2026 Halloween Special

Animals arrive at Wayside Waifs animal shelter in Kansas City for many reasons. One reason that some animals are here is that they've been rescued from unsafe situations such as puppy mills, hoarding situations, or natural disasters. In this episode, I chat with Alison, Wayside's Vice President of Animal Welfare and Operations, who helps coordinate these rescues, from when Wayside Waifs is contacted to help to when the animals are safely brought to our shelter!

Join us for a spoooooooky animal-themed episode of Wayside Tails, a podcast by Wayside Waifs’ animal shelter in Kansas City! This special episode includes lot of tricks and treats, including an animal sound quiz, a recipe, and an original story!  Cat treat recipe from the ASPCA (scroll halfway down the page) https://www.aspca.org/news/fall-treats-you-can-make-your-furry-friends Credits: Freesound.org : Howl_Echo.wav by taure -- https://freesound.org/s/380156/ -- License: Creative Commons 0  witch (laughing).wav by ZyryTSounds -- https://freesound.org/s/237984/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 20220415-roe deer barking.wav by davorl -- https://freesound.org/s/651258/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 HowlerMonkey.mp3 by jredd -- https://freesound.org/s/354039/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 SFXsource-mountain-lion-wild-animal-sound-effect.mp3 by SFXsource.com -- https://freesound.org/s/115362/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 Fox barking in Riverdale by SoundsLikeYukon -- https://freesound.org/s/865257/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Cow moo #5 by spurioustransients -- https://freesound.org/s/513563/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Microwave by rivernile7 -- https://freesound.org/s/240547/ -- License: Attribution 3.0 Mixing food wooden spoon.wav by KidsCastTechy -- https://freesound.org/s/42812/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Unfurling Paper.m4a by ForgetfulGardener -- https://freesound.org/s/522185/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Oven timer complete.mp3 by ccr_fs -- https://freesound.org/s/484718/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Dog Eating Milk-bone by aunrea -- https://freesound.org/s/495657/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Measuring Espresso Beans by Sounds_by_Cois -- https://freesound.org/s/553926/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Yogurt Cup Scrape by everythingsounds -- https://freesound.org/s/628314/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 dog medium sized approach on gravel collar rattle.flac by kyles -- https://freesound.org/s/637474/ -- License: Creative Commons 0  dog_running.wav by nas1 -- https://freesound.org/s/34153/ -- License: Attribution 3.0 yes.wav by awchacon -- https://freesound.org/s/591283/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 yes.mp3 by bectec -- https://freesound.org/s/565943/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 mocha_meow.mp3 by NoiseCollector -- https://freesound.org/s/73345/ -- License: Attribution 3.0 Clothing_ShirtsandPants_Rustling.wav by duckduckpony -- https://freesound.org/s/204016/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Glasses Clink.wav by PaladinVII -- https://freesound.org/s/656728/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Kitchen Faucet / Water Tap / Running Water Sound by olehenriksen -- https://freesound.org/s/771248/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 squeaky faucet on off.wav by JPBILLINGSLEYJR -- https://freesound.org/s/472753/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 03-PlatoSobreMantel.wav by darkiron98 -- https://freesound.org/s/446324/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Squeezing paint.wav by jamiedewitt -- https://freesound.org/s/592894/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0 Plastic bag.wav by cribbler -- https://freesound.org/s/380384/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Cat licking its paws and sneezing by Sadiquecat -- https://freesound.org/s/839595/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Little Girl giggle.wav by SoundMunger -- https://freesound.org/s/62263/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Rope under tension.WAV by gear_clinkz -- https://freesound.org/s/547862/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Door Bang 1.wav by iamslenderman -- https://freesound.org/s/315935/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Bundle falling to ground by pfranzen -- https://freesound.org/s/326351/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Creepy Door Falling Shut by qubodup -- https://freesound.org/s/752065/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Door, Church, Open, A.wav by InspectorJ -- https://freesound.org/s/271571/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 bed sheets moving hitting scratching.wav by KrystianPawlowski -- https://freesound.org/s/584879/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Next To School in Street Ambience.wav by 15050_Francois -- https://freesound.org/s/326144/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0 Zapsplat.com “Gentle Moments” by Audio Hero: https://www.zapsplat.com/music/gentle-moments-orchestral-strings-with-a-music-box-style-melody/?_gl=1*xjs5yb*_up*MQ..*_ga*OTc5MjAzNzkwLjE3OTAxOTE3NDE.*_ga_901GQX73MS*czE3OTAxOTE3NDEkbzEkZzEkdDE3OTAxOTE5NzYkajYwJGwwJGgw 

Taking care of the physical health of the pets at Wayside Waifs animal shelter is extremely important to their overall well-being! One way we make sure the pets here are healthy is to prevent them from getting something called heartworms. You can prevent your pets at home from getting heartworms, too! For this episode, I got to interview Sylas from Wayside Waifs’ vet clinic about preventing and treating heartworms.

Every summer since 2018, Wayside Waifs animal shelter has offered Camp Wayside to third through eighth-graders. For the past couple of summers, we've started to offer a teen camp week or two each year. Ninth and tenth graders have the opportunity to join us at camp for a teen version of Camp Wayside! On this episode of Wayside Tails, you’ll get to hear from our teen campers as they share what they've learned at camp as well as the aspects of animal care they feel passionately about!

No matter how animals arrive at Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter, they all have at least one thing in common: they all need names! Today’s episode of Wayside Tails focuses on animal names. We’ll explore how we name pets here at the shelter as well as what to consider when naming your new furry family member! Email your pet's name and why you choose that name to [email protected]  

Every summer since 2018, Wayside Waifs animal shelter has offered Camp Wayside to third through eighth-graders. For the past couple of summers, we've started to offer a teen camp week or two each year. Ninth and tenth graders have the opportunity to join us at camp for a teen version of Camp Wayside! On this episode of Wayside Tails, you’ll get to hear from our teen campers as they share what they've learned at camp as well as the aspects of animal care they feel passionately about!

In this episode, I'm joined by Amber, Wayside Waifs' Animal Marketing Coordinator, to discuss why having great photos of shelter pets is important. She also gives listeners tips for taking great pictures of their own pets!

We talk a lot on this podcast about how to care for domestic animals (pets), but how do we care for wild animals? I got to speak with Kelly Kluthe, the president of the Kansas Herpetological Society, about reptiles and amphibians. Listen in to discover amazing facts about herpetofauna and to learn how to respect these wild species! 

This episode of Wayside Tails features an interview with Dr. Melia Washington, the Chief Veterinarian at Pet Resource Center of Kansas City. PRCKC a non-profit organization that provides low-cost veterinary care, especially spay and neuter surgeries, to Kansas Citians' pets. Why and how did Dr. Washington become a vet? How can you access Pet Resource Center of Kansas City’s services? Those questions will all be answered in the episode!  To learn more about PRCKC, click the link here: https://prckc.org/  

*This episode contains information about puppy mills, which some listeners may find upsetting* This episode features an interview Bob Baker from the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation about how laws have improved animals’ safety and well-being. You’ll even learn how you can get involved in helping new laws pass that protect animals and people!