The amazing humans behind Always & Furever.

Michele serves as Animal Shelter Director for Always & Furever’s Little Wichita Barn, bringing more than a decade of experience in animal welfare, shelter operations, behavior, adoption and placement programs, and organizational leadership.

Michele’s career in animal welfare has included leadership roles with shelters and rescue organizations of varying sizes, where she has focused on improving the lives of animals through thoughtful population management, strong adoption and foster programs, behavior support, staff and volunteer development, and compassionate, progressive sheltering practices. She is also a Victoria Stilwell Academy Certified Dog Trainer (VSA-CDT) with specialized education in shelter dog and cat behavior, Fear Free sheltering, and positive reinforcement-based training. She is particularly passionate about helping shelter dogs develop the confidence and life skills that can increase their opportunities for successful placement.

At the heart of Michele’s approach is a simple belief: behavior is communication. Whether working with an animal, an adopter, a foster family, or a shelter team, she believes understanding must come before intervention and that creating environments built around safety, trust, and individual needs gives animals the best opportunity to succeed.

Before transitioning fully into animal welfare, Michele earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University and built an extensive career teaching at the collegiate level. Her academic and research background continues to influence her approach to shelter leadership—asking questions, using data, challenging assumptions, and continually looking for better ways to serve both animals and the people who care for them.

Michele first visited Always & Furever in March 2026 and immediately felt a connection to the organization, its culture, and the people behind its mission. She was especially drawn to A&F’s willingness to think differently about sheltering and its belief that animals deserve more than simply a place to wait—they deserve comfort, dignity, love, and the opportunity to feel at home while their next chapter unfolds. She is excited to lead Little Wichita, support its established team and the animals in its care, and help shape the future of A&F’s work in the Wichita community.

Outside of animal welfare, Michele enjoys traveling and experiencing new places, reading science fiction and post-apocalyptic novels, and watching baseball and football. But the beach remains her favorite place to recharge—there is nothing quite like sitting by the ocean and listening to the waves, even on a cold winter morning. She and her husband, Kurt, call South Carolina home while Michele embraces this newest adventure in Kansas.

I started as a volunteer dog walker, and I’ve been moving full speed ahead ever since.

One of the things I’ve loved most during this time is watching Always & Furever grow in such a beautiful trajectory. We’re not just caring for the animals within our walls—we’re also showing up for our community and truly “loving our neighbors.”

It’s been incredible to witness what can happen when kindness, love, patience, hope, and faith come together. None of us embody all five qualities at every moment, but together, we bring each of them to the work we do.

It hasn’t always been easy—none of us would claim that it has—but working alongside people who share a deep sense of responsibility and purpose is a gift I don’t take for granted.

Every day I’m grateful to play a small part in bringing hope, healing, and second chances to both animals and the people who love them.

I am married to Eric, we have 2 dogs Eloise who is a pitty mix and Francine who is a frenchie, a fish named Klaus and a python named Qetsiyah (Ket-see-ah). I have a grown son, Dylan and an amazing daughter-in-law, Kenna, who live in Fergus Falls Minnesotta and they have given me two beautiful grand-dogs!

I am also blessed with two wonderful step-daughters, Andria and Natalie. I have loved animals my whole life having grown up with a mirade of pets, everything from Squirells, hamsters, ducks, pigs—a big pig not a regular house pig, fish, dogs, cats, birds, etc.

I have been pet sitting since I was little and a few years ago officially started a business, Happy Tails. My background is predominately legal as I have worked in the legal field in some capacity or another for over 20 years. My dream was to start a hospice for dogs because the thought of them being alone in a shelter at the end of life broke my heart, luckily I found A&F a couple years ago and started volunteering/fostering, etc.

My journey with Always & Furever (A&F) began by helping care for the organization’s newly adopted miniature ponies while supporting its mission of giving animals a second chance. I later became Manager of the Osawatomie shelter location, where I had the privilege of witnessing a remarkable transformation. During my time there, the shelter evolved from a traditional kennel environment into a unique community where dogs and cats were able to live in their own individual homes, known as the Oz Lighthouses.

It was incredibly rewarding to watch the shelter change from a place filled with constant barking and kennel stress into an environment of peace, comfort, and serenity, where animals could heal, thrive, and experience a higher quality of life during their already stressful transition to finding their furever family and home. Seeing these transformations firsthand strengthened my passion for animal welfare and community service.

Today, I am proud to be part of a new community outreach initiative that brings joy, comfort, and connection to senior living communities, hospice facilities, schools, and other community organizations through visits with our miniature ponies. As a professional equestrian for more than 30 years, horses have been at the center of both my personal and professional life.

This new chapter allows me to share the unique therapeutic benefits of horses with others. I am incredibly honored to use my lifelong experience to help enrich lives and strengthen community bonds. Helping others experience the comfort, joy, and healing presence of horses has become one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

Melissa joined Always & Furever in February 2026 and is thrilled to be working with animals again. Her passion for animal care began in high school working with snakes and grew even stronger when she worked as a pet guardian at a pet resort with boarding and doggy daycare. She is also a massage therapist, a skill the dogs seem to appreciate during cuddle and petting sessions! At home, Melissa has five cats, including an adventurous orange kitty who enjoys daily leash walks whenever the weather allows.

Miranda Munden is a self-proclaimed dog-fanatic who has been with Always & Furever since 2019. She has worked nearly every role on our admin team at one point or another, but her passion is working weekend shifts at the Little Red Barn when she has free time from her day job.

Her favorite activity to do during a closing shift is dinner time with the dogs when she records “souz chef” videos with featured dogs of the week. She was our first official barn staff member and has gotten to see first-hand all the wonderful changes at the Little Red Barn all these years! During her time with A&F, Miranda has added 4 fur babies to her family – for a total of 6 dogs (thanks to her soft spot for pugs).

I have been with A&F since 2023, I have 3 kids and have fostered many dogs and cats. I love my job and am grateful for this Organization everyday !

I started volunteering with Always & Furever in June of 2022. My first event was the first ever hockey tournament. I was soon traveling to Greeley, KS to walk dogs and was hooked. I drove to Greeley every weekend to hang out with dogs that changed my life. I met my sweet Freddie at Greeley and he made the perfect addition to the family!

I now volunteer at the Oz shelter; am a relationship coordinator on the placement team; and a regular volunteer at many events (including being part of the 2-woman snack cart team for the golf tournaments). I have worked in education and currently have a full-time job. My true happiness and peace come from sharing this amazing mission with some of the most wonderful people and amazing animals!

I am honored and blessed to have such a tiny part of finding these beautiful doggies and kitties their furever homes. I am so excited for what the future holds, and I’m here for it!

Hi, I’m Katelyn! Animals have always been a huge part of my life as long as I can remember. At home, I have one dog and three cats who mean the world to me, along with an amazing husband who fully supports my passion. That passion has grown into over 8 years of hands-on experience working with animals, including 4 incredible years with Always & Furever.

I’ve also had the privilege of being a staff member at the Little Red Barn mainly working upstairs with the suite dogs and Tk and Copper. Before that, I worked at a doggy daycare and boarding facility and before that I worked at Walmart right out of high school.

I’m still learning from every animal I meet. Education is so important to me—always growing our understanding of animal behavior, personalities, and the unique ways they build trust and show love. Working with animals is so much more than just care; it’s about patience, compassion, and meeting them exactly where they are.

There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a shy or fearful dog gain confidence, learn to trust, and eventually find their forever home. Moments like those are what make this journey so meaningful. This path has truly shaped who I am, and I’m so grateful to be part of something bigger—helping animals feel safe, loved, and truly seen.

In 2020, my sister invited me to a volunteer orientation at the Little Red Barn. She promised there would be senior dogs greeting everyone and said I would have a wonderful time—and she was absolutely right. That moment became the beginning of my journey with Always & Furever. Today, I have the privilege of serving as Chief Financial Officer, where I use my professional experience behind the scenes to help turn compassion into action.

I am passionate about ensuring that every dollar entrusted to our organization is used thoughtfully and responsibly to support animals in need. To me, the most meaningful part of my work is knowing that each contribution helps change a life. It is truly an honor to be part of a mission driven by kindness, community, and the belief that every animal deserves a future.

My personal connection to animal rescue runs deep. My two rescue pups, Bennie and Alby, stole my heart from the moment I met them. I quickly became “their person,” and they followed me everywhere—we were the three amigos at home. Like so many rescue animals, they filled our lives with unconditional love, loyalty, and years of joy.

Sadly, they are no longer with us and are missed every day by all of us. On a personal note, I have called Kansas home since 1983, after spending part of my childhood in Alaska and Alabama. After graduating from Kansas State University, I married my high school sweetheart. Together, we have three amazing sons, a wonderful daughter-in-law, and two beloved grand-kitties, Coco and Ralph.

Family is at the center of my life, and I cherish the time we spend together—whether that’s cheering on KSU football, relaxing at home, or traveling whenever we can.

Raegan Trevino is a Registered Veterinary Technician who grew up in a suburb of Kansas City and discovered her love for veterinary medicine in 2017 while working in animal welfare at a local high volume spay and neuter clinic. That first experience sparked a lifelong passion for helping animals and making a real difference in her community.

Since then, Raegan has worked both full time and in relief roles across a variety of settings, including general practice, orthopedic specialty, urgent care, and emergency medicine. She brings adaptability, strong clinical skills, and a compassionate, hands on approach to every team she’s part of. Animal welfare has always been at the core of Raegan’s work, and she has a special soft spot for senior pets—especially the old, crusty dogs who still have plenty of personality left.

In fact, one of them officially became hers after a foster fail: a 16 year old Miniature Pinscher affectionately known as Grandma, who went on to live out her glory days with Raegan until the impressive age of 19.

I joined Always & Furever after volunteering with the organization for three years. What started as simply wanting to help quickly became a calling. Today, as Donor Relations Coordinator, I have the privilege of connecting our supporters to the life-saving impact they make possible every single day. I’ve always loved dogs — truly all animals — and I deeply appreciate that each one is unique, with their own personality, quirks, and needs.

My soul dog, Jax, a mixed-breed pitbull rescue, was the greatest nudge in my life toward fully committing myself to rescue work. Through him, I experienced firsthand the healing, loyalty, and unconditional love that rescue animals bring into our lives. When I’m not working to strengthen the mission of Always & Furever, I volunteer with an organization that supports unhoused individuals and their pets — another cause close to my heart.

I love being outdoors, hiking, kayaking, and spending as much time in nature as possible, even If it’s reading a book or taking my laptop outside to work.

Dr. Andelson is an Iowa native and a 2019 graduate of Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She also earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Iowa in 2018. She began her career in general practice before transitioning to nonprofit veterinary medicine in 2021.

Her experience includes both high quality, high volume spay/neuter (HQHVSN) work and shelter medicine. Deeply committed to animal welfare, Dr. Andelson is passionate about disease prevention, staff and client education, and community outreach. Outside of work, she enjoys riding her horses, traveling, hiking with her partner, and relaxing at home with their dog and cat.

I started with Always & Furever as a volunteer in August of 2017. Shortly after, I began helping with fundraising activities and became a cat foster—and a proud 3x foster fail to Chunk, Pam, and Marty (Wink). After working in education for over 25 years, I finally made the decision to follow my passion for animals and joined the team in September of 2024.

In my role, I oversee fundraising events and community outreach on the Missouri side, including our community visits, representation at local events, and school initiatives like Coins for Cats and Pennies for Pups. I also serve as our representative with both the Independence and Raytown Chamber of Commerce, working to connect Always & Furever more deeply within the communities we serve.

I’ve worked with animals professionally for 15 years. My favorite dog is a boxer. I have two cats- Bailey and Murphy and a dog named Olive. I enjoy going for walks, reading, and true crime podcasts.

Hello my name is Baylee! I started with A&F in January 2024 as a barn staff and have worked my way up to a Manager. I also help with fostering and putting on events and fundraisers at the barns. My favorite part of the job is seeing the sick and scared transform into entirely different pups and getting to play a part in sending them to their Furever!

I’m Ashley F. I’m a mother of 1 and happily married since 2011! I have loved animals my whole life, and I feel blessed to have found my calling with A&F! I believe in our mission and have never felt this fulfilled in my work life!

I grew up on a farm in a small town, where my love for animals began at an early age. Surrounded by animals every day, I quickly discovered that caring for them wasn’t just a passion—it was my calling. In middle school, when asked to create my own book, I wrote about starting an animal rescue. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to working with animals.

Over the past six years, I have gained hands-on experience in many areas of animal care. I have worked in veterinary clinics, as well as dog boarding and daycare facilities, building over five years of experience in those environments and learning about body language, enrichment, socialization, training, and more. I also spent a year working at a dog grooming salon and completed grooming classes to further expand my skills and better help animals in need.

At home, my love for animals continues. I share my life with my beloved pup, five cats, and a room full of reptiles. As an outdoor enthusiast, my dog—my absolute best friend—and I love hiking, paddle boarding, swimming, and going on all kinds of adventures together. When we’re not outside exploring, I also enjoy getting creative and doing fun arts and crafts projects with my pup.

I am passionate about providing compassionate, knowledgeable care and am committed to making every animal feel safe, loved, and well cared for—just like my own.

I am a retired Law Enforcement Officer. I adopted my first A&F dog in November 2018 and I’ve now had 49 A&F dogs and 5 A&F kittens come through my house. I’ve volunteered, fostered, adopted, managed preventatives for fosters, managed the Greeley barn, managed the LRB and now I’m the transport coordinator for local drives (vet drives, moves between barns or fosters, etc) along with doing whatever else I can help with.

I have helped organize the tea party fundraising events and done various community events with the dogs. While I started out with senior and hospice dogs, my house is now run by hooligans who have provided so much entertainment. I cannot imagine life now without A&F. I used to say I felt like I had 100,000 children when working as an LEO but now I feel like I’ve had 8,000 dogs and cats.

It feels good to be a part of something where we’re trying to make big changes in how shelters are run!

I’m honored to introduce myself as the Intake Coordinator for Always & Furever. My journey with this incredible rescue started in the most unexpected and wonderful way—as a doggy date volunteer. One simple outing led me to meet our very first foster fail… and, well, that quickly turned into a pattern. Each dog that came into our home found a place in our hearts, and before long, we had welcomed multiple pups who never left. Every “foster fail” became a forever family member.

As the years went on, I found myself becoming more involved on the intake side of rescue. What started as volunteering grew into a passion that has shaped my life. I’ve now had the privilege of helping bring thousands of dogs into A&F from all kinds of situations, each one deserving safety, love, and a second chance. I’m proud to say I’ve tagged, transferred, and helped save dogs from coast to coast—to our rescue and beyond.

Saving animals isn’t just something I do—it’s who I am. Being part of this organization, surrounded by people who share the same heart for rescue, is an honor. I’m grateful every day for the chance to help these precious souls find the futures they deserve.

Hello everyone. I am Susan Ho from Singapore, a tiny country in Asia. A little background about myself. I am an accountancy graduate from a local university and started my career as an accountant at one of the publicly listed local banks in Singapore. I then moved on to the Group Compliance Officer role and retired as Principal Secretary, more commonly known as Chief of Staff.

I first came across Always & Furever from a YouTube video a friend in the US shared. That was in 2021. I was drawn to it as the video showed a number of senior dogs at the Little Red Barn, lying on couches, running around in the big yard, and being loved on by staff and volunteers — providing a wonderful, loving environment for the dogs in their care.

I started following A&F on Facebook from that point on. I especially looked forward to the good morning and good night videos. My happiest moments are when the pups go to foster homes or find their furever homes. Later on, sometime around mid-2024, I started volunteering remotely and helped out with placements when there was some turnover and the foster and adoption side was in need of help.

I took on a coordinator role on the placement team, which involves going through all the dog foster and adoption applications submitted, writing out a summary of each application, and assigning these applications to our placement team members. Before these applications are approved, we conduct rigorous checks including background, vet, personal reference, landlord (if applicable), and virtual home checks.

We have an amazing team of relationship managers and checkers comprising entirely of volunteers who are committed to helping our fosters and adopters find their furry family members.

I am a retired special education teacher, with 30 years to my credit. My area of specialization was in working directly with students with behavioral and emotional disorders, and during the last 3 years of my career, I provided consulting services district wide for the Lawrence Public Schools. I became aware of Always and Furever sometime in 2022 from postings on Facebook.

I’ve always wanted to be a useful participant in animal rescue, and Always and Furever absolutely drew me in with their mission of providing second chances for pets who were largely discarded; I saw so many similarities to the amazing students I’d had the privilege of serving and the need for second chances. I attended the Conditional Use Permit hearings that Miami County denied.

Having once lived on property near Louisburg that seemed to be a magnet for dumped animals, I had hoped the county might have evolved in how companion animals are treated. I was sorely disappointed. With the Imagine A Dream campaign to purchase the land and buildings in KCMO, I knew it was time for me to jump in and do whatever I can to make change.

So here I am, ready and willing to learn, to support, and fight for that change. The incredible people who are part of this organization inspire me every day. I am so proud to be included in this endeavor.

I am a long-time volunteer and Board Member who wanted to work with animals in my retirement after 29 years of pharmaceutical and non-profit executive management. Visiting other shelters made me too sad. Always & Furever is the absolute opposite of those experiences. The vision, the fellowship and commitment of Jen Dulski and the entire A&F family have totally changed my perspective and my life. (Not to mention the number of animals in my household). Together, we are changing the face of rescue and I’m proud to be a small part of it.

After spending almost 40 years in sales and technical sales leadership positions in the telecommunications industry with AT&T and Sprint, I retired as Area Director of Enterprise Business and Public Sector Sales for the Midwest Region where my organization had responsibility for $800M in annual revenue. I served two terms on the Board of Trustees (Chair and Vice Chair) and Church Council for the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection managing a $26M annual budget.

I also served on the Finance Committee, as Building Committee Chair for the Spiritual Retreat Center, on the Infrastructure Committee for the Leawood campus, and founded and lead the Traffic Ministry from 2004 to 2025. I feel blessed to be part of the Always & Furever family since May 2019, and absolutely love volunteering as the Pup Transport Coordinator and as a Freedom Driver where I have the responsibility to recruit drivers and organize the logistics for Freedom Rides and Furever Family Rides to start the journey for these beautiful, sweet pups to a new and better life.

This has involved organizing freedom rides for over 4,300 pups to date involving so many amazing and committed freedom drivers and personally driving an average of 45,000 miles per year transporting over 2,800 pups to date.

I was really drawn to Always & Furever due to the focus on helping the pups overlooked by other rescues – the old dogs, sick dogs, abused dogs, abandoned and unwanted dogs – to provide them a loving environment where they know nothing but love, care, compassion, patience, kindness, and happiness. It is truly a blessing to volunteer with so many amazing people as part of the A&F family who are so passionate and committed to provide these poor, sweet, innocent pups the love and care they so deserve.

We have adopted two beautiful pups from A&F and Ripley and Sydney are well loved members of our family.

When Jen Dulski moved to what she fondly describes as “the middle of nowhere” in 2017, she knew nothing about animal rescue. Armed with little more than a dream, a vision, and her two beloved rescue dogs, Mugsy and Libby, she set out on a journey with no formal plan, no funding beyond her own resources, and no local connections.

What she did have was an unwavering determination to create a sanctuary where elderly dogs could spend their final years surrounded by love, comfort, and dignity. As that dream began to take shape, the right people, opportunities, and a little bit of magic appeared along the way. What started as a small vision has since grown into the remarkable movement that Always & Furever is today.

A lawyer by day and self-proclaimed professional recreational athlete by night, Jen considers her dogs not only her closest family members but also her lifeline. Her passion, perseverance, and commitment to animal welfare continue to inspire countless others to join the mission.

Jen’s Story

“Life sure has a funny way of changing perspective. I’ve told my (well really our) story before but not everyone has heard it so I figured it was a good time to share again. I’m just an ordinary person like everyone else.

Going from a large firm in Boston, Massachusetts to Overland Park, Kansas I knew there had to be a reason I took a new job in a state I’d never been to, knew nothing about, and didn’t know a single soul in, so after I accepted a new in house position with Waddell & Reed I decided if I was going to live in KS I would buy a farm and start a dog rescue.

I’ve only ever lived in big cities, am completely terrified of all things bugs and nature related and I have no special background in rescuing or training dogs. So all makes perfect sense right? Maybe I’m a little crazy, at least that is what everyone told me when I first told them my idea but I really just love dogs.

I remember I was standing outside a GNC and was like I need to do something to give me a reason to want to wake up in the morning, to be a better person, and the idea just popped in my head. I had two rescue pups of my own, both seniors who slept most of the day and I knew seniors were overlooked in shelters so I figured the focus would and should be on them.

Growing up I was like everyone else and always said when I won the lottery I’d buy a bunch of land and save a million dogs. Well I didn’t win the lottery. Probably because I never played and I hadn’t saved a single dime. In fact quite the opposite. I put everything I had into buying the farm and took a huge pay cut going from Boston to Kansas but I had a dream I wanted to come true and knew that when you want something bad enough, no matter how impossible it feels, you can either make excuses or find a way.

I had no idea how to raise money either, I’m not good at fundraising however, I’m excellent at spending. So I figured I’d take out loans to make this dream a reality. I had great credit. A great job. And debt didn’t scare me – not for saving dogs. So I went into a bank and asked for a ridiculous loan for a non-profit with zero donations or collateral to convert an old horse barn into a home for seniors and was literally laughed at.

I was told no bank would lend me any money without collateral or having been established. I can’t say it wasn’t disheartening to hear but it was just one bank. After all, not everyone believed in me my entire life, I had one professor in law school tell me I should drop out I’d never be a good lawyer and couldn’t write and I proved her wrong.

Its always a challenge to prove someone who doubts me wrong so challenge accepted. I figured I’d try another. After the fourth bank turned me down my stomach started to sink. Self doubt is easy, especially when it comes to taking risks but the fifth bank gave me the $100,000 to begin and what was once just a childhood dream finally took a step towards becoming a reality.

The goal was always to use only that loan to complete the process but like everything in life there are always surprises. Anything that could’ve gone wrong with respect to construction in fact did and the $100,000 budget went literally poof within a few months. When that loan ran out I took another. When that loan ran out I took one more.

When I couldn’t get another loan I used my credit cards. When the credit cards were maxed I mostly cried, worried beyond belief and prayed and at the end of the year I received a promotion at work and one year after the simple action of taking an astronomical risk to do something beyond anything I’ve ever done before our doors opened and almost three years later we have now saved over 1,700 pups and cats lives.

While I did say everything that could’ve gone wrong with construction did, on the flip side of that, everything that needed to happen to make this dream come true also did. God put the right people in my life at the very right time and continues to do so every day so that together my one dream has become the dreams and reality for so many. It takes one person to take a risk. To say hey, I know this feels impossible but the reward of knowing one single life will be saved or even just loved for a single moment makes all the sacrifice worth it.

“And now here we are today. A senior dog sanctuary filled with the most wonderful people who dedicate so much of their lives to make the lives of the neglected, abused and completely abandoned seniors lives better. The other thing about this was that they couldn’t live in kennels, that is no life. Everything about the barn needed to be a home. A real home with couches and beds a kitchen and tv and more couches and beds so that if this was the only home they ever knew then so be it they would be loved.

“So if you’re still reading now there is actually more to this story, way more than I can write in one post but everything about this farm is connected with love and truly heaven. I had just lost someone I loved with my whole heart when I was in Boston. I moved here to start again. When I moved here the position I filled at my new company was open because they had lost a beloved employee to cancer.

A friend who lost her son, though another nonprofit I run for those who have lost a loved one to addiction, referred me to a realtor who was friends with the family who sold me the farm who had lost their young daughter to cancer, and subsequently their son to complication with addiction. This beautiful little farm never even went on the market.

So many hands in heaven led me here to a place where so many people and pups with broken souls can now find peace. The family that sold me this farm named it the Ever After farm and in her wonderful note to me the first day I moved in reminded me that it will be hard work but to always remember it’s never too late for happily ever after and that is where our motto began.

“The final piece of this story is that when I lost my best friend and they took her off life support, even though I was allowed to be with her the entire time at the hospital on life support, and at times I was the only one there holding her hand and singing to her, they forced me to leave the room when they turned off the machines.

To hold someone you love, whenever, or however, human or animal, as they leave for heaven is a privilege not everyone is granted. That’s why I am there every single time one of our beloved pups crosses the rainbow bridge. I hold them and remind them that even if for a moment, someone on this earth loved them and believed their lives mattered.

Everyone and every dog deserves to know love. So we carry that in with everything we do now, we love the ones others deem unloveable or unworthy, or too old, or too sick, or too expensive to take on the risk, heartache, and pain – we welcome them with open arms and do whatever we can to make their life, however long they have, a little bit better.

“If I hadn’t lived through loving and losing my best friend I would never be able to live through loving and losing all these beautiful seniors. Before she passed I was the person who left the theater a hysterical sobbing mess watching Marley and Me and now I hold them during their final hours, I kiss them and promise them heaven is better and its not even just me, but the amazing, beautiful, incredibly loving volunteers involved with A&F do the exact same thing.

Many times I tell the pups I’m sorry I couldn’t save them or help them or find them a family of their own but they leave this world knowing so much love and love is all we take with us when we are gone. Love is all that matters. This little red barn isn’t just the pups sanctuary, its an entire little city in Kansas’ sanctuary and FB community following.

Don’t get me wrong. We make mistakes. We make SO many mistakes but all our actions are driven by love and we learn from them and grow. We try, we fail, we try again, we try harder to do better and be better for them. And now every morning I wake up to 18+ wagging tails that continually make my heart and so many other hearts smile, specially when there was a time my world was so dark I never thought I would or even could smile again.

All these dogs saved me. And yes our hearts are broken when they leave us but for every new pup we save we open our hearts up to break all over again just so that their hearts are filled with peace before they leave this earth.

“And that’s mostly my/our story. Everyone has a story. The barn and all the pups and volunteers are filled with second chances. A second chance to know love and find a little bit of peace, even if for a moment.

“All our funding for the building I took out in loans and while my loans may be higher than my mortgage payments now all our donations received go directly to the dogs lives we save every single day. And that makes it all worth it. I figured I would have to work until I die to pay off all my student loans anyways so why not work a little harder and save dogs lives while I’m at it.

I also like to thing of it as 10 years from now when the barn is paid off I get a really nice raise! Plus, to know how many people support and love the dogs that were literally dumped as garbage and left to die fills my heart with so much warmth. Or to be able to help people who fall on hard times, grow too old or sick to care for their beloved pets who only knew love continue to know love is all that matters to us.

To HELP, to LOVE, to be better humans for the wonderful creatures God blessed all of us with. I really am amazed at how far we have come and how much we have done from basically nothing. We have over 130 animals in our care between foster and the barn and our vet bills exceed about $15,000 to $20,000 a week, and we have full responsibility for all animals at the Osawatomie Pound and somehow, someway we always find a way to keep going, it may be paycheck to paycheck but when we need something to happen to save a life, it does.

“For all the sorrow and bad and evil in this world the GOOD overcomes it leaps and bounds but its hard work. You can look for the good or look for the bad. Both will always be there. At A&F we endure the bad, surpass the pain, and always, always, always look for the good. 1,700 dogs lives and countless human lives have been touch by a little red barn. In a tiny town in Kansas, filled with so much love.

“So that’s the gist of how we all got here. To all who choose to rescue a dog over buying one thank you! To all who follow, share, and support us in any way possible thank you! To all those in heaven who helped make this happen and continue to make this happen thank you! To all our pups in heaven and on earth we love you. That’s about it. That’s me/us. We all just really love dogs and in our own small way want to make a sometimes very dark world a little better place for senior pups (and of course an occasional puppy).

“Oh yes – and our very first rescue was a cat – I’m not a cat person. Go figure.

Below are a few of our original crew, current crew and babies in heaven.”

– Jen Dulski, Founder & Our Hero