Rescue group sees skyrocketing pet adoptions, drops euthanization rates in Raytown by: Shannon O'Brien

RAYTOWN, Mo. — A Raytown rescue group has turned around the city’s stray animal program.
Before Midwest Animal ResQ took over, if there was a stray in the city, it was more likely to be killed than reunited with a family or adopted.
Previously, stray cats were considered wildlife and euthanized right away.

“Now, these kittens don’t have to just face the end of the road because somebody didn’t get their cat fixed,” Sydney Mollentine with Midwest Animal ResQ said.
Before 2016, stray and surrendered animals went to a local vet clinic, which didn’t have the time or resources to focus on adoptions.
Since Midwest Animal ResQ converted an old 7/11 in Raytown into its shelter, euthanization rates have plummeted while adoption rates are skyrocketing.
“Oh my gosh, I am so proud of this,” Mollentine said. “I mean, we started this out of a small house really with one person and one goal to help one animal. And we have helped thousands of animals since our inception.”

​Dogs like father-son duo Zuko and Zeek’s owner tried to drop them off as strays but a microchip gave him away. The dogs were suffering from urine burns.
“Urine burns are usually caused from sitting in your own urine for an extended period of time. It just eats away at the skin,” Mollentine said. “All of the dogs had that, and it’s easy to say that these dogs most likely spent the majority of the time sitting in a tiny kennel covering on feces. And that’s no way to live.”
Now happy to be well taken care of and on the mend, Zuko and Zeek are ready for a forever home.
Unlike the other dogs full of energy and excitement, we found Lilly cowering in the back of her kennel. She came to Midwest Animal ResQ from a breeding facility.
“She came in. She was terrified, terrified,” Mollentine said. “Her nails were extremely long. You could tell she was painful on her paws. We see that when a dog has spent most of its life standing up on a wire kennel bottom.”
The animals that are euthanized now are because of incurable diseases or the animal has been determined to be dangerous because of behavioral issues.
If you would like to volunteer, support, donate or adopt an animal from Midwest Animal ResQ, visit the shelter’s website.