Scott Poore walked away from a corporate sales career about 12 years ago with no plan beyond a gut feeling: he was taking from the world and giving nothing back.
He started volunteering at Great Plains SPCA in Merriam, at first occasionally, then every day. What he noticed at the end of each kennel row changed the course of his life. The dogs with the longest shelter stays sat there with disclaimers taped to their doors: "no cats," "no other dog," "no kids," "staff only."
"I respected the transparency," Poore told the Johnson County Post. "But I thought to myself, if a first-time adopting family was to walk through, they're never going to pick this animal."
So the Mission resident and Shawnee Mission East alumnus started climbing into kennels with a camera. He filmed the dogs, told their stories and posted the videos on Facebook, starting with just over 130 friends. Some clips went viral. His social media community now numbers more than 145,000 supporters, and he estimates roughly 75% of the animals he has featured over the years have been adopted.
In 2025 alone, Poore estimates he helped raise roughly $1.5 million for local shelters, rescue groups and outreach organizations.
From volunteer to nonprofit founder
In 2023, Poore founded On a Mission KC, a nonprofit focused on long-stay dogs in rural Kansas shelters and nearby states where resources are scarce. Within its first year, the organization raised nearly $305,000 and facilitated 125 adoptions.
The nonprofit has since funded HVAC systems for shelters that lacked heat in winter, plumbing repairs and new fenced play yards at city-run facilities. Poore also uses his audience for Amazon wish-list drives that he says can supply a shelter with a full year of food, and for urgent campaigns like a recent fundraiser that covered $1,500 in veterinary care for a puppy with parvo.
Since founding On a Mission KC, Poore has helped more than 1,500 shelter pets find homes in total, according to the nonprofit's website.
Recognition and new ventures
Poore's work earned him the Spirit of Service award from the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor on Sept. 18, 2025, which came with a $20,000 check to continue his mission, KCUR reported. He has also been voted Best Community Activist, Best Local Hero and Best Philanthropist in Kansas City, and On a Mission KC was named Best Nonprofit by readers of The Pitch in 2025.
In 2025, Poore launched Kansas City Dog Treats Co., a locally themed treat company with packaging tied to Kansas City institutions including the Royals, the Kansas City Current and the Country Club Plaza holiday lights. Revenue from the business helps fund his advocacy work.
Beyond animal welfare
Poore, who is more than two years sober, also founded the Twenty Percent movement, a page offering mental health and addiction resources in Kansas and Missouri aimed at animal welfare workers.
At home in Mission, his 12-year-old wheaten terrier-plummer spaniel mix, Leo, still serves as an unofficial therapy dog. Poore found Leo abandoned and tied to a tree at the shelter where he once worked. Over the years, Leo has been a calming presence for hundreds of dogs who spent a night at Poore's home to decompress before entering the shelter system.
On a Mission KC posts upcoming events and featured shelter animals at onamissionkc.org. Residents can also follow Poore's work on Facebook at facebook.com/scottypoore.
