- Liberty, a dog from Kansas, is recovering in Waverly Park with a foster parent
- Helping Hand for Animals says more pets are being surrendered as rising costs overwhelm owners
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – A dog named Liberty is recovering in Omaha with a foster parent after being found in Wichita, Kansas.
Liberty is staying with Megan Mackie, a Waverly Park neighbor who is fostering the dog through Helping Hand for Animals Rescue. Liberty has an injured foot and is wearing both a cast and a protective cone, which are expected to stay on for the rest of the summer.
"She's adjusting. She seems to be looking at me like I have to be the bad guy who makes her wear this cone and makes her wear the cast on her arm," Mackie said.
Rose Coco founded Helping Hand for Animals Rescue 25 years ago. Unlike a shelter, the rescue must find fosters or adopters to take in every animal that is surrendered or brought in. Coco said the number of animals coming through has been increasing.
"It's heartbreaking because people are giving up their animals because they can no longer afford vet care, special food, they can't afford any of that," Coco said.
Finding people to take those animals in is also becoming more difficult.
"Yes, most people are overwhelmed. They've already got multiple dogs or pets in the home. So to take in one more, sometimes it's just overwhelming," Coco said.
According to the federal government's June 2026 inflation report, pet services like vet care cost 5.1% more compared to last June, and pet products are up 1.5% from a year ago.
Liberty's costs are being covered by Helping Hand for Animals' donors, so Mackie is not paying out of pocket. She will be caring for Liberty for at least the next seven weeks.
"She went from kind of like hopeless to having a whole team behind her, so I just like, I like connecting with people. I like connecting people with dogs. I like watching them grow and I just hate thinking of them in any other situation," Mackie said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
