Services being suspended:

• Pet Adoption Center is closed
• Volunteer Services is closed
• The Pet Food Pantry is closed
• No public or onsite education classes, tours/visits or non-staff visitors at all

Services that will continue:

• Our contracted Stray Services for the cities of Belton, Grandview, and Riverside will continue through Animal Control Services.
• Fostering Services will continue. (Animals and supplies will be brought to your care. Text the Foster Department when you arrive.)
• The Bark Park will remain open for those that already have a 3, 6, or 12-month Bark Park membership by using their Bark Park key card. (We are encouraging Bark Park patrons to practice social distancing at all times.) One day passes are discontinued while we are closed to the public. 

Services by appointments only:

• Vet Clinic: call 816-761-8151 when you arrive for your appointment. (Veterinary services are only for shelter animals in foster, adopted pets undergoing heartworm treatments, and recently adopted pets needing a vet check.)
• Pet Memorial Services/Cremations – by appointment only by calling 816-986-4406
• Lost Pet/Return to Owner: If someone has lost their pet they will need to view our Lost & Found page at WaysideWaifs.org to view stray animals at our shelter. Return to Owner appointments will be 9 am-5 pm by appointment only at 816-761-8151.
• Pet Surrender: Please visit our Pet Surrender web page to learn more about alternatives to surrendering your pet, especially at this time when space is limited to all area shelters. Proactively reach out to family, friends, or neighbors for possible rehoming options. If someone needs to surrender their personal pet due to an emergency situation, this will be by appointment only by calling Admissions at 816-986-4404 or by starting the pet surrender process on our website under Pet Surrender under the Resources tab .

Additional items of note:

• Stray animal? If someone has found a stray animal, please either try to find the pet's owner or take that animal to the Animal Control facility in the city in which the animal was found.
• Fur Ball has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 15 at the Overland Park Convention Center. Please email mmoody@waysidewaifs.org with Fur Ball questions. 
• Media Inquiries: please call Casey Waugh at 913-909-4397 or Robin Rowland at 913-424-5331.
  
  

Please do not worry about the shelter animals at Wayside Waifs – our highly skilled staff are caring for them. Because of you, our amazing donors, the shelter has the resources needed to weather this storm. Your financial support is making it possible for us to provide the shelter animals all of their medical, behavioral, and enrichment needs. If you would like to make a special gift in honor of our dedicated staff and their efforts please do so at WaysideWaifs.org – all gift amounts are welcomed and needed!

I have great confidence in the amazing staff at Wayside – they are a resilient and committed team of individuals and I know they are ready to meet this challenge. I encourage anyone reading this message today to practice self-care during this time of uncertainty by eating healthy food, getting plenty of exercise and sleep, and stay properly hydrated. Perhaps most importantly of all: please be mindful of your response to stress and do what you can do to reduce feeling stressed.

Here are some links that you might find helpful to stay well informed and what you can do to mitigate your risk of contracting or spreading this coronavirus. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/symptoms-causes/syc-20479963

https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health/coronavirus

With gratitude and respect,

Geoff Hall

President, Wayside Waifs