Fort Leavenworth Stray Facility

06/26/2025

After multiple conversations with Demi's foster, we've both agreed that while they live each other, the living situation just doesn't quite fit what Demi needs. The good news is that just a few days in a caring home, we were about to learn more about her needs, skills, and what a successful forever home would lol like for her.
So I'm here with Help Demi find her perfect temporary or forever home!
A rural home or even a home with some land would likely be her best environmental situation. Currently staying in a thriving subdivision with lots of activities going on, other dogs patrolling their adjoining fences, and just a lot of varying activities have caused her anxiety to increase a bit. If she could be in a home where it's fairly quiet in the area, a calm environment inside and out, the foster said she'd likely thrive.
She adores toys and has learned how to seek them out and bring them to the foster, even if they were supposed too be a surprise, she has now learned 'not yours' and follows that command easily, so even if she borrows a shoe, if you tell her not yours, she'll let go immediately.
Demi takes her job of shepherd very seriously, which means she's very protective of her people and property. She'll need a little bit of work with desensitizing how much she needs to protect those things. Right now she sees a good amount of things as threats, and has injured herself trying to get to the perceived threat. She's not trying to harm anyone or anything, she's just wanting to see what it is. Again that goes along with a calm environment to help ease her anxiety and build her confidence.
She needs someone who might be a bit younger and stronger than the current foster. She can be a great walker, but if she sees a bunny or a squirrel, she can be very strong. The foster and I both noticed that she's not a huge fan of getting into trucks, but the foster said that when she's coming up the stairs she'll jump up the same distance that it would be to get into a higher vehicle.
The biggest need for her is security. She wants a person and a family of her own, that let her sleep in her dog bed next to their bed. If you work from home, live in a quiet community, and are looking for a brilliantly smart, eager to learn 18 month old puppy, Demi might just be the perfect dog for you, and you might be the best person or family for her.

Please reach out to me here if you'd like to know more about her. The foster is also open to chatting with anyone interested in learning more about what makes Demi special.

06/25/2025

We're putting the spotlight back on Aspen today. Since the other bigger dogs have come in recently, We've noticed Aspen has really started to show a good amount of Anxiety regarding them, and the changes of incoming and out going pets. She definitely
prefers the exclusive company of Bruno, and they really are the best of friends, but we've noticed that she loses her confidence with the other dogs causing her to bring out her protective or self defense barking. We just want her to feel calm and confident again. I think that for her, either she'd need to be the only dog, or if there are other dogs in the home, they'd likely need to be smaller than her. If she were to crash on your couch for a little bit, and you have another dog, we'd have to do a meet and greet with your pet to make sure there'd be no negative interactions before sending her home.
Please reach out to us if you'd like to be Aspen's soft place to land, we really want the very best for this amazingly sweet girl!

https://www.petfinder.com/dog/aspen-76716388/ks/fort-leavenworth/fort-leavenworth-stray-facility-ks174/

06/24/2025

Ok, We'd love for you to meet Katara! Katara is a big bundle of fluff that found her way up here yesterday due to no fault of her own. So far we've found that she has a very BIG heart with lots of love to give. She has exceptionally BIG smiles, which are pretty infectious! She has BIG skills and loves to show that she knows how to walk nicely, can sit, lay down and some other commands. For those who grew up in the 80's, you'll love that she has BIG hair! She could rock out to any 80's genre of music you put in her way, and she has the perfect look for it. Ok, are you ready for this adorable beast! I don't think there will be anyway she'll last too long up here b/c she's just too irresistible! She'll be going to the vet on Monday to get her annual vaccines, and we hope she'll be ready right after that to find her forever, and we want to emphasize the forever because she's had 4 homes in the past 8 yrs, and we don't want that for her again. We want her to have a good stable rest of her life with her very own forever family!
Ok, here she is. Katara! 8yr old, female, Alaskan Malamute, our big beautiful long haired girl!

For more information on Katara please contact us here on messenger. Katara doesn't yet have a PetFinder page, but we'll be working on one shortly! If you're interested in possibly fostering her, please reach out to us here!

06/22/2025

Yesterday we had such a great response for potential fosters for Demi, we were hoping for a similar outcome for Aspen. While Aspen isn't experiencing the same level of anxiety Demi is, she's getting bored . Even with walks and playtime every 3 hours, it's a short amount of time due to the heat. We think she'd love being in a home with a family to play with her, and snuggle her! She can be strong sometimes, but she's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. We don't know much about her other than that she's had two owners and the second one decided she would be better on her own. We are so grateful for the family that brought her to us so that we could find her forever home worth people that love her.
If you don't mind having a couch surfing friend, or a forever friend, we'd love to hear from you! Message us on here, or check out her petfinder profile to learn more!
Aspen says she'll be the bestest girl if you give her a chance!

https://www.petfinder.com/dog/aspen-76716388/ks/fort-leavenworth/fort-leavenworth-stray-facility-ks174/

06/21/2025

*** Happy to announce that Demi is headed to her foster, potentially to adopt, home! We're wish her Alf them the very best of luck!!***

This sweet girl is doing 'ok' at the shelter, but the hound duo are making her a bit anxious. She's learning things so quickly with us, we think she'd do better and learn more in a quieter, less loud home.
Can Demi crash on your couch (or a dog bed) for a bit?
All of our pups deserve a home to hang out in, but we just feel she would do so much better if she could find that quiet place.
She's used to small dogs, small children, though she is excitable and doesn't know spacial awareness very well yet. If you think you have a little bit of patience, and a bit of extra room in your home, we'd love to chat with you!

Can Demi spend a few nights, weeks, months, forever with you?

https://www.petfinder.com/dog/demi-76924355/ks/fort-leavenworth/fort-leavenworth-stray-facility-ks174/

06/21/2025

Last but not least, here at the shelter, we take the well being of all pets seriously, which is why we tend to feel as passionately as we do not just about our pets, but yours too. Heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat stress are very real in animals, just as they are in humans. Just last week, I watched a horse experiencing heat stress after being outside for just a few hours ( they're fine now!) These three conditions are very serious, and require very prompt response to keep them from causing internal damage, to fatalities in some. Please take a minute to look over the graphics to see how to recognize signs and symptoms of heat stress, exhaustion, and stroke in both dogs and cats. For larger animals, if you message me I can send you information. If your pet is exhibiting any of these, for mild symptoms, you can try the home remedies first, but if no change in behavior occurs, then immediately go to your personal vet, or if they aren't available, an ER vet. If the symptoms point to Heat Stroke, Go immediately to the ER Vet, as they will have more equipment and everything needed to get your pet treated quickly. We can't emphasize how important limited exposure to heat is for animals. Sometimes a quick potty outside and then back in to play is what you have to do. If they must be outside longer than that, please have cold water and a form of shade so they can get a reprieve. Pools are good, but should only be used with supervision to your pets. We want you to enjoy your pets all year long, so use caution during the extreme heat that comes with KS summers!

06/20/2025

Driving through downtown Leavenworth yesterday, I saw a sight that made my heart hurt. There was a person walking their dog along with their child down the road. They were using sidewalks which was good, but I watched for a second since I had a stop sign, and noticed that even though the person kept trying to pull the dog on the other side of them, the dog kept veering to the left. I then realized the dog was trying to walk in the shadows of the buildings so that its feet wouldn't burn.
Most people presume that because dog's paws feel a bit rougher that our skin, that they can take the heat more than we can. Unfortunately, this isn't true, and those thoughts cause our pets to get nasty burns on their paw pads, which make them incredibly painful, and the pet can't say hey mom/dad, my feet really hurt, can we go home?
I liken to to the beach ( or a pool if you've never been to the ocean). You see the water, you know it's going to be cool, so you take your shoes off and start venturing over there. All of a sudden you realize that gorgeous white sand you're standing on, is scalding hot, and you want to move fast to get away from it b/c it really hurts, and you know that water is going to be the only relief you get in that moment. For dogs, that tiny patch of grass they see, or that tree over there shows that this is where they find relief from the pain they are feeling by the burning of those paws.
If it's hot outside, place your hand on the pavement or concrete and see if it stings. If it does, it's too hot for your pet's paws.

06/20/2025

It was already 90 degrees at 11 when I came in this morning, Please plan accordingly when taking your pets out today. It could be lethal for them to be out for too long. A few heat related posts to know what to look for with heat related injuries and illnesses during the next few days, and the rest of summer.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2558407847644351&id=100004254820334&mibextid=Nif5oz

Send a message to learn more

06/19/2025

We have a full house of doggos right now and could use your help! They are somewhat bigger than your average pup, and have lots of energy to get out, so we need some new friends that like to take walks, or play frisbee for an hour, which is Aspen's favorite, or if you're so inclined, you could let them couch surf for a little bit until they find a home of their own!
What does this mean?
We would LOVE to have some dog walkers and dog volunteers join us! We'd also love to meet new foster families that would enjoy pups that all seem to adore their belly rubs, and think they are lap dogs even though they're a little bigger than your average Pomeranian. 😄
Bruno and Aspen are almost ready for their forever homes, just needing their last set of boosters in vaccines, and our newest girl, Demi is ready to go. I'll give a little description of each on their pictures, but they'd love to meet you! These kids are strong, so if you'd like your own kiddos to help walk them, we'd like to make sure you're there to help! But introducing and Re-introducing, Aspen, Bruno, and Demi!

Bruno
https://www.petfinder.com/dog/bruno-76716317/ks/fort-leavenworth/fort-leavenworth-stray-facility-ks174/

Aspen
https://www.petfinder.com/dog/aspen-76716388/ks/fort-leavenworth/fort-leavenworth-stray-facility-ks174/

Demi
https://www.petfinder.com/dog/demi-76924355/ks/fort-leavenworth/fort-leavenworth-stray-facility-ks174/

06/18/2025

Well this is the time of year we at the shelter both dread, and look forward to.
The dread is because it's time for many of you to move on to your next duty station, possibly even your permanent place to lay roots and start out your civilian life. Yes, it's PCS season, and with that, we lose so many amazing people who have volunteered with us, fostered with us, and of course adopted from us. These moves are hard on all of us, because we develop friendships, that while keeping in touch via FB and Instagram is ok, it's not the same as meeting up, and sharing a shift walking dogs together, or watching kittens grow up, dogs get adopted, and just coming together as a team to help see the shelter thrive. We will miss all of you that have left or are soon leaving. It definitely gets quiet around here during PCS season.
What we look forward to during PCS season. New people, families, and friends dropping by to see what we're all about. The potential for those same people to decide that they think they'd like to help out with the pets and shelter. Those who might not quite have the time needed, but would love a furry roommate for a little bit while they are here, potentially having that roommate for life. People who are wanting to get those steps in, and having multiple dogs can definitely help with that. Overall, we look forward to meeting you. The number one question that I am asked regularly is, Do you need volunteers? My answer is simply, Always. There are always things that need to get done around here. We have volunteers that feed, others that clean, some enjoy working with the yard and planting various things that are either pretty, or tasty when it's summer tomato season, others that like to walk the dogs, and some that come in to socialize scared cats. There is an endless list of opportunities to do your part to volunteer with the shelter! Another type of opportunity that we are always looking for, are fosters. Fosters can be integral to our program, as they give the pet the home skills they might not have gotten in the past, and we get to see how they do with certain situations they might have been exposed to previously, and these give our pets the very best chance to be successful in a new home. We love all of our volunteers, fosters, and those that end up falling in love and being foster fails, the best failure there is.

If you think you'd like to join us, or even just come by and take a peek at all that we do, we're open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11-4. We are located right behind the barn or Recycling center at 510 Organ Ave. If you can't drop by, but have questions about volunteering or just have general questions, please message us on here, as it's the fastest way to contact us!

We already miss our members who've had to leave us this year and the many years prior, but we are definitely looking forward to meeting you all! I'm ready to say 'Welcome to the Team!'

Please visit https://vmis.armyfamilywebportal.com/ to start your journey with us!

06/17/2025

I've been trying to think of all of the adjectives that come to mind when talking about this pretty girl to others. I can say she is strong. A strong desire to love and be loved, a strong will to please her humans, and clearly a strong will to survive since her 'owners' never came forward to claim her.
I could say crazy. She's crazy about kiddos, crazy about playing in the yard with her new friend Bruno, and crazy about getting belly rubs that she'll give you no warning that's she's going to flop on your feel and roll over.
I could say she's large. She definitely wants to live her life in the largest way possible, she has a great, big, large smile that you can't help but smile back at, a large heart that she'll love you with forever, and you'll fall in love with just as quickly.
Aside from her fascination with bunnies and squirrels, I genuinely cannot say Aspen has any less than desirable traits. I also cannot imagine why anyone would want to give her up, much less just leave her somewhere. This girl had her intake exam today, which means she had blood drawn for heartworm testing, and 3 vaccinations. Because she's a good sized pup, the assistant was a little hesitant when they loosened up their grip and Aspen jumped forward, turned around and was ready to give kisses and forgive the ouchie pokes they'd given her. This girl made sure to tell all of the vets, techs, admin, and others thank you, bye and have a great day on her way out.
You really can't find a better dog. Plus those ears...
Aspen has one more set of boosters to get, which will be about a month from now, but she can be fostered in the meantime! If you'd like to learn more about Aspen, please message us here, or visit her page on petfinder! If I could take her, she'd be in my home already.
https://www.petfinder.com/dog/aspen-76716388/ks/fort-leavenworth/fort-leavenworth-stray-facility-ks174/