The changeover has taken place.
After a decade of oversight by the Humane Society of the Flint Hills, Prairie Paws is now handling those duties for the Emporia Animal Shelter — and CEO Vanessa Cowie says there will be a few couple shifts in operating hours this week. Hours Monday and Tuesday will be 1-5 pm, followed by 9 am to 6 pm Wednesday through Saturday. Cowie says that approach is important.
Cowie says Prairie Paws also provides a lot of medical care, including shots, flea and tick treatments, deworming, spay and neuter and microchipping, and Prairie Paws also provides a week of behavioral training for dogs. Adoption prices are $100 for adult dogs, $225 for puppies up to four months, $55 for adult cats and $75 for kittens up to six months.
Prairie Paws is based in Ottawa but also operates a shelter in Manhattan and is looking to serve communities with similar populations across Kansas. It secured a three-year contract with the city of Emporia after a competitive request for proposal process earlier this spring.
Meanwhile, Humane Society Board President Lori DeWinkler says the agency is excited for Prairie Paws and credited the staff, several of whom helped to operate the shelter under Humane Society leadership. In addition, the Humane Society has planned a pair of community events this month, including a pet food giveaway at Dryer Park from 10 am to noon Saturday and a community meeting at ESU’s HPER Building at 5:30 pm Aug. 20. The community meeting is designed as a way to share ideas and hear community suggestions for the Humane Society going forward.
Prairie Paws, meanwhile, will have its Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 am Friday. On Saturday, there will be a free vaccine and microchip event at the shelter in conjunction with the K-State veterinary department.
7:45 am Sunday: Prairie Paws begins operating Emporia Animal Shelter
Sunday marks a new era for the Emporia Animal Shelter as Prairie Paws begins a three-year operations contract Sunday
The shelter will have new hours as it gets started. Monday and Tuesday will have hours of 1-5 pm, followed by 9 am to 6 pm Wednesday through Saturday.
The shelter phone number remains the same, 620-340-6345, but other contact information has changed. The email is emporia@prairiepaws.org and the website is prairiepaws.org. Residents wanting information through Facebook need to find Prairie Paws Animal Shelter Emporia KS.
Prairie Paws CEO Vanessa Cowie will have more information on KVOE’s Newsmaker segment at 7:20 am Monday.
The shelter had been operated by the Humane Society of the Flint Hills since 2015.
