For the last quarter century Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter has been committed to its mission of providing a haven for homeless cats and dogs and finding permanent homes for them. Thanks to its dedicated volunteers, generous donors and community supporters, thousands of stray and discarded animals have found their way to ‘The Little Shelter That Does’.
“FOPAS believes our entire community benefits from the compassion and humanity shown in caring for animals who have been discarded,” FOPAS volunteer, Cindy Spake said. “Animals cannot speak for themselves, so FOPAS speaks and acts for them.”
While viewing pictures of dogs and cats online in need of homes can spur people to want to find out more, and visits to the shelter can result in instant bonds between people and the animals, personal stories about the individual canines and felines deeply touch the hearts of those searching for lifelong, furry companions.
FOPAS’ volunteers are hopeful that the following personal stories will help community members who are interested in adopting, understand how unique these animals’ personalities are, and how much they need a safe and loving home.
FOPAS volunteers’ stories of the animals’ success, also known as ‘Happy Tails’ follow:
TK
TK
TK was an injured cat, living on the streets, who wouldn’t have survived without FOPAS. Once he was healed, he became ‘Mr. Mom’ helping to raise numerous kittens for us. We didn’t know if TK would ever be adopted. Thanks to a patient individual drawn to him because they shared the initials of TK, our furry friend was not only adopted, but one of his kittens was adopted with him. To add to this happy story, the human TK then became a regular volunteer, helping to care for our strays and organize fund raisers. So many times, furry family members end up in shelters when people move. In this case, the entire family moved from Weatherby Lake to California.
Wally
Wally
Wally was rescued from a storm drain in the Parkville Walgreen’s parking lot. A shopper heard her cries and contacted FOPAS. After arriving on the scene and not knowing whether fire departments did, in fact, rescue cats, a volunteer called the Southern Platte Fire Department. They did respond and in no time had the grate removed. The volunteer warned that the cat might be feral and could cause harm, as she had heard the very loud, insistent howls emanating from the storm drain. So donning large fire gloves, one of the fireman stepped down into the drain. He emerged with a tiny, four-week-old gray and white kitten in the palm of his protective glove, who must have used all of her strength to utter such a ferocious and plaintive cry. It paid off, as she was taken to Parkville Heights Animal Hospital, spent the night with the volunteer (actually on top of the volunteer), was fostered for weeks by a vet tech, and eventually adopted by a wonderful family with a little girl who adores her. It takes a county.
Tigger
Tigger
Tigger arrived at FOPAS missing one leg. While we don’t know what happened to his leg, we quickly realized that Tigger doesn’t miss a beat. He is joyful, affectionate, and quickly became a volunteer favorite for his good looks and wonderful personality. Tigger gets along well with other dogs, enjoys car rides, and looks forward to his regular field trips away from the shelter. He will require a home without cats. While he’s been known to destroy a toy, he keeps his kennel clean (what’s a little drool between friends?). Tigger will make a lucky someone a fun and loyal companion.
Petfinder link: petfinder.com/dog/tigger-62305139/mo/parkville/friends-of-parkville-animal-shelter-mo111
Mia
Mia
Mia was placed in a shelter after her human passed away. That shelter flooded during the recent storms so FOPAS stepped in to help. She bonds quickly with people and other dogs. We have not tried her with cats. At approximately five years old, Mia is past the puppy stage. She is a happy girl. She spends her days going on walks with volunteers and romping in the play yards with her canine friends. Mia misses her person and deserves to know the love and safety of a forever home.
Petfinder Link: petfinder.com/dog/mia-71549905/mo/parkville/friends-of-parkville-animal-shelter-mo111/
Auggie
Auggie
Auggie was a volunteer favorite who, ultimately, became the FOPAS' mascot. When the shelter was located next to the railroad tracks, Auggie was found tied to the outside pens, with the trains whizzing by just feet away. He bore the scars from being beaten with a pipe. The abuse he received couldn't change Auggie's love for people and puppies. He wasn't adopted because FOPAS was his home and the volunteers were his family. Auggie enjoyed field trips, he participated in parades in Parkville and North Kansas City, supervised our garage sales, and so much more. Most of all, Auggie taught us life lessons about the power of forgiveness, joy, trust, and unconditional love. He has since passed away due to advanced age and illness. His was a life well-loved.
Little Foot
Little Foot
Little Foot and his buddies were all strays fending for themselves who made their way one by one to the property of a family near Platte City. This family took them in, cared for them, and loved them unconditionally. Unfortunately, the family fell on hard times and reached out to us to re-home their beloved cats.
Little Foot was named after the character in the 'Land Before Time' because he is such a big boy. He loves pets and cuddles but can be a big baby and a little shy at first. He doesn't outwardly seek attention at first but he does enjoy it when delivered with a gentle approach. Once he trusts you though, you'll have a friend for life.
Petfinder Link: petfinder.com/cat/little-foot-69183993/mo/parkville/friends-of-parkville-animal-shelter-mo111/
Paul
Paul
Paul is one of a litter of three (along with his brothers Joe and Michael) born to a feral mom cat. They were found in the backyard of a wonderful couple in Parkville, who went above and beyond by having the mom cat fixed and socializing the kittens. They were supposed to be 'garage cats' until they could find room at a shelter, but they soon found their way into the home (and soft furniture). Unfortunately, the couple have other cats and keeping these three permanently was not feasible, so they contacted FOPAS.
Paul is on the shy side (in the shelter) but has come a long way since first arriving. He is definitely food motivated and is most friendly when it's mealtime. Paul is playful, loves feather toys and welcomes pets when he's playing. He would need a very patient human to give him time and space to acclimate to a new environment.
Petfinder Link: petfinder.com/cat/paul-69920615/mo/parkville/friends-of-parkville-animal-shelter-mo111/
“There are thousands of stories like these, thanks to the dedication of our volunteers and a compassionate community of supporters,” Spake said.
Prior to adoption, each animal is spayed or neutered, brought up-to-date on vaccinations, and micro-chipped. Dogs are tested for Heartworms and treated if necessary. Cats are tested for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus.
Many municipalities provide animal control of some sort, but some are too small to do so, and stray dogs are often found outside any city limits in the county.
“FOPAS believes Platte County is where animal control is much needed and we, as citizens of Platte County, need this full-time service. For many years there was animal control in Platte County, which served the citizens very well, but at this time there is no such service. This means that should a stray dog find its way onto someone’s property, that property owner is left to deal with it themselves without any help - a job which few, if any, are equipped to perform. And left to perform how? Where do they take that stray dog if they can safely catch it? Every citizen of Platte County needs to tell their County Commissioner that professional, compassionate animal control needs to be reinstated as quickly as possible.”
Once an animal arrives at FOPAS they are part of the shelter’s family forever. If there is a medical need, they treat it. No stray is ‘lesser’ than another. They work together with the animals’ best interests always at the forefront of their efforts. “Over the course of 25 years FOPAS volunteers have served as a beacon of hope for animals in need, giving their blood, sweat, and tears for this success,” Spake said. “May we never lose sight of how far we’ve come the past 25 years and may we never lose that heart. With love and gratitude to our volunteers and donors, as well as our beloved strays who have taught us important lessons about joy, forgiveness, and unconditional love.”
Visit parkvilleshelter.com for more information about adopting your best friend. Many kittens are available for adoption including two who were recently dumped in a box and luckily found in time.
FOPAS Adoptions are held on Saturdays (10 a.m. to noon for dogs; 11 a.m.to 2 p.m. for cats) or by appointment during the week. Visit parkvilleshelter.comfor information about adoptable animals, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support FOPAS’ efforts.