Tan dog gently touching noses with a gray tabby cat on a sunny wooden deck

Community Pets Program

Help keeping the pets you love

Money gets tight, a fence breaks, winter shows up early. Our Community Pets Program helps Cass County families keep their dogs and cats at home, where they belong.

What we can help with

A white speckled dog and a black dog lying side by side on a living room floor

Food and supplies

Our pet food pantry, dog houses, straw for winter, cooling blankets for summer, cable tie-outs and help with fences.

Fluffy brown and white puppy held up in a person's hands

Spay and neuter

We don’t do surgery ourselves. We help pay for it through our vet partners, because fixing pets is the surest way to fewer homeless animals.

Shaggy brown and white small dog looking up from the floor

Vaccines and microchips

Help paying for vaccines, deworming, flea and tick prevention and microchips. If a pet ever gets lost, a chip can be what gets them home.

Two black and white flat-faced dogs, a puppy and an adult, sitting on a red couch

Training help

Potty training, fence jumping, nipping, or something more serious. We work with local trainers and can point you to one that fits your dog and your budget.

Black and white dog in a teal harness sitting in front of a colorful heart sculpture

Youth programs

Our Junior Volunteer Program and Reading to Animals Program teach kids to care for animals and help shy dogs warm up to people.

Youth programs
Red and cream fox-faced dog lying in a fenced yard next to a blue ball

Finding the right dog

Thinking about adopting? Tell us about your home and we’ll suggest dogs who fit it, so the match lasts.

Ask for a match

How it works

  1. Fill out the request form. Tell us what you need and about the animals in your home.
  2. We’ll email you within 72 hours. A request sent on a Friday may not get an answer until Monday. Still haven’t heard from us? Send us a message.
  3. We’ll work out the details with you, whether that’s food, supplies or a visit with one of our vet partners.

Not fixed yet? That’s OK

Our whole reason for being is fewer unwanted pets. So if you’re asking for help with vet care and your pet isn’t fixed, we’d love to help address that at the same visit.

Who it’s for

Families in Cass County, Missouri who are struggling to care for a pet they want to keep. Dogs and cats both count.

What pays for it

The program runs entirely on donations and fundraisers. It covers food, vet care, supplies and, when we can, emergency vet bills for pets with owners in Cass County.

Request help

Want to keep this going? Donate or send something from our wish lists.

Every dog here costs something to care for

Vet visits, vaccines, heartworm treatment, food, the occasional emergency. ARF runs on donations and fundraisers. That’s what pays for all of it.

Speckled black and white pup lying in fallen autumn leaves