Animal preparation, volunteer outreach and community engagement are among the stated reasons for new staff and a reorganization at the Emporia Animal Shelter announced this week.
Humane Society of the Flint Hills Director Stephanie Achille outlined the reasons for recent changes on KVOE’s 8:05 am newscast Friday.
Achille says the shelter needs some modern approaches in several ways, part of which have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Achille says the Humane Society is proud of the services offered, but she also says some of the Animal Shelter’s approaches are “outdated.” To that end, she announced the hire of Bailey Estes as the shelter’s Cat and Customer Service Coordinator and the selection of Elita Baldridge as the Dog and Shelter Enrichment Coordinator. Estes says one of her key focal points will be community involvement in a variety of ways.
Estes also wants to have more education offerings about cats — notably, which are best for indoor or outdoor living and information about feral cats — which she says could lead to more space opening up for adoptable cats.
Speaking of adoptions, Baldridge plans to start basic obedience training for dogs before they find new companions.
The cat area is full, and the dog area is above capacity after 14 dogs were brought in as part of an emergency rescue last week.
For more information, call the Animal Shelter at 620-340-6345 or the Humane Society at 620-342-4477. The shelter’s walk-in hours are 10 am to 5 pm Saturdays through Wednesdays.
