Wichita Animal Action League Keeps Pets at Home With Clinics, a Food Pantry, and Free Vaccines This October

Wichita Animal Action League, known around town as WAAL, was founded in November 2013 to prevent and mitigate crises for animals, their owners, and the community. The nonprofit runs an adoption program, but most of its work goes toward keeping pets in the homes they already have. Three of those programs are on the calendar this month.

ALPHA Clinic, Wednesday, October 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hilltop Community Center, 1329 S Terrace Dr. ALPHA stands for Affordable Local Pet Health Assistance. The mobile clinic treats urgent-care problems such as ear infections, skin issues, limping, and injuries, in partnership with Bruce Veterinary Services and the K-State veterinary school's outreach program. It's for low-income pet owners who live in Sedgwick County. It's first come, first served, with a $30 copay per pet, a daily cap on animals, and a limit of two pets per household. Bring water and a chair, keep dogs on leashes, and keep cats in carriers.

Free Vaccination Clinic, Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Linwood Splash Pad, 1902 S Hydraulic St. Free vaccines, free microchips, and a pet food and supply handout. Anyone with a pet can come; there's no application or income requirement, and it's first come, first served. Puppies and kittens must be at least six weeks old, dogs stay on leashes, and cats ride in carriers. WAAL points out that parvo and panleukopenia have been rampant in Wichita this year, so this is the clinic to catch if your pet isn't current.

WAAL Food Pantry, Wednesday, October 21, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., WAAL office, 1550 N Broadway, Suite 100. The pantry gives out free pet food so a short-term setback doesn't end with a pet being surrendered. It's for families facing an unexpected hardship who need temporary, emergency help feeding a pet, not an ongoing supply. Demand is up and supply is tight, so donations of food are welcome.

Later this fall, WAAL brings adoptable dogs to Barks & Brews at 1312 E English St on Wednesday, October 28, from 6 to 8 p.m., open to anyone who wants to meet them, and holds a heartworm prevention clinic for dogs of low-income owners at Hilltop on Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The full event calendar lists dates, locations, and details.

The year-round programs run deeper. Spay It Forward is for low-income families in Sedgwick County. It spays or neuters a pet, gives rabies and distemper vaccines, microchips and registers the animal, and trims nails, all for a single copay that ranges from $40 to $125 for cats and $60 to $175 for dogs depending on household income and other factors. Each animal needs its own application. Safe Paws Alliance is for domestic violence survivors and for veterans who need inpatient care; it fosters their pets until they can take them back. Pets for Life and the Animal Care Collective serve pet owners in the Planeview and Hilltop neighborhoods. WAAL also performs welfare checks, assists with senior dog care, funds dog training grants, keeps a list of pet-friendly housing, and offers guidance to owners who need to rehome an animal.

The 2025 numbers show the scale: 4,291 spay and neuter surgeries, 1,235 adoptions, 2,446 low-cost vaccines and microchips, 541 pets treated at ALPHA clinics, and 10,500 pets fed through the food bank, for 21,697 lives changed in a single year.

WAAL relies entirely on public donations and receives no ongoing support from any national agency. It brought more than 1,200 animals into its care in 2025, each costing hundreds of dollars to prepare for adoption. You can give online, set up monthly giving, shop the wish list, or buy a ticket in the car raffle or Chiefs raffle now running, and a current matching-gift campaign doubles donations. Volunteers and foster families sign up on the site. Checks go to PO Box 21401, Wichita, KS 67208.

WAAL's office is at 1550 N Broadway St, Suite 100, Wichita, KS 67214. To adopt, volunteer, donate, or ask about a program, call (316) 895-9225 or toll-free (888) 414-9225, or visit waalrescue.org.

P.S. Adoptable dogs, cats, and small animals are listed online with an application for each.