The four founding members of LADA Paws Rescue: Amber Obermann, Arica Obermann, Lindsey Reif, and Desirae Brandenburg.
By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
When four Hoisington Veterinarian Hospital employees began LADA Paws Rescue in 2021, they might have had an idea the organization would live up to its name helping a "lotta" furry friends. Just before Christmas, with extreme cold weather moving in, LADA went on another rescue mission for two dogs that had been dumped near Lyons. Short on space, LADA Founder Amber Obermann still made the decision to rescue the dogs.
"After we got the picture of what they looked like, we knew they probably were not going to make it through the cold snap because they were literally living in a culvert," Obermann said. "They had no protection besides the culvert around them. They were skin and bones."
With no facilities available in Rice County, Obermann teamed up with Coach K9 Training Academy's Brooke Steinert to capture one dog and live trap the other. The dogs were fully vetted and will be heading to foster homes. In a nutshell, the case defines exactly what LADA does.
Amber and Arica Obermann, LADA President and Vice President, Hoisington Veterinarian Lindsey Reif, and Treasurer Desirae Brandenburg founded LADA Paws Rescue to help rehome dogs that came to the facility as part of Hoisington's stray dog policy.
Brooke Steinert with one of the two dogs rescued near Lyons just before Christmas.
"Then it just kind of snowballed," Arica said. "There are a lot of dogs that needed help from all over. We bring in dogs from Missouri, Oklahoma, and more rural areas that just don't have the resources to find animals homes. Instead of euthanizing and going that route, we're able to vet them fully and find them homes."
LADA adopted out nearly 300 dogs and cats this year, and usually kennels between 70 and 80 animals at the Hoisington Veterinary Hospital at any given time. The 501(c)(3) non-profit operates within the walls of the hospital but is its own entity, working entirely off of donations. LADA is limited by space, but has seen an uptick in guests in recent years.
"We really saw a huge increase after people started going back to work from COVID," said Arica. "There were a lot of people adopting during COVID. They were home, they had the time, and then they went back to work and didn't have the time anymore. This is nationwide. There was a huge influx of animals that needed homes."
LADA differs from organizations like Golden Belt Humane Society in that it is funded entirely by donations, and it is not bound by contracts with city and county agencies to take in all strays or owner surrenders. Space is often the deciding factor.
"When we make a commitment to another facility in southeast or southwestern Kansas, we have to hold to that commitment," Amber said. "If we have five dogs coming from that, if we don't the kennel space, we can't take in three more dogs from an owner surrender from somebody who doesn't want their pets anymore."
LADA is also different in that some animals become long-term visitors. While finding foster homes is the preferred method, LADA will not euthanize an animal just to make space for another.
"We only euthanize in extreme medical or behavioral situations," said Amber. "We do not euthanize for space, or if a dog has sat here for two months, where a lot of other places do. That's essentially why we take dogs from other places around Kansas, because they have a time limit whereas our animals do not."
All animals coming into the facility are fully vetted, which includes spaying or neutering, vaccination, and microchipping. Preventative treatments for fleas, ticks, and heartworm are also administered. While LADA takes in mostly dogs and cats, staff has also rescued smaller furry pets.
"If we had more funding and supplies, we could take more, but we have done in the past many guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, and things like that," Amber said. "We don't do anything exotic, like reptiles, because we don't have a place for them to go."
Because LADA operates by donation, gifts and supplies are always welcome. Send checks or make cash donations at 3 NW 90 Road just south of Hoisington. Send money digitally with PayPal by CLICKING HERE or with Venmo by CLICKING HERE.
LADA's adoptable animals can be found on their FACEBOOK PAGE or on PETFINDER.COM.