Milton* Pet Transport is the name we’ve given to our frequent trips to transport cats and dogs to and from shelters, rescue programs, retirement homes, working farms and fur-ever homes.

The “we” in Milton Pet Transport are Dan and Nancy Mahoney. We’ve lived in Kansas City, MO, since January 2019. We started volunteering at the Kansas City Pet Project the following month, continuing shelter volunteering we started while living in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Humane Haven is a smaller operation that specializes in cats and works with the Bolingbrook PetSmart store to showcase felines to the public in that store.

KCPP has hundreds of dogs and cats in locations in Swope Park and Zona Rosa, plus in 11 Petco stores in the greater Kansas City area in Missouri and Kansas, as well as in foster homes. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer, including driving pets to and from the shelter to the Petco stores and between the main shelter and the Zona Rosa location, etc.

But most of the Milton Pet Transort trips are for independent transport coordinators who form networks of drivers who are willing to make trips of varying lengths. Or more often, parts or legs of trips to move an animal or animals longer distances. Sometimes the trips are a full day long, or two days long, such as the one taking Riley, a young St. Bernard, from Texas to Wisconsin.

The longest trip Dan and I have done so far was for KCPP reunited two elderly cats with their adoptive mom who was in Cincinnati, Ohio. That was a 1,230 round-trip and included an overnight stay — and a short side trip to Kentucky when Google maps got us turned around in the dark.

All worthwhile to see the joy at the reunion of the tearful owner and the happy cats!

That’s why we do this.

*The photo is of Milton. He was a very special cat who joined us about 6 years ago as a medical foster. We failed as foster parents, adopting him and sharing our home with this very special boy for 5 years, until October 2024.