"Every Wednesday was the kill day. It was horrible."
Before Kayla Denney took over an animal shelter in Taft, Texas, the kill rate was almost 100%. But in only five short months, Denney managed to bring that number to 0%. Kayla left her job as an accountant to pursue her dream of helping to save lots of animals. She took up employment as an animal control officer but also works as a shelter manager. When she first took the work, the town shelter was run down and had no electricity. It had been in desperate need of repair, but since it had a limited budget, there have been minimal supplies.
Chief of Police, John Cornish, recalled that before Kayla arrived, “Every Wednesday was the kill day. It had been horrible.”
John dreamt of the day when there might be a no-kill shelter in the city. When Kayla arrived, that dream became a reality. The first thing she did was post to her personal Facebook page posing for supplies, donations, and asked that no-one post any negative comments. Her post went viral in her local town She or he is ready to collect more than 800 boxes of supplies to help her transform the shelter.
Kayla’s next step was to specialize in improving the lives of shelter pets. She began to gather volunteers willing to assist walk, play, and look after the animals. She also found out a Facebook page to market the shelter’s adorable pets who were trying to find their forever homes. She also contacted foster care and rescue agencies in the area to help these animals find permanent families.
Slowly, but surely, the shelter began to rework . Today, it’s got electricity and so the animals coming through are being placed in loving homes. Within a year, Kayla managed to show a run-down city shelter with a high-kill rate into what it's today, and she or he managed to vary the kill rate into 100% saves. All her diligence was definitely paying off because the Petco Foundation heard about Kayla’s dedication to the animals, and awarded her the 2019 National Unsung Hero Award – it came with a prize of $35,000. Kayla did not keep the cash, but made a grand plan to use the cash to further improve the shelter.
Kayla told KZTV, “I want indoor-outdoor kennels with a guillotine in between so when it’s raining we will put them inside. We would like a neighborhood where they will have a meet and greet call at the sector and somewhere, they will have grass time instead of just cement time.” She is also known to go to different neighborhoods and sign up on people’s animals to supply support, advice, and supplies to the owners. “Here in Taft, they're beginning to see that I'm not here to select up their animals and take them away. I'm here to form sure that the animal is taken care of,” she said.
After receiving the Petco award, Kayla said, “You guys just helped me save dogs. Every dog deserves an opportunity, whether it's my shelter or not.” “As of All Saints' Day , we've saved 565 dogs and cats out of Taft,” Denney told KZTV. that's such amazing news. Well done, Kayla. You truly are an inspiring heroine. Keep it up! For more information, watch the video below: