Piston

Founded by Beatrice Martin Peck (pictured) in 1946 to serve Franklin County's homeless animals, Prairie Paws' first name was the Franklin County Humane society. Through her own expense and effort, Beatrice established and named the first building The Bea Martin Peck Animal Shelter on March 25th 1947, which was completed and welcomed it's first residents in 1948. The building was located at 230 W 19th St in Ottawa Kansas, and was the first brick and mortar location for Beatrice and her group of faithful supporters to house and adopt out homeless pets. Prior to her efforts, the stray or otherwise unwanted animals were used for medical testing and had no voice. Beatrice and her volunteers also investigated reports of animal cruelty, and their efforts led to the enactment of many ordinances and regulations regarding animal care that remain today. Beatrice never stopped advocating for helpless animals until her death in 1967. The animal shelter she founded would continue to save lives for more than 40 years after her passing. In 2010 a similar group of hard-working animal advocates designed, funded and built a state-of-the-art facility under the current name "Prairie Paws Animal Shelter".

Prairie Paws Animal Shelter has grown tremendously but is still a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) animal shelter operating under the same philosophies with which it was established over 70 years ago. Roughly 2,500 animals a year are sheltered at our two facilities, being rehabilitated until they are ready for a new home. The Ottawa location is over 14,000 square feet in size and sits centered on 10 acres of Kansas Prairie.

The Manhattan location, also known as the T Russell Reitz Animal Shelter, was added in 2023 in partnership with the City of Manhattan KS and other area municipalities. It is over 12,000 square feet in size and sits on just over 5 acres of tree-covered land in Pottawatomie County KS. The Manhattan location is the fastest growing location, doubling the number of animals sheltered in the last 2 years, and processing more adoptions some months than the other 2 locations combined.

The Emporia location was added in August 2024 in partnership with the City of Emporia KS. It is the smallest Prairie Paws shelter, with under 5,000 square feet of internal space, and a team of only four full-time staff. The small but mighty team care for between 40 and 50 pets each day, and admit 70 new animals each month by maintaining a short length of stay and focusing on high-efficiency initiatives.