913) 742-7310 to schedule. If it has been more than 7 days since your adoption, please contact your veterinarian.
- It takes time to build a bond with your new pet. Please review our Rule of Threes guide to acclimations times for your new pet.
- If your adoption is still not working out, you may make an appointment to return your pet at no cost within 90 days of adoption. Please call Admissions at (913) 808-3347 to make an appointment.
If your pet is struggling with behavior issues, there are many resources available to help identify the issue and work towards a resolution. Great Plains SPCA has a highly skilled Behavior Team which can provide advice and training. Click here to learn more about our Behavior & Training Team or email behaviorteam@greatplainsspca.org.
- Check out helpful documents on a variety of topics in our Behavior Library.
- We also offer reasonably priced behavior training classes and private consultations.
- You can also find a list of local positive reinforcement trainers in the Kansas City metro area, at Heartland Positive Dog Training Alliance.
Like family members, when a pet is having a medical issue, you want to get them the care they need. A list of low-cost veterinary clinics are listed below.
- Pet Resource Center of Kansas City
- Humane Society of Greater Kansas City
- Rainbow Pet Hospital
- Coronado Animal Hospital
Need help with veterinary care bills? Click here to learn more.
Click on the link below for local Pet Food Pantries near you.
If you have found a stray pet that you cannot hold onto, do not bring it to Great Plains SPCA. It is likely that the pet has a family that is searching desperately for it and the steps you take will help them be reunited as quickly as possible.
Sometimes issues with housing do come up that are beyond your control. If able, we recommend using the website: mypitbullisfamily.org to view pet-friendly housing per zip code radius. You can also use www.apartments.com and their filter to search available pet-friendly rentals in the area. Both sites are great tools in finding housing that accepts your pet. Both sites also allow you to see if there are any restrictions on which pets are allowed.
We ask that you exhaust all other means of rehoming your pet prior to completing an application to relinquish a pet to us. The shelter can be a very stressful environment and we want to ensure your pet’s best possible outcome. Self-rehoming helps to keep resources available for the pets that need it the most – those that are lost, displaced, homeless, injured, or sick, or via our Animal Control partners.
PLEASE NOTE: We are at capacity for all dogs that weigh more than 30 pounds!
- Self-Rehoming services and support
- Forms for Self-Rehoming
If you have exhausted all other options and need to surrender your pet to Great Plains, you may apply to surrender your pet to us.
- You MUST complete the application below to schedule an appointment with us and we will not consider your request unless completed. We will contact you upon receipt of your application.
- We are a private, non-profit shelter that does not euthanize based on time or space. Because of this, we operate on a by-appointment-only basis for both stray and owned pets. We often have a waiting list, and it is likely you will have to wait for a period before surrendering your pet to us. This can range from days to weeks. We also work with nine Animal Control partners which take priority for our space.
In addition, all cats must test negative for feline leukemia as Kansas state law prohibits us from offering cats for adoption if they have this disease. This test will be done by blood draw at the time of your appointment and takes approximately 15 minutes.
Surender Fees
We charge a fee to help cover some of the costs of caring for your relinquished pet. They are as follows:
- If your pet is current on vaccinations and altered – $100
- If your pet is current on vaccines but unaltered (or vice versa) – $125
- If your pet is not current on vaccines and unaltered – $150
- If your pet is in need of dental or medical care – Fees begin at $200
- For litters of puppies/kittens under 6 months – $75 for the first pet of the litter and $15 per additional littermate.
- Current medical records must be presented during your admissions appointment to receive the reduced rate.
Great Plains SPCA requires proof of ownership to reclaim a lost pet from our facility.
We want to make sure pets go home with their rightful owners. There are several ways you can prove ownership. Any of the following will help show that you own the pet:
- Registration/license
- Veterinary records
- Adoption Records
- Microchip Records
- Pet insurance documentation
- Transfer of ownership agreement
- Pedigree registries
- Recent photos or video your pet
- Identification tags on the pet (must match claimant/owner information)
- Historical pet record in Great Plains SPCA database(must match claimant/owner information)
Please note that if you are reclaiming a pet that has served a bite quarantine at Great Plains SPCA, you may be responsible for paying boarding fees that are higher than standard reclaim fees.
How to keep your adopted pet safe and secure
Newly adopted pets are at a higher risk of escaping their homes in the first 2 weeks of adoption. Please review the recommendations below to best keep your pet safe and happy.
Key tips to remember
- Secure your dog with a fitted collar and leash. We recommend purchasing a harness and Martingale collar.
- Secure your yard and make sure there are not any holes in the fencing or open gates.
- Do not leave your dog unsupervised outside. Even in fenced areas.
- Make sure exterior doors are closed and locked securely at all times.
- Leave the leash on your dog in the car and ensure they are secured while entering and exiting the vehicle.
- Make sure your dog is secure on leash or in kennel/room when you enter or exit exterior doors.
What to do if you lost sight of your dog
- Post on social media
- File lost pet reports with local shelters and animal control in your area and surrounding areas.
- Call us!! We are here to help.
- Put up fliers in area.
- Talk with neighbors, ask them to keep an eye out. Remind them not to chase!
- Leave food in area where last seen.
- Alert your microchip company that your pet is missing and update your contact information up to date.
What to do if your dog gets loose
- Do not chase!!! It’s so hard not to do this, but it will push the dog further away.
- Stay calm and remain close by without running after the dog, but keeping them in your sights.
- Bring high value food/treats…scatter it and leave bowl out around yard/home area.
- If you have another pet, take the dog out with you to look.
- Once spotted, try to lure the dog back with you towards a secure yard or home. chasing or attempting to leash could make a dog bolt again.
- If the dog freely returns to you and is not afraid or fearful, leashing is obviously fine.
Community Cats
In the greater KC Metro and beyond we often see (or even care for!) community cats. Community cats, also called feral cats, are unowned cats who live outdoors. Like indoor cats, they belong to the domestic cat species (felis catus). However, community cats are generally not socialized, or friendly, to people, and are therefore unadoptable. They live full, healthy lives with their feline families, called colonies, in their outdoor homes. They are masters of their domain, finding resources such as food, water, and shelter on their own– even in extreme cold and heat. Email tnr@greatplainsspca.org for more information.
Ways in which we can help these cats:
Great Plains SCPA partners with Petco Love Lost to make reuniting lost pets easier using image recognition technology to search a national lost and found database. Click on the button to start your search.