This National Pet Month, Consider Adopting A New Family Member

Country music artist and animal enthusiast Tyler Rich eagerly knelt down at a Wichita animal shelter to pet a rescued Siberian husky whose body had been irreverently shaven by his former owners.

The large dog, nicknamed Diglet by the shelter, soaked in the attention. Rich, who was in town for the second leg of his “Two Thousand (More) Miles Tour,” had scheduled a stop at Lifeline Animal Placement & Protection, a no-kill shelter in north Wichita. As part of his pre-performance activities, Rich visits an animal shelter in every city he visits. Wichita was only the second stop on this leg of his tour, which features his hit single “The Difference” and the newly released “Better Than You’re Used To.”

“Visiting shelters started because of my obsession with animals and wanting to keep them all — and I can’t,” Rich said. “I thought, ‘What can I do with my social following and reach that can still help?’ ”

Rich hopes to draw attention to shelters across the country housing pets that need to be adopted. The idea was that the posts he made on social media would draw Wichitans’ attention to the animals that needed adopting. 

Rich and his wife, actress Sabina Gadecki, have two rescue huskies of their own — one that they adopted recently from a shelter Tyler visited during a tour stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Tyler has had the other dog, Abby, for more than 15 years after he rescued her from a farm in his California hometown. Tyler considers Abby his best friend, and he even has a tattoo of her on his forearm. 

Pat Morris of Wichita shares Rich’s passion for helping homeless animals find loving families. She started Lifeline in 1997 after she kept picking up homeless animals. The shelter holds up to 300 cats and 140 dogs at any given time. 

Volunteers keep the shelter running, taking special care that the animals get enough exercise and human attention. Word of mouth draws potential families to apply for a pet, and volunteers screen the families. To adopt a pet at Lifeline, visit lifelineanimalplacement.org.

“We make sure it’s a good match for everybody,” Morris said.

And it doesn’t hurt to have a little publicity assistance from a well-known country music artist.

National Pet Month

May is National Pet Month. Wichita has a number of shelters and rescue groups for families looking to add a new member of the family. We have highlighted a few here in case you’re interested in pet shopping.

Beauties and Beasts, Inc.

Website: beautiesandbeasts.org

Description: This rescue organization dubs itself “the 11th-hour rescue.” Its mission is to rescue death row animals from shelters and send them to foster families who will love and care for them. In 2014 when Beauties and Beasts started its work, the animal shelter had a 60 percent live release rate. Today that rate has grown to 95 percent.

How to Adopt: Visit the organization’s website or Facebook page to see animals in need of fostering or adoption, and fill out an application on the website.

Why to Adopt: “They all need a chance,” founder Amy Heggestad said. “Every single one of them.”

Wichita Animal Action League

Website: waalrescue.org

Description: WAAL’s goal is to rescue animals in crisis, provide necessary resources so that responsible owners can keep their own pets, decrease overpopulation, and offer programs designed to prevent shelter and rescue intake. The organization loves being the bridge between pets in need of their forever families and those actual families.

How to Adopt: Visit the organization’s website and fill out an application.

Why to Adopt: “Some people underestimate the power of having a pet in their lives,” executive director Christy Fischer said. “A dog or cat offers unconditional love, companionship, and is a source of laughter. In many families, pets fill a hole and make that family complete.” 

Kansas Humane Society

Website: kshumane.org

Description: This beloved local animal shelter has helped hundreds of thousands of Wichita’s pets by providing them care, comfort, hope, and most importantly, a second chance at a new life.

How to Adopt: Browse KHS pets online or visit in person. The organization encourages all members of the family to visit and become acquainted.

Why to Adopt: “Animals cannot always stand up for themselves, and the Kansas Humane Society strives to give our dogs, cats and other small animals the best possible experience and care while they wait for their forever homes,” said Shasta Lockwood, Kansas Humane Society’s chief development officer.