Jordan Cornell
Lantern Staff
Alex’s House, 9880 SE 30th Street, Rosalia, Kansas, is a mixed-breed dog rescue in Butler County. The rescue has two main programs, Perfect Match Adoptions and Where Struggles Meet Snuggles.
With Perfect Match Adoptions, co-founder Vicki McKain, also a professor of history, works to match dogs with their perfect owners, including bonded pairs of dogs that need to be adopted together.Where Struggles Meet Snuggles, however, is a hospice program. Alex’s Houses take in dogs that have lost their homes or owners. The dog rescue brings them in and provides them with the best quality of life as they can.
McCain explained the name behind the rescue.
“Alex was a dog I adopted in college,” McCain said. “College and post-college years can be stressful, and she got us through it all. We wanted to honor her years of love and support by providing that same love and support to dogs in need.”
“THAT” stands for Temporary Housing and Transport. Sometimes groups will contact Alex’s House about a dog in need in our area that they wish to bring into their rescue, but they need someone nearby to help with the processing. Alex’s House cares for the dog for a short period of time and then drives the first leg of the transport to get the dog to its rescue.
“Alex’s House began as a senior/hospice rescue because it broke my heart that long-time, loyal doggie companions would sometimes end up in situations where they were surrendered to an animal control or humane society, confused and with no hope—not because these places didn’t care but because unfortunately resources and space are so limited,” McKain said.
Mckain and her husband John Schafer started Alex’s House 11 years ago.
“We quickly realized that many middle-aged and younger dogs also found themselves in situations without families and home, so Alex’s House expanded to all we could to help dogs of any age in need,” McKain said.
Jessica Mitchell, Custodial Services supervisor, fostered for Alex’s House.
“My female dog was always cranky towards other female dogs, so in that respect I always had to have a male dog,” Mitchell said. “And they’ve been medium to large sized dogs.”
Mitchell is on break from fostering for the moment, but she would like to foster through Alex’s House again.
Alex’s House is always in need of financial donations to provide dogs with vaccinations, spay and neuter, heartworm tests, microchips, heartworm and flea preventative as well as larger needs such as medical tests, specialized diets, and treatments for heartworm, parvo and dental disease just to name a few. They have a webpage at http://www.alexshouse.org where people who wish to help these dogs in need can donate. Alex’s House is also in need of supplies and will often post those needs on their Facebook page—Alex’s House Dog Rescue.
In addition to their Facebook page, Alex’s House uses nationwide pet adoption search engines, such as Petfinder.com and Adoptapet.com, to highlight the dogs they have for adoption. In early November, Alex’s House will have their annual Bark in the Park in El Dorado, and they hope that the community will come out to meet the dogs and wish them well in their endeavor to find a forever family.
