Kansas animal rescue has its eyes, ears and tails set on building an all-new facility

By Alan Shope

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    SPRING HILL, Kansas (KMBC) — An animal rescue shelter in Spring Hill, Kan., hopes to save and rescue even more animals with an all-new facility they hope to build.

It’s a plan that some neighbors are barking at.

“What we are proposing is a brand new Miami County shelter,” Jen Dulski with Always & Furever said.

Rescuing animals is a mission and a vision the shelter founder has lived by for years.

“In the five years we’ve been open, we’ve saved just under 3,500 animals,” Dulski said.

Her shelter opens up to mostly non-adoptable animals from other shelters. After recently taking over the Osawatomie shelter, she says it’s time to grow.

“Without charge to taxpayers and without charges to the cities,” Dulski said.

It’s an idea some neighbors say sounds good on paper. Some have concerns. They say water runoff, noise, odor and traffic could be issues for the project.

“We don’t really feel that what they’re proposing is in alignment with the comprehensive plan of Miami County,” Resident Darren Hain said.

Hain says the area where the shelter would go up is zoned to be a rural residential county.

“I beg anyone who hasn’t followed us to look us up online and see how we do things,” Dulski said. “Which is 100% different than how you have defined a kennel or a shelter.”

It’s 40 acres of land that the group hopes to use to build nine new buildings. It would bring walking paths for the animals and even have a veterinarian clinic.

“The mission of our homestead is to keep saving more and loving the animals. They should be today and not waiting for tomorrow,” Dulski said.

If built, the shelter would provide housing for up to 230 animals in Miami County.

There is a public hearing on the shelter planned for next Tuesday night, April 4, 2023, at 7 p.m. in Paola.

The planning commission wants to hear from the community on the plan to expand the county’s only animal shelter. The public is encouraged to show up and speak at the hearing.

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