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Is KC Pet Project leaving dangerous dogs on the streets?

Animal ordinance citations have dropped dramatically since KC Pet Project took over animal control from Kansas City. While the nonprofit says the drop in tickets is evidence of success, other animal advocates worry it's leaving dangerous dogs on the streets.

On a single day in April, a pair of stray dogs roaming the streets in northeast Kansas City attacked three separate people, including one child. KC Pet Project, which took over the city's Animal Services division in December 2020, wasn't able to get in touch with the dogs' owner until 24 hours later.

In the two years that KC Pet Project has been at the helm of Kansas City's animal control, the number of citations for things like dangerous dogs and failing to spay or neuter pets has dropped by 46%. The organization says that's evidence their education-first approach is working. But animal rescue groups worry the city should not have outsourced animal control.

Up To Date host Steve Kraske spoke with KCUR's Sam Zeff about why some people in Kansas City are worried about KC Pet Project's contract with the city.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Trevor Grandin, Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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