Today we’d like to introduce you to Janie Schumaker.
Hi Janie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Melissa’s Second Chances is a small but mighty non profit animal rescue located in Shawnee Kansas.
Our mission is simple but powerful: We find homes and safe refuge for animals in need of a second chance to be a beloved family pet.
We took in our first dog in 2019 and since then have had over 7500 dogs, cats and small mammals in our care. We take in animals from our community who need to be rehomed or are homeless. We give them their second chance. We have approximately 360 foster families that help care for our animals, work through challenges, rehabilitate and provide much needed support and love while they wait for their new homes. Because of our dedicated shelter team, our board of directors, fosters and volunteers, who go above and beyond for every single animal, Melissa’s has a 99% save rate.
Melissa’s relies heavily on our volunteers and supporters. Most weekends we can be found at one of our adoption events, a community event or a fundraiser. We are very active and involved in our community. We have grown tremendously in the last six years in terms of our followers, supporters and volunteers and we are so very grateful to each one of them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been smooth. We are faced with many animals who need extensive and expensive vet care. If the animal needs vet care, they get vet care. It is as simple as that. However, vet care costs have risen and that is a tremendous challenge.
The homeless animal population just never stops. We pride ourselves on taking some of the underdogs and cats that might not otherwise find placement and helping them shine so they can find their forever homes. We work tirelessly to spay and neuter our animals to do our part in helping with the homeless animal population. But this is hard work and not for the faint of heart. And it can be heartbreaking. Burn out with our staff and volunteers is real and it is a challenge.
General supplies required to care for our animals is costly and costs are increasing year over year. Melissa’s does not get funding from the state or city like the large rescues do so we rely heavily on our generous donors, fundraisers and supporters.
As you know, we’re big fans of Melissa’s Second Chances. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Melissa’s Second Chances specializes in animal rescue, rehabilitation and finding forever homes for our animals. What sets us apart from other organizations is that we are small and closely knit. Our founder, Melissa Kay Kreisler, has dedicated her life to saving animals. She is passionate about it and can often be heard saying “We leave no one behind.” Her passion is palpable to the entire organization and people want to be a part of it.
We are very proud of the large amount of animals we help every year. We are proud that we do not give up on them and we are very proud every time we see one of our underdogs or cats find a loving home.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
We see the homeless animal population continuing to be a problem. More funding and education is needed around spay and neuter and we hope we will see more of a focus on that.
Unfortunately, if the homeless animals crisis continues, I fear we will see a bigger shift towards euthanasia than we have today.
Pricing:
- Adoption Fee Adult Cat: $75
- Adoption Fee Kitten: $150
- Adoption Fee Puppies: $350
- Adoption Fee Adult Dogs $150-350
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mscrescue.org
- Instagram: Melssecondchances
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melssecondchances
