Rylie Emerick, 20, sanitizes the dog kennel at NNHS. Rylie, the animal care attendant and front desk assistant at the humane society, regularly starts her morning hours cleaning the facility before tending to incoming and outgoing canine and feline residents.

Rylie adjusts the images of the current dog residents of NNHS on the wall of the reception area of the shelter. Last year, the no-kill humane society welcomed 723 animals and successfully placed 95 percent in homes.

Rylie speaks on the phone with local veterinarians outside the NNHS truck after she received a dispatch call to collect a dog that was hit by a car in the early hours of Sept. 24, 2026. Local police and animal control forces often forward emergency calls directly to NNHS, so Rylie is often on call to pick up stray or injured animals.

Rylie pulls a dog off the road toward the humane society’s truck after she received a call about a hit-and-run that struck two dogs before dawn. Upon arrival, one was already deceased, but the other was still slowly breathing.

Rylie loads a dog that was hit by a car into a kennel at sunrise.

Rylie leans against the door frame at the Nodaway Veterinary Clinic after delivering the dog that had been struck by a car. Her nails are encrusted with excrement that had been released from the dog’s body.

Rylie consults with the veterinarian in the treatment room at the Nodaway Veterinary Clinic. The owner of the dog was not present at the scene of the hit-and-run, so she and the veterinarian assessed whether to pursue treatment or euthanize.

Rylie exits the Nodaway Veterinary Clinic after delivering the injured dog. As an employee of a no-kill shelter, she urges the vet to pursue treatment of the dog until its owners can be identified.

Rylie cries outside NNHS after her emergency dispatch to the site of a hit-and-run.

Rylie curls in the office chair while holding a kitten from the shelter.