The League Pulse Archives
The Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri: women building better communities.
Korky and the Great Plains SPCA.
Featuring a placement is one of my favorite things about the blog. As an animal lover and the owner of a rescue dog, sharing Allison’s story is almost too much for me. I teared up a couple times reading about her stories of Korky, the kitten she fostered earlier this year. Through her placement at Wayside Waifs last year and this year with Great Plains SPCA, Allison has walked dogs (often alongside other Junior League members), helped socialize pets and lovingly cared for animals in need in our community. Here are some great stories from her placement and the story of Korky. I cried, so fair warning you may want to grab some Kleenex. It’s worth it!
The reason I chose both Wayside Waifs (2013 placement) and Great Plains SCPA (2014 placement) for Junior League is because of my love for animals. I had a dog named Sparrow back in 2012, and at only nine months old we had to put her down due to cerebellar abiotrophy. Volunteering at Wayside and Great Plains SPCA has allowed me to reconnect with animals after missing my dog so much… and has taught me how to better interact with suffering animals.
Korky was found in a car engine on the 4th of July. A woman who thought she wanted to adopt him brought him in, but he was way too shy and fearful. He wouldn’t let you pick him up, play with him, or even pet him. I got an email with Korky’s story and decided to foster him to get him better socialized for his potential adopter. When I picked up Korky, he was in the back of his cage, and the Great Plains SPCA foster leader told me that he was a “hisser”. They also gave me a small back-scratcher, as that was the only way Korky would tolerate contact. You had to scratch him on the back with a small rake.
I had Korky for a little over 3 weeks. For the first two days, he hid behind my washer and dryer. But then he noticed my own cat, Captain, and was immediately drawn to him. First, Korky only played with Captain, and they became best friends by wrestling! Once Korky was comfortable with Captain, he became more comfortable with humans. In week two, Korky let me pick him up, pet him, and play with him. After the third week, he was completely comfortable with humans and would let just about anyone pick him up without running away. All he needed was a little TLC!
I love the Great Plains SPCA because there are so many different volunteer opportunities that you can do – no trip to Great Plains SPCA is ever the same. One day you might be doing laundry, the next you’re fostering kittens, the next you’re socializing puppies, and the next you’re attending hilarious dog fashion shows and 5Ks. Great Plains SPCA does a great job of educating its volunteers on animal care and has done wonders for both animals in the community and across the nation. This placement is flexible, fun, a little messy sometimes, but overall, a heart-warming experience. I wouldn’t trade this placement for anything in the world as it has brought me closer to some of the best Junior League women and has allowed me to get that animal fix I need!
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Thank you for volunteering with us! We appreciate it so much, and so do pets like Korky!