A Shawnee animal shelter will remain open after its owner’s desperate Facebook post prompted an influx of donations and words of encouragement.
After struggling financially for months, Melissa Kreisler, owner of Melissa’s Second Chances, said she was considering permanently closing the shelter, which currently has some 200 animals, mostly dogs and cats, that are up for adoption.
“In the last few weeks, I really thought we were going to have to close our doors,” she said. “I couldn’t make it through (June). We had a little bit of savings, and we had depleted that. And it got real scary.”
After making what Kreisler called a “Hail Mary” post on Facebook, which detailed the dire financial circumstances of the shelter, donations and messages came rolling in.
“I was absolutely blown away by it,” she said. “We’ve been very fortunate. They’ve given us life.”
Melissa’s Second Chances opened in 2018
Having more than 30 years of experience helping animals, Kreisler opened Melissa’s Second Chances to help pets find new homes in the Johnson County area.
“This is my passion. This is what I want to do,” she said. “It just kind of took off, and it’s done very well.”
The shelter finds homes for about 1,500 animals per year, Kresiler said. In addition to that, Kreisler also runs Second Cup Cat Café in Olathe, a cafe where cats who are available for adoption mingle with customers.
Both businesses are run by a small staff and supplemented by the work of volunteers.
The shelter costs up to $50K to operate
Running the pet rescue costs about $40,000 to $50,000 per month, including rent, emergency vet visits, staffing and insurance, all of which are paid through donations and pet fees, Kreisler told the Post.
“Sometimes I take animals that need medical care that we’re really not equipped to handle,” Kreisler said. “We don’t have a veterinarian on site. We have to rely on vets in the community giving us discounts.”
In addition, the cafe, which is paid for out of Kreisler’s own pocket, costs an additional $10,000 per month.
During the past year, donations had slowed down to about $13,000 to $14,000 a month, about half of what people gave in 2023, Kreisler said. Meanwhile, expenses for both businesses continue to grow. When Kreisler got a look at her bills, she was dismayed.
“The bills just kind of all hit at once,” she said. “I think it was actually last Monday or Tuesday, I was looking at our finances, and I was like, ‘We’re not going to make it to the end of the month.'”
The shelter is surviving for now
A couple of days after posting a plea for help on Facebook, Kreisler was surprised to see it was shared more than 1,100 times, mostly by people in the community.
With those shares came letters, private messages and about $30,000 in donations from people begging her to keep the shelter open.
“I never expected that,” she said. “I received so many wonderful messages and kind words and support. It’s a good reminder that there’s so many good people out there.”
While Kreisler is thankful for the support, the shelter is not completely out of the woods. It still has outstanding vet bills and ongoing monthly expenses.
“It’s definitely been a super scary time,” she said. “And it would be detrimental for us to close.”
Many Kansas shelters are either close to or at capacity
With 200 animals currently at the shelter, Melissa’s Second Chances has had to stop taking in animals to both save money and space.
“It’s definitely rough out there. There’s just so many animals in need,” she said. “I have people call me constantly, ‘I found a dog’ and when they reached out to animal control, (they said) ‘There’s nowhere to take them. Just turn them loose.’ And that is terrifying to me.”
It’s a similar experience at other Johnson County animal shelters, like the Great Plains SPCA in Merriam.
“Shelters across the United States, and specifically the Kansas City metro, are full,” said Kyle Gabrielson, Great Plains SPCA’s philanthropy and engagement manager. “We’re no exception to that. It’s kitten season right now, so we’ve got over 100 newborn cats, kittens in foster care, living with volunteers in their home. But we are very full here, as well.”
The thought that Kreisler would have to close and put 200 animals back out in the community still looking for a permanent home depresses her. With the donations, she said the shelter is going to keep on fighting to give animals new homes.
“I’m passionate about this, I have a lot of fight in me and I’m not giving up,” she said. “I’m going to keep trying to keep this going because I really feel strongly that it’s needed.”
If you’re considering donating, visit Melissa’s Second Chance Rescue site or send a donation through Venmo at @mscrescue.
More Johnson County animal shelter news:Â Lenexa group gathers more than 160 pounds of towels and bedding for pet shelter
