Lynchburg Humane Society Blog

Slow Down and Make a Difference in Your Life

2011-11-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

I know I am not alone when I say that holiday time always feels very busy and stressful to me. The normal day-to-day stress of balancing work and home is already difficult, and when you pile on the expectations and duties of the holidays it becomes even worse. But this year I am making the choice to do things differently and I challenge everyone to do the same. I have decided to slow down and not get wrapped up in the chaos of the holidays but instead get wrapped up in the true message of this time of year, which is family, love and life.

The Lynchburg Humane Society and most of the shelters in the area are seeing more animals in need of our services this year and less money coming in due to the economy. Our Home 4 the Holiday promotion serves to encourage the community to help pets find homes before the end of the year. This is the perfect time of year to bring home a new pet through adoption or foster care. Even though the idea of putting one more thing on your plate - like a new pet in your home - might seem crazy at first, I want to remind you that life is messy; love is messy. We’ve all heard that pets have been proven to reduce stress. Additionally, treasured memories are created by those events involving other people and creatures that touch our lives. So let us slow down and decide to change our lives and the lives of pets in need.

The shelters in the Lynchburg area are filled with wonderful animals. The only thing they want is a place where they can receive attention, love and proper care. Let me tell you about Allie, one dog in particular who has touched my heart. She is a shepherd/hound mix, about 7 years old. Her life so far has been out on a chain in a backyard being neglected and obviously physically injured by her previous owner. She looks battered with the harsh reality of being ignored and not given the love or care she needed. Allie still is unsure what positive attention is but you know she likes it because she will give little quick kisses on your hand in appreciation when you pet her. She still flinches when you reach out to give her a head stroke because she is anticipating a smack instead. She needs minor medical attention for conditions that have gone untreated. What really gets me is that this shelter, which is no place for a dog or cat, is probably the best place she has lived in her life. We are all she has. But Allie deserves even more: she deserves a warm loving home and the good news is that she will get one. As sad as her past is, Allie is now focused on the future and what life still holds for her.

For every challenging dog like Allie you will find 10 other dogs and cats who are happy, healthy and ready to go home. Not every shelter animal is a project. Many are pets who previously lived in comfortable homes and are now in need of new ones. Or they are puppies/kittens who simply started off life in the wrong place. You name the breed, we have had it come through our doors. So don’t buy a pet for your family. Adopt or foster and bring home the true message of this season: love and life. Slow down and experience what giving is really all about.

Happy holidays and thank you so much for all your support this year. We are very close to becoming a No Kill community and with every adoption or foster we are one step closer.

We Are All They Have

2011-11-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

The Lynchburg Humane Society takes in every animal including those that are injured, sick, traumatized, under-socialized or too small to thrive on their own. Just the other day a 10 year old hound mix,we call Allie, came in on the end of a chain so heavy her head hung low from the weight. She suffers from untreated ear infections and is nervous of any physical contact. When we give her love she cringes in anticipation but then returns the favor with quick licks on our hands. She obviously suffered for most of her life in a neglectful situation and now we are her only chance at a normal life. Carmen was brought to us with active Parvo, a very deadly and contagious condition that her owner couldn’t afford to treat. We took on the responsibility to treat Carmen and after a very difficult few days, she pulled through with flying colors. She now is vibrant, full of life and living with her new family. These are just two recent examples of the powerful impact our Second Chance Fund has on animals in need. 99% of the animals that come to the Lynchburg Humane Society receive a vaccination and more than half of the pets receive medical treatment for illness or injury. Many of those like Allie and Carmen need major rehabilitation. Our Second Chance Fund is a way for the community to give back to the pets who give so much to our lives. This fund pays for the medical supplies and treatment for those entrusted to our care. When they arrive here we are truly their last shot at life and the choices we make depend on the funding we have. We can all make a difference through the Second Chance Fund.

Killing is Not The Answer

2011-11-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

I saw a poster recently that had a picture of a feral cat and it said, “I have been living outside for 7 years… I am not homeless.” The Lynchburg Humane Society made a bold decision this year to stop taking in feral (wild) cats, except in extreme circumstances. While we still accept feral kittens for rehabilitation, we were euthanizing the adults; it was something that made the people trapping them feel good but did nothing to solve their problem. Studies and actual accounts in Lynchburg have shown that this method of trapping and killing is not effective. Due to something called the “vacuum effect,” the cats that remain around the food source will continue to reproduce at an alarming rate in order to compensate for the cats removed. For example, one local business brought us 11 feral cats last year when we were still taking them in. This year they showed back up claiming they now had to bring us 15 feral cats. Because they never removed the food source and did not catch all the cats originally, they had more feral cats the next year. Our City Cat Fix is designed to fix this problem. We will show you how to trap them, fix them for free and provide rabies shots. All you have to do is continue to provide the food they require. This will keep other cats from entering into their territory and the colony should die out over time.

Shelter transitioning to No Kill

2011-10-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

Letter appeared in the News and Advance in the editiorial section on 10/4/11 in response to a letter posted on September 24th by Jason Shelton.

I first want to thank Jason Shelton (The Forum, Sept. 24) for raising awareness that the Lynchburg Humane Society’s current facility is inadequate to meet the needs of this community, continue saving lives and reach our goal of an open-admission, no-kill shelter. Our new building project will enable us to provide more services to the community and alleviate the overcrowded conditions that affect the animals, staff and the public.
Similarly, we acknowledge that there is a problem in the city with the cat population. We are dedicated to solving this problem by providing free spay and neuter services through our City Cat Fix Program and a grant from PetSmart Charities. Unfortunately, as long as people allow the cats they care for to reproduce and not take full responsibility for them, the problem will persist.
The standard operating mode for a pound is to take in all animals and then kill pets to make space when they get full. The Lynchburg Humane Society feels that killing pets to make space is irresponsible. We now ask owners to be responsible and wait until we have space. We knew when we decided to alter our philosophy regarding the intake of unwanted owned animals that it would be very uncomfortable to some folks. Happily, we found that most people want what is best for their pets and will wait. Asking owners to wait enables us to stop the killing of healthy and treatable animals. In the meantime, we give them assistance with their behavior issues and help them re-home their pets with courtesy postings on our website. So far this year, 274 animals have found homes through this system.
This new way of thinking puts trust in the public and allows the community to be a part of solving the problem. While some don’t like this new philosophy change, most of Lynchburg is excited about the transformation and our new programs to save lives; our current save rate of 91 percent is dramatic proof of our programs’ successes.
We always welcome the opportunity to solve problems when they arise and appreciate Mr. Shelton’s letter. The Lynchburg Humane Society is not perfect, of course. Realization and analysis of possible problems allows us to become a better organization to the benefit of all involved.
MAKENA YARBROUGH
Executive director
Lynchburg Humane Society

Shelters struggle to care for dogs and cats in peak months

2011-08-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Article published in the News and Advance on August 30, 2011

We thought it might be funny to have a “Vacancy/No Vacancy” neon sign that we could hang out front, letting people know our status of cage availability for new animals coming to the shelter. We wondered if it would make a difference.

Spring and Summer time signals kitten season plus an over-abundance of stray dogs and puppies. Shelters can’t handle the increased volume and it seems like everyone makes decisions in June, July and August to move to places that won’t allow pets or they decide that they can no longer handle pet responsibilities. Or, they decide the outside cat for which they have taken responsibility over months or years needs to go because it keeps having kittens or they are tired of it and it must go now; they can’t wait.

At this time of year we struggle to find the funds to take care of the little ones who are brought to us, we struggle to find the space to put them, and we struggle to control our emotions when they are too sick or too wild. We adopt out two animals and ten more come in. This June and July our cat intake has increased by 38% and dogs by 22%. It feels like we are bailing out a sinking boat without fixing the leak.

Animal shelters did not create the pet over-population problem but we are asked to clean up the mess created by society. That is why we all preach spay/neuter. It is hard to make a case for spay/neuter with people who are only captivated by the cuteness of kittens and puppies and do not understand the consequences of having so many of them. There are also those people who can’t afford to get their pets fixed or think that the stray cat having kittens in their neighborhood isn’t their problem. On the other hand, it would be repugnant for us to show pictures of sick, suffering and dead animals we deal with every kitten/cat season. But, consider this: the mortality rate of kittens born in the wild is estimated to be 50-75% before reaching six months of age and in many shelters it is 80-90%. Spay/Neuter can avoid misery on so many levels.

The Lynchburg Humane Society is committed to fixing the leak- this is another reason we preach spay/neuter and have our new City Cat Fix program where we are providing free spay/neuter services and a rabies shot for outdoor cats.

But spay/neuter isn’t the only thing we preach. It is just as important for owners to be responsible for their pets especially during this very busy time. We do ask owners to wait and to bring their pet in when we have space through our appointment system. We are here to help owners and we offer services such as behavior support and assistance with re-homing their pets, but the Lynchburg Humane Society does not feel we or any other shelter should take in an owned pet just to euthanize another for space reasons.

So, we ask for patience as we work with you to bring your pet in responsibly when we have the space to accommodate it. Of course not everyone can wait and we always bring those in that can’t but for those that are not in dire straits we ask for you to be honest and do what is right for your pet and the others in our shelters. Please continue to work with us to become part of the solution because we know most people want what is best for their pet.

Pets forgive and don't give up on us, let us follow their example.

2011-07-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

The most heart wrenching thing we see here at the shelter is an animal that has been neglected or abused. We always find it amazing when they can still look you in the eye sadly and lick your hand or wag their tail. All they want is love and attention and when they suffer at the hands of the person who is suppose to love them and care for them it is heart breaking. Samantha here is such a dog that was beaten, kicked and thrown against a wall by her owner and it caused major internal injuries and broken bones. In these cases animals have every right to hate humans and not trust them, but most will forgive and only ask for love in return.

I think some of us we can learn a lot from pets. Most don't give up on people and sometimes it feels like we give up on them too easily. Let me make sure I disclose that this is a hard time of year for us and we sometimes find it hard to focus on the positive even when there is so much positive around us. At a time when the amount of animals far exceeds the space we have available because so many people bring us kittens, stray cats and owned pets, that it can sometimes get very disheartening. Why are there so many kittens, stray cats and pets coming to us at this time of year?

The Lynchburg Humane Society decided in 2009 that we would not give up on the pets in our care. We decided to no longer euthanize healthy pets to make space. Part of that is asking owners to wait a little bit to bring us their pets because we don't have space and it always floors me how indignant a few people can get. They act like we are the bad guys when all we are trying to do is keep our commitment to the pets in our care and not euthanize and help them out with their problem. When we say we don't have a cage, we honestly don't have a cage.

At this time we are asking for help. We need some owners to take their pet ownership seriously and work with local shelters to bring them in when space is available, to try and find a new home themselves for their pet, we need help with donations and supplies, if you find a litter of kittens please consider "fostering" them until the summer months and the crazy kitten season is over or stop in and become a foster parent and help us by taking out kittens or mothers, how about getting that neighborhood cat fixed for free under our city cat fix and most importantly please come adopt especially now when we are so full.

In the big picture of what we do on a day to day basis we see just how great people can be. Most owners do the right thing and will help us help them. Most owners will try and re-home their pets. Most owner will keep their pet and cater to their needs. And most people will go home tonight and hug their pet and show them the love they deserve. So let us say thank you to most of the people of Lynchburg for caring so much for the pets in need at the Humane Society. From January to June we have been able to save 92% of the animals in our care. But this month and next are critical to keeping our save rate up. Please continue to help.

Can you wait please? It means life to us!

2011-04-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

Our appointment system is the biggest change the organization has made since my arrival. Not only because it has really helped us save lives but because it was a philosophical change that affected the citizens of the community. When owners need to surrender their pets we ask them to wait until we have an open kennel or cage available. This ensures that the animals are given the time and attention they need; we are able to bring pets in when we have open spaces ensuring no dogs and cats are euthanized due to lack of room.

This appointment program enables us to really connect with the owners at a time when they may be feeling overwhelmed or emotional. We talk with them and, in a lot of cases, help them resolve their problems or assist them in finding new homes for their pets. Often, an owner’s first reaction to a pet-related problem is to bring the animal to us. But when we provide other options or ask owners for their help, many do the right thing and begin to help their pets by not leaving them at a shelter.

As with any new program, we heard criticism and I recognized it would be hard for the public, other animal groups and volunteers to reprogram their way of thinking. Change is scary and so we had to help them see that it is not ok for us to enable owners as a whole to dump their animals and that responsibility on us whenever they want and at no cost to them. When you make it easy on people to give up their animals, they don’t really think about what is involved. But when you communicate honestly with them, they realize it is in the best interest of their pets and the other animals at a shelter if they exhaust every other option before coming to us. You have to trust that the life of their pet is as important to them as it is to us. We also felt it was irresponsible for us as an organization to take in more than we can care for resulting in needless euthanasia. Why is that ok for pounds to operate that way? So why do people argue in favor of killing to make space? How does that help anything other than to allow people to continue to dump their responsibilities on the Humane Society and perpetuate the idea that killing is ok and necessary? It tells people that they don’t have to be accountable and that we will take that burden for them but that is at the expense of the pets we serve. I have heard this type of naysayers for the past 8 years. Richmond and Charlottesville both had appointment programs in place and they worked. Here are the cons and facts we heard and saw.

Misconception “People won’t wait; they will just let their animals loose.”

Fact: In Lynchburg, stray animal intake actually went down. We also saw very few “tie ups” or pets abandoned at our front door. In 5 communities that I am familiar with who also implemented an appointment program, did not see an increase in strays.

No, not everyone waited and honestly not everyone could wait. There were situations where, for the sake of the pet or due to a lack of options, we couldn’t ask the pet owners to wait. Then there were the few that were not worth fighting over.

Misconception: “You are an open admissions facility, how can you make people wait?” “They won’t be responsible”

Fact: I knew that most people would do the right thing if they understood the problem and learned how to be a part of the solution because people want what is best for their pet. The good news is that owners did step up, 33% of the owners who contacted us re-homed or kept their pets. That is 298 animals in total. We helped owners in this process. We posted stories and photos of their pets on our website and offered suggestions on how to find new homes. Misconception: “You are making it too difficult for people to surrender their pets; they will just take them to other shelters or dump them.”

Fact: In surrounding counties reporting their 2010 stats there was no increase in the overall number of stray animals they took in, in fact they saw a decline in numbers. The counties also saw a decrease in the number of owner surrenders. One local county saw a decrease by 500 animals in total. I have no idea if it has anything to do with this program but I think it is safe to say we didn’t cause harm. Do I think there were people who dumped animals? Yes, but this has always been the case even when we didn’t ask owners to wait.

We had a number of people from other counties contact us because they didn’t want to take their pets to their pounds. 32% of the animals on the waiting list were from other counties. In 2010, 15% of our intake came from other counties, some from many counties over because they wanted a good outcome for their pet.

In the end we want what is best for the pets of Lynchburg and most owners feel the same way. They feel relieved when they know no healthy pet will be euthanized to make space for another. Wouldn’t you wait?

This is from our newsletter, if you are interested in receiving our newsletter contact kim@lynchburghumane.org and we will put you on our mailing list. You can also view it on our website under publications.

Looks aren’t everything, especially when adopting a dog

2011-03-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

“Oh look at her. She is so cute. We have to get her.” This is a common thing to say when searching for a new pet. But it’s not the smartest way to pick out your new family member. Just because a dog is cute, doesn’t mean that he or she is the right choice for your family or your lifestyle.

At the Lynchburg Humane Society, we often see owners surrender their dogs because they are just too much to handle. What it usually boils down to is that the breed isn’t right for the family. A great example is a border collie. In my opinion, these are one of the most beautiful breeds of dogs. However, they can be a handful. They are very smart, and always need a job to do, meaning they must have some sort of stimulation or else they will find their own job to do. And in turn, you might not be happy with the job they have elected for themselves.

I will be honest, I have been guilty of the, “Oh look at her. She is so cute. We have to get her.” way of thinking. Seven years ago, my husband and I decided it was a good time to get a companion for Orion, our two-year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. We decided we would like to have a puppy so she could grow up with Orion. The problem with getting a puppy that is an outright mutt is that you really have no idea of the personality because you have nothing to go on. The puppy we chose grew up to be a very active Australian Shepherd/Beagle/Jack Russell mix, at least that is our best guest. Regardless, she is very active and needs something to do anytime she isn’t sleeping. We are lucky though, we are a pretty active family with a lot of our activities dedicated to our pets.

Not everyone can be open to a pet that is going to be extremely active, or one that needs constant stimulation. So what should you do when searching for your new companion to ensure you get the right match?

Research the breed: If you find a dog you are interested in, don’t rush into the adoption. Educating yourself on the breed will help you decide if the dog is compatible with your lifestyle. Now I know what you’re thinking, what if the dog is a mutt? In this case, you need to determine what the primary breed might be, and then do research on that breed. In my experience, mutts make great companions because they have a mix of different personality traits, usually the best.

Ask for help: Another great thing to do is ask the staff members at the facility you are adopting from, most of the time they will know the typical information about the breed. They might also be able to tell you about the temperament, activity level and personality of the dog.

Spend time before adopting: Spending time with the dog will help you realize whether it is a good match. Visiting the dog a few times and having family members spend time with him or her is a great idea before making up your mind.

The bottom line is doing your homework before adopting, will help you make the relationship with your new pet a wonderful, enjoyable one.

Partners make everything much easier

2011-03-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

Recently I gave birth to my second child. Lily Grace was born on December 20th of 2010 and so she is still waking my husband and I up a lot in the middle of the night. Last night during her 2:00 am feeding I got to thinking about partnerships. My husband and I have a wonderful partnership in parenting and in household responsibilities. He is an amazing husband that helps me in so many ways. We both have full-time jobs and so we share the middle of the night feedings of our new daughter. This way neither one of us has to take the brunt of the nightly feedings alone.

So how does this apply to the Lynchburg Humane Society? Well as I was feeding my daughter half asleep it struck me that I am glad I have a wonderful husband and I don’t have to get up for the next feeding. Basically we can do it alone but it is much more difficult and when you have partners the task is much easier. Yes, I get lots of ideas at my middle of the night feedings, just ask the staff.

The Lynchburg Humane Society is very lucky to have some amazing partners in our day-to-day operations, in our long range plan to achieve a no kill community and in our need to continue to bring in funding and resources to our organization.

Most recently the Pickering Creative Group and Joseph Marshall partnered with us to create a wonderful new website that truly represents the professional organization we are.

Local architect, Dominion Seven has volunteered their expertise to help us with plans for a new shelter.

Carole our long-time volunteer of 5 ½ years is a very important partner that helps us daily with the dogs. Meredith is our cat volunteer who has been a huge asset with marketing the cats and giving second chances to feral cats in our care.

PetSmart Charities partnered with us for our new City Cat Fix, but locally the South Central Spay/Neuter Clinic partnered with us to perform the surgeries at a much reduced price so we can provide them free to the public.

We deal with many Veterinarian partners as well. Peaks View Animal Hospital and Riverside Veterinarian both provide pro bono medical care each month for our treatable animals. Most recently the Animal Hospital of Lynchburg began doing spay/neuter surgeries for us and once a month visits to our shelter to take a look at the unhealthy animals in our care. In an effort to be a part of the solution, Dr. Harper with Animal Emergency and Critical Care is spaying and neutering pit bulls for us for free.

Then there are the many partners that are helping in this cause that we may not know their names but we know they make a huge difference in the lives of companion animals. Anyone who helps out a neighbor or family member with their pet so they don’t have to take it to the local pound. Vets who work with owners at times of need so they are able to keep their pet and get the treatment they need. Feral cat colony caretakers who have gotten cats fixed on their own dime. Good Samaritans who take it upon themselves to bottle feed kittens they have found. Breed rescue groups who takes the hard to place cases so pounds and shelters don’t have to euthanize them. Citizens who pick up animals in need and provide them shelter and help until they find a home. There are many others but these are the unsung heroes that help every day.

The biggest partner we have? YOU. Everyone who has spread the word about our positive change, who adopted, fostered, donated, volunteered, owners who have waited patiently to bring us their pets, every one of you are helping us create a No Kill Community here in Lynchburg.

I feel so privileged to work at this remarkable organization and to have the opportunity to work with the amazing people of this community. Thanks for being our partner.

Have Passion...will travel

2011-03-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

My career with the Lynchburg Humane Society has been rather short, relatively speaking, but what I will take with me will last a lifetime. The first thing I want to say is that I am not leaving the Lynchburg Humane Society because I necessarily want to. Due to life changing events, I am moving several states away and as much as I love this organization, that commute might be a bit long. If I could take everything that entails the Lynchburg Humane Society with me to Florida, I would.

I will be honest - this is not what I saw myself doing after I graduated from Virginia Tech last May. Five years ago when I decided to go back to school, I did it because I wasn’t satisfied with my current job. It was a good job, but it just wasn’t fulfilling. So I asked myself, what am I passionate about? The answer was animals. I wanted to work in the agriculture field, perhaps working on regulations regarding how livestock animals are cared for and making it a more humane field. So I pursued a degree in Animal and Poultry Sciences.

After graduation, my husband’s job led us to Lynchburg. I searched for jobs that pertained to my degree and that I would be passionate about. I was getting very frustrated as the realization hit that there was nothing for me in Lynchburg. So I decided to use my abundance of free time to volunteer at the Lynchburg Humane Society. I have worked at another humane organization in the past, and also volunteered at many of them as well. So even though I wouldn’t be getting paid for my work, I knew would at least feel fulfilled and passionate about what I was doing. Then an animal care attendant position opened up and I applied for it and was hired. So there I was, feeding, watering, caring for, and scooping poop for the love of the animals. And I have to tell you, I really enjoyed it. Yeah, it was hard work, it didn’t pay well, and in the middle of the summer after scooping poop all day, I didn’t smell all that great. But it was what I had wanted all along, it was fulfilling and I was very passionate about my work.

After a couple of months of working as an animal care attendant, I moved into the development and outreach coordinator position. I continued to feel very passionate about what I was doing and being a part of such a progressive organization, I couldn’t have asked for more. I found my true passion, and now I can’t imagine working in any other industry.

What I have seen and learned here is knowledge that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.To see all of the new ideas, plans and policies that have been developed here to help save the lives of these homeless animals is nothing but amazing. And working with others that share my passion is not like anything I have ever experienced before. I see such a great future for this organization, and part of me is sad that I won’t be here for that. But my hope is that I will find an organization in my next destination that is as open-minded, ever changing, and always improving like the Lynchburg Humane Society is.

I know it sounds like I am putting this organization up on a pedestal. Is the Lynchburg Humane Society perfect? Of course not. But the important thing is that this organization recognizes that and is improving every day.

It’s been a long road to get to a place in my life that I know what I need to be doing. My wish is that my journey doesn’t end here and that as my future holds a career that I can use all I have learned here. While I can’t take this organization with me to Florida, I can take all of these great ideas and all that I have learned with me. Thank you Lynchburg Humane Society for making me realize what feeling passionate about a job is all about.

They know what they know so don’t give them the facts.

2011-03-02T11:27:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of having an interesting conversation with a member of another humane organization this past weekend. They are an SPCA that takes in animals for a number of localities and operates as the pound for their area. She asked how we were doing in Lynchburg and I, of course, was excited to tell her about our recent success about our save rate being 84% and having no healthy animal lose their life in our shelter in 2010 and how much the community has embraced the changes as we move toward becoming No Kill. She immediately went to defense mode and asked me loaded questions to prove I was wrong and of course explain to me how our programs wouldn’t work for them.

The appointment system, wouldn’t work – pet owners aren’t responsible enough to do the right thing. People must be just “dumping” their animals in other localities.” Fact: The counties that reported their stats for 2010 in the Lynchburg area saw a reduction in the number of animals they took in and more importantly, a reduction in the number of strays they took in compared to the previous year. The Lynchburg Humane Society also saw a reduction in the number of strays we took in last year with very few “drop offs” being left outside the doors. She felt like their pet owners wouldn’t do the work needed. They were different some how. When I suggested they start by just talking with people and let them know the problem their organization is facing, she said they can’t do it because they take in too many animals and their pet owners don’t care. Fact: 35% of the people on our waiting list are from other counties, most close by but some pretty far away. 33% of the people who contacted us to surrender their pet, found homes on their own when given the help or decided to keep them, that is close to 300 animals.

The foster program- wouldn’t work for them – their community couldn’t be trusted. One of her questions was “do you put kittens who need to be bottle fed into foster?” I said “yes of course” and her response… “don’t you think it is unfair to the fosters?” which my response was “don’t you think they will tell us if they can’t do it? They are adults, they will let us know if something is too hard for them.” Fact: we placed over 200 animals into foster last year, many of which would not have made it if they stayed in the shelter environment. We hope this year we continue to grow this program.

Create adoption policies and specials to make it easier for people to adopt. Well guess what her answer is here?

What I heard was. “We can’t do it because we don’t trust people.”

The interesting thing is that for 10 years I have heard the same type of response from the naysayers about each of the communities I have worked. They are more interested in finding reasons why it won’t work for them rather than putting that energy into just trying.

First in Richmond where in the first year of going No Kill the community saw a 41% drop in euthanasia and with a save rate of around 76%. The critics said: “Richmond can do it because it is a city environment, they have a new building and a lot of money.” “We can’t do it in rural areas; the people wouldn’t support those programs.”

In Charlottesville, the SPCA is currently saving around 90% of the animals that come to them and they operate as an open admissions pound serving two localities. So the naysayers will tell you it is because they have a lot of money in their community and it really isn’t a rural setting because of UVA.

So now in Lynchburg, we have a 61% reduction in euthanasia and an 84% save rate in one year. (note our save rate in 2008 was 49% and in 2009 it was 65%) So now we hear the other groups or animal controls can’t do it because they are more rural than we are and their community won’t embrace the programs or care, plus they take in way more animals than we do.

I must add here that Charlottesville takes in around 5,000 animals a year, which is more than any other group around us. Oh, but it is Charlottesville so it’s different, I forgot.

I have found that no matter where you live whether that is city or rural, that most people want what is best for their pets and will do the right thing when they understand the problem and they know how they can help. Yes, you have the city jerks and the country jerks- they live in different places but they behave the same way in regards to their lack of concern for their pets. But no organization should develop programs around the jerks of their community but they should focus on those who care and want to do what is right.

What does it take - the willingness to trust people and the ability to talk with them. Foster care program, more friendly adoption policies and process, adoption specials, talking with pet owners about the problems they are having and helping them re-home their pet and finally educating people about feral cats, these are inexpensive programs that work.

Sadly, what I have discovered is if they don’t want to do it then they won’t, but what is so frustrating is that in the face of many organizations in Virginia or even across the nation where No Kill is working in an open admissions pound environment, they still don’t want to listen and learn how to save lives. Why they won’t just try some of the programs is beyond me. Just try them for no other reason then to prove us wrong. If it means lives are saved then please, try and prove us wrong.

So what do we do? We keep doing the great work and continue to educate people and somewhere someone associated with these high killing pounds and humane societies will get a wake up call and be either forced to try the programs, decide for themselves it is time to change or leave the field.

Why am I doing this blog? Because I care about animals not just here in Lynchburg but everywhere and even though I am focusing on a recent conversation, I have had this same conversation over the years with many other organizations. I could have written this blog 2 years ago, 5 years ago, 8 years ago. My hope is that someone out there will read this and think, maybe they should try a different way. I can dream can’t I?

And if someone reading this has new ideas or new ways for us to save even more animals we are always open to hear how we can do better. We have to keep up with change as well and hope that we continue to strive to be a better organization.

Just a little patience

2010-12-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Recently a good friend of mine from my home town contacted me for advice on getting a dog. Her family had never had a dog before so she had many misconceptions and questions. During her search for the right dog, she learned many lessons.

She had in mind what kind of dog she wanted. She preferred a smaller dog, and wanted a puppy. I asked her to keep her mind open because great dogs come in many sizes and ages and that an older dog that was already housetrained might be the way to go since she didn't have much experience with dogs. My dear friend has virtually no patience, and once she sets her mind on wanting something, she wants it now. I told her if there was ever anything that you should be patient about, it is choosing a dog. This was her first lesson, and probably her hardest one.

A few days later I received an excited phone call from her. She said she found a place that had over 30 puppies up for adoption. I wondered what kind of place this was, it wasn't the time of year when you would expect a lot of puppies to be at a shelter. Then she told me the name of the place. I recognized the name immediately as a pet store that was notorious for getting their puppies from puppy mills. I told her these animals were not up for adoption in the sense of the word that we are accustomed to hearing. In this case, adoption really meant buying. She decided to go to this store anyways, just to make sure. To her amazement, these dogs were indeed not up for adoption, they were for sale for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
Then she thought maybe it was a good idea to look in the newspaper and craigslist for a dog. She found a place that had puppies for sale for only $50. I informed her that if she supported these people by buying one of their puppies, they will breed their dog again and again if they know they can sell the puppies and that this only contributes to the overpopulation issues that animal shelters face everyday.

I looked up a couple of animal shelters within a 50 mile radius for her. She visited their websites and didn't see anything she liked. I encouraged her to go visit the shelters in person, because there might be a dog they just got in that wasn't on the website yet. And not to be so soon to judge a dog by his looks. I told her she might fall in love with a dog that she would have never expected to like. Personality means a lot when it comes to choosing a pet, in fact I think it the most important attribute in finding the right match for the person and the dog. I also told her that some shelters have a "wish list" where she can let the shelters know what kind of dog they are looking for and if they get in a dog that matches her needs they will call her.

She visited all of the shelters I suggested and did not find the right dog, but she said a few of the shelters offered the "wish list" service and she left her information with those shelters. I informed her that a lot of the shelters also have a service for rehoming pets for their owners that can no longer keep them. I suggested she call the shelters and see if they offer this service.
The next day I got another very excited phone call from her. She found a person who needed to rehome her dog because she was starting to travel a lot due to a severe illness in her family and she didn't have anyone to take care of her dog. She set up a time with the owner to meet the dog and once again, a few days later I received another exciting phone call. My friend finally found the right dog. The dog wasn't a puppy and wasn't a really small dog. She was a mix breed of about 45 lbs, and about 4 years old, she was already housetrained and behaved beautifully around her four year old son. Her name was Maggie.

My friend now knows the wonderful, fulfilling feeling of having a dog in her home. She also knows that finding a dog can not be a rushed process. She saved Maggie from having to spend any time in a shelter and Maggie and her new family are very happy.

Remember, when looking for a new companion, be patient, be responsible and be open minded.

Holiday promotion helps pets find a home | The News & Advance

2010-12-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

Holiday promotion helps pets find a home | The News & Advance

We chose life rather than fear

2010-11-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

In the last few days we have learned a lot about ourselves and the community. We did something that made us nervous and was out of our comfort zone. We gave away adult cats for three days. We have talked about doing this promotion quite a bit as a joke, especially during our busy kitten/cat season but we always felt uneasy about it and decided not to. Then we walked down that path just a little with the “name your own price” promotion and were pleasantly surprised at how well that event went and how wonderful the adopters were. So when we found ourselves literally out of space and cringing every time the door opened in fear it was another stray cat or dog or an owner who wasn’t willing to wait or help us, that we found ourselves in a bit of a moral conundrum. What do we do? Do we break our 15-month accomplishment of not euthanizing for space reasons or do we give cats away and reduce our dog adoption fees to an all time low to make space? When you really look at this issue like that then the decision is simple.

So we took a leap and on Tuesday the 16th of November we started publicizing this special immediately to get it rolling. Thank you News and Advance and WSET for helping us so quickly. We decided to do it for three days during the week since that is when we needed the most help. And you know, the most wonderful thing happened. People came out to adopt but more importantly, people made donations to help us cover the adoption fees. We had some wonderful adopters who just wanted to help us and provide a loving home for our pets. One woman was in her 70's on a fixed income so the money she saved on the adoption fee she could now put towards medical visits, fun toys and items for the cat.

Now I would be naive if I didn't think there were critics out there. I can hear them now: the wrong types of people would adopt, if they can't afford the adoption fee they shouldn't adopt, we are de-valuing cats by giving them away. But you know what we found? We experienced a lot of great adopters that were willing to give these pets wonderful homes. We still screened the adopters to make sure it was a good environment and a good match. People like deals and specials and there is nothing wrong with that. And then there's my favorite one about de-valuing cats by giving them away. You know what? I think we GAVE them value because we didn't kill them to make space. We decided cats were important enough to give them every opportunity and to commit to them to such a degree that we went out of our way to conquer our fears to do the right thing and save them.

We hope to set an example of this great experience and life-saving efforts to other shelters in the area that feel that they have no other choice but to kill 80-90% of their cats. They do have a choice - and the choice is simple: Value these cats and save their lives by going out on a limb and finding good homes for these animals and yes, even if you have to give them away.

Isn't It Too Sad to Volunteer at the Shelter?

2010-11-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

One comment I get all the time when people learn that I volunteer at the shelter is “Oh God, I could never do that. It’s just too sad to be there and I would feel too bad for the animals”

My answer is and will always be “Your reason for not volunteering at the shelter is the exact reason why I do.” You know what’s even sadder? When no one wants to help these animals because “it’s just too sad.” What kind of sense does it make to not help animals that are in a situation when they need us the most? We put animals in this horrible situation and they end up paying the price, and sometimes with their lives. How is that acceptable to anyone? So yes, I volunteer, amongst many other things, to help animals. We as a community must do our part to reduce the number of pets winding up in shelters. Why should they have to suffer because of our mistakes and outdated laws?

The only reason why these animals are even in this place is because of humans. Human irresponsibility has created the homeless pet population and we owe it to them to fix the problem. We all need to act responsibly as pet owners and end this horrendous problem. Millions of pets die every year in shelters and it’s all preventable. I am so happy that LHS is working to go No Kill and leading the community in this process. I am proud and excited to be one step in the ladder to get them there. There was a previous blog about a person not wanting to donate to a shelter that wasn’t No Kill yet. The shelters that need us the most are the ones that have the vision of No Kill but need your help to make it happen. In my opinion if a shelter is not No Kill or even trying to go No Kill it should not exist. It serves no purpose if they aren’t even trying to re-home animals and provide care to them.

So, for those of you who choose not to volunteer at the shelter but want to make a difference. How about the difference between life and death? Step up and adopt an animal. Just by adopting an animal you are being a major part of the solution. You may think well, that’s only one animal being saved in the world. It may only be one animal to the world, but it meant the entire world to that one animal. Save their life and brighten yours!

"I'm moving and I can't take my pet with me"

2010-10-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

One of the most common reasons we get when someone needs to surrender their pet to us is "I'm moving and I can't take my pet with me". This is a situation that frustrates me and one I cannot understand under most circumstances.

One of the reasons this bothers me so much is because I have recently moved to Lynchburg from Blacksburg and I know how stressful moving can be and when you add the fact that you have to find a place that will allow your pets it becomes even more stressful. My dogs aren't small (85 lbs and 50 lbs), so the weight restrictions that a lot of rentals adhere to was another challenge in my moving venture. But after spending some time researching, and making dozens of phone calls and emails, I was able to find a pet friendly home. If I wasn't able to find a pet friendly home in Lynchburg, I would have looked into rentals in the surrounding areas. I was willing to be "inconvenienced" to be able to keep my dogs with me. I must say that it shouldn't be this hard to rent a home just because you have pets. I think the landlords need to take into consideration that their are responsible pet owners out there and review each renter on a case-by-case basis. And they need to rethink their weight restriction rules because you can have a small breed dog that does more damage than a large breed dog.

Here at the Humane Society when we hear that someone has to surrender their pet because they are moving, a lot of times it is because they have a breed that is considered aggressive, such as a pit bull. Many rentals have breed restrictions that don't allow pit bulls as well as some other breeds. But there are places that allow these breeds, and with a little research, patience and a willingness to be a little inconvenienced for your pet, you can find a place. When becoming a pet owner of a breed like a pit bull you have to acknowledge that you will have additional responsibilities, but I will save that topic for another blog.

One of the other things I have a problem with is the extra deposits and increased monthly rent that landlords require when you want to rent with a pet. Sometimes people have to move and they cannot afford the hefty deposits and fees required. This can become a terribly heartbreaking situation that warrants bringing your pet to the your local animal shelter.

When I became a dog owner, I also took on the responsibility to insure my dogs always had a home with me. Is my situation ideal? No, my husband and I live in a two-bedroom apartmetn with two big dogs that were used to having a yard to play in. Since they can't be exercised in the yard anymore, we have to walk them several times a day. But my dogs are happy and I am happy because they are with me and I wouldn't have it any other way.

With a little bit of research and some hard work, there aren't many situations that warrant surrendering your pet because you are moving.

I only give to No Kill organizations

2010-09-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

I would never tell anyone how they should donate their hard earned money. But, I can't resist blogging about an incident that happened here at the Lynchburg Humane Society.

A nice woman came in to our facility with an arm full of towels, papers and some food. She approached our counter with her checkbook out and asked if we were No Kill. When the front desk staff member said no, but we are working towards becoming No Kill. The woman loudly said, "well, I only give to No Kill organizations." She closed up her checkbook and left.

That got me thinking. Why wouldn't you give to an organization that was in the process of becoming No Kill. This is the time when those types of organizations need the support from the community the most. It is expensive to create a No Kill community. It is much easier to raise funds when you are No Kill but why not get on the wagon early to help bring about these types of efforts?

Unfortunately, this person didn't allow us to explain anything to her but maybe there are others out there feeling the same way.

The funny thing is that many No Kill organizations are private groups that don't kill their animals but the community they are in or service, is far from No Kill. You have to look at what is happening to save ALL the animals in their county or city.

The Lynchburg Humane Society is a private humane society that provides pound services so we are both in this community. We take in all lost pets from the city of Lynchburg and owned animals from city and county residents. We don't get to pick and choose the animals we end up with. When we say that 83% of the animals make it out of our facility alive, that means for the entire city of Lynchburg.

To better illustrate my point lets look at Henrico County, Virginia. There are a few rescue No Kill groups in that area that service this community yet, only 49% of the animals are making it out alive from their local animal control facility.

And just so others don't get upset, I am not bashing no kill rescue organizations. They do great work and many work collaboratively with their local pounds. I was a part of a No Kill organization that limited it's intake, that was working with animals control towards a No Kill city in Richmond, VA.

I just think you should judge organizations on the work they do, not how they "classify" themselves. What are they doing for the animals in their community?

So, we aren't No Kill but I feel we are doing great work with very limited resources and we need the community's continued help to be able to reach our goal where no savable animals are killed in Lynchburg.

How do we do it? We really need to increase adoptions, donations, volunteer help, altered animals and foster home providers. We need everyone to give us a boost so we can save more animals and make Lynchburg a No Kill Community.

If you would like to see how other counties are doing in your area, please go to the following link and select the year you want the stats for and the organization's name. (note: Amherst Animal Control's numbers are not up on the site due to a glitch in the system. You may call them directly if you wish to know their numbers)

http://www.virginia.gov/vdacs_ar/cgi-bin/Vdacs_search.cgi

Consider the Pet's Personality, Not Just Size

2010-09-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

Copied from an article by Jessica Bullock in the News and Advance

At the Lynchburg Humane Society, we always chuckle to ourselves when people come in the shelter looking for a “house dog.”

When confronted with this phrase, most people think of Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Dachshunds and other small breeds. Some people have the mistaken impression that small dogs are easier to deal with in a home—however, that is not necessarily the case.

Any dog can be a house dog, regardless of whether he or she is five pounds or 80. It all depends on the dog’s personality. We have had a number of large dogs that would (and are) perfect for any home.

Some recently adopted dogs are great examples of large house dogs. One was a 60-pound lab/chow mix named Bear. He loved to relax and be loved on. Sure, he sometimes liked to get out and run, but he would have been a wonderful dog for any sized home. The same scenario goes for the 45-pound Bella, a black lab mix who was fairly quiet, shy, and housetrained to a fault. She enjoyed spending time with people and lounging and would have been ideal for an apartment.

Older dogs can also be great for apartments or small houses (and, of course, larger homes as well). Many people hesitate to adopt older dogs because they want to have a puppy that grows up in their home, the older dog may have been trained incorrectly (or not at all), etc. That is certainly not the case.

Many of the older dogs we receive have been housetrained, make little noise and love to just hang out. This is incredibly ideal for indoor living. Take Derby, an 8-year-old lab mix that was recently up for adoption. He is housetrained and quiet, but also loves playing. He is affectionate, but not overwhelming. He is easygoing and friendly. I certainly don’t have anything against puppies, but this sounds like a perfect ready-made dog for any home!

I’ve had my fair share of adult dogs and puppies, and there are benefits for both. I can remember when my family and I visited the Humane Society looking for a puppy that could grow up with us. What we found was a mutt who was part golden retriever, part collie, and part who knows what else. He was about a year old and his name was “Mocha.” He definitely chose us as his family, so we took him home, dubbing him “Kipling” for the poet (“Kip” for short).

We soon found out that Kip was housetrained and knew “sit” and “fetch.” He’s 60 pounds of pure love, and he almost never puts a tennis ball down. He still lives with my mother, and in his way, he takes care of her.

He was joined about a year later with another 60-pound lap dog, a black lab/chow mix we named “Dante” (for the author of “The Inferno” … are you seeing a trend in our pet names?). And you know what? My family has never regretted the fact that we didn’t come home with a puppy that day more than two years ago.

If small dogs or puppies are your thing, we do get some, but they go quickly. You just have to be patient. However, I just want to point out that we have a number of larger dogs that would, without a doubt, fit into the “house dog” mold.

Parker and Jake

2010-09-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

On September 2nd I lost my dog Parker very suddenly to a cancerous tumor that bled out in his abdomen. For those of you who follow this blog Parker was featured in a number of posts but most recently in a fun blog about my office affair. If you are like me, your pets are like kids. Even after I had a two legged child of my own, my dog was still very much my four legged child. So to have him pass away so suddenly has left a real hole in my heart.
Parker was a special dog that was famous in his own right. He was featured on an Animal Planet "adoption story" called Cooper, he was in Newsweek, USA today, The Times Dispatch and was in TV commercials for the Richmond SPCA because he was so well trained and represented the family dog so well. He was special to me and everyone who met him.
So while this is extremely sad for me and my family, it is in my nature to find the positive in any bad situation. About a week before Parker's sudden passing, I brought home a foster cat named Jake. Jake, or meathead as my son and husband calls him(he has a big head), has been a lifesaver to me. Jake has FIV. We would normally not place a cat with FIV but he was my favorite cat at the shelter, so I decided to bring him home and foster him while I find him a new home.
I must be honest, I love cats and have my favorites but I am not a cat owner, I foster instead. The only other cat I owned was again an FIV positive cat that we found living under our house in Richmond that we brought into the house and kept until she passed. But Jake is a little different from most cats. I call him my dog-cat. He begs for food, he meows when I come home to greet me, he rolls over to get his belly rubbed, he greets me in the morning and is always happy to sit on my lap and purr. He really is the perfect cat.
Fostering means so much to the animal you are caring for, but in this case I think the cat helped me out far more than I helped him out. So yes, Jake is up for adoption. As much as I appreciate his personality I can't keep him, this is only a temporary situation until we find him the right home. I like fostering cats and would like to continue to do so but if I have Jake I can't.
So here is a run down on Jake. Jake is some kind of Maine coon mix. His head is very large and he is lovely. FIV is an immune deficiency that a cat can live a very long life with. He is very loving, is fine with my 4 year old son, very litterbox trained, never destructive, not a fan of dogs but has lived with one but most importantly, he is content to lay on your lap all night or on the floor at your feet. He loves people. He would have to be an only cat or only live with another cat with FIV and he should never be an outside cat without supervision. If you are interested in Jake please contact me directly at makena@lynchburghumane.org and we can make arrangements for you to visit with Jake. I do suggest that you go on line and do research on FIV. Here is a link to one such article: http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/cats_fiv.cfm

Life with a puppy offers valuable lessons

2010-09-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Copied from an article by Ann Holland in the News & Advance

His name is Paddock and he is our puppy. My husband and I had planned to adopt an older dog in large part because we did not want a puppy. Puppies are a nuisance – housebreaking, chewing, jumping – no, thank you! And yet somehow here he is. In our house. Chewing on our baseboards.

It is a tremendous responsibility to raise a puppy to be an upstanding member of society. And when things aren’t going as planned, it’s easy to become frustrated and overwhelmed. When a puppy is little, his adorableness makes it easy to forgive him for eviscerating your throw pillows. Young puppies are also fast learners, which makes training fun. But once a puppy reaches adolescence (a period ranging from 6 to 18 or more months), watch out. Suddenly he has “selective hearing,” forgets that he’s housebroken, chews on everything and is, in general, an obnoxious brat. To make matters worse, adolescent puppies are reaching their adult size. So for a few months you may have what amounts to a 50-pound bull charging through the china shop that is your life.

Now approximately a year old, my pup is in the throes of the dreaded adolescent stage. Paddock is pandemonium personified. Yet we’ve been working with him since the beginning. He’s attended three 6-week obedience courses so far. We’ve had private lessons in our home. I’ve spent countless hours training him one-on-one. And yet we still have so far to go.

I will admit that Paddock has a bit more special needs than most. Those who know how hard I’ve worked “encourage” me by saying things like, “He’s lucky to have you. Anyone else would have sent him back to the shelter.” I secretly wonder how bad it would look in the public eye if the president of the Lynchburg Humane Society surrendered her own dog because she couldn’t take it anymore.

Okay, I’m kidding about that last part. Mostly.

And he is getting better. He really is. As I type this, Pad is lying at my feet contentedly gnawing on a sanctioned chew toy.

So I thought I’d share a few things that I am learning from this experience:

Patience. It took time for Paddock and me to learn one another and figure out what worked for us.

Consistency. This is the tough one. Whenever I slack off – even a little – Pad picks up on it and our training takes two steps backward.

Attitude. Training has to be a fun and positive experience for both of us. If either one of us gets too frustrated, I end the session on a positive note and try again later.

Positive reinforcement. Rewarding Paddock for good behavior is more effective than punishing him for being bad.

It is no surprise that there are a disproportionate number of adolescent dogs in shelters. Many more are relegated to pens or chains in the backyard where their behavior will only grow worse. Some folks are simply not prepared for their puppies to turn into obstinate nutjobs who test their owners every chance they get.

But if I can make progress with my floppy-eared monster, I know there is hope for others. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to look for my other shoe. It was just here a minute ago…

What to do when you loose your pet

2010-08-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

What to do when you lose your pet? It is unfortunate, but most people don’t start by calling their local animal shelters to see if their pet has shown up there and to place a lost pet report.

Only 1 percent of the stray cats we take in go back to their owner — last year that was only eight cats. Our dog rate is much better and is currently around 45 percent. But you wouldn’t believe how many purebred dogs and cats come in here with no one calling about them.

By law, we have to hold a stray animal without a collar five days, but we typically hold them for seven; with a collar, it is 10 days, but we usually hold them for 12. We try to give owners ample time to find their pet and are always disappointed when they don’t come.

There are several measures that can be used in order to find your pet more quickly. Tags are important because if an animal control officer or a private citizen finds your pet they can contact you directly and the pet never has to come to a shelter. Microchips are good for shelters, vets and animal control but private citizens wouldn’t have a scanner. If you do have a microchip it is so important to make sure the information is updated when you move or change numbers. Tattoos are good as well and there are now new GPS collars that allow you to track your lost pet. They are reasonably priced for the service you get and if you have a chronic lost pet issue, it will save you money in the long run.

So what do you do when you have lost your pet?

I hope most people know the basics, which are to talk to neighbors, canvass the area with flyers and contact your local animal control/humane society to see if it came there. Put up large, bright posters around the neighborhood with a short description and contact information. Call your local vets (including emergency vets) in case it was hurt and came to them. Put an ad in the paper and Craigslist and send an e-mail to everyone you know.

A special trick with cats, because they are usually not very far away and can be hiding in a bush or under a porch or crawl space at night, is to take a flashlight and shine it around to see if you can catch the glowing eyes of the cat. Many owners have found their beloved cat this way.

We have entered into the technology age and with our new animal sheltering software, you can go onto our website (www.lynchburghumanesociety.org) and under “Services” you will see “Lost and Found.” The public is now able to see all of the dogs and cats that have come into the shelter as strays the minute they are entered into our system. This is a wonderful tool for owners who can check daily to see if their pet is here.

We always encourage owners seeking a lost pet to come down in person and see if their animal is here, because what we may call a hound mix, you might call a shepherd mix.

Animal Control Officers

2010-08-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

I was recently watching one of my son's cartoon shows with him this weekend and they had an animal control officer playing the bad guy, trying to catch a dog that was running lost. And it struck me that many shows portray this job in a negative light. So I thought it was time to talk about all the good that Animal Control Officers do to help the animals in our community.

Yes, the owners of the dogs running lost may not appreciate getting tickets or having their dog picked up. But, the alternative is that their dog gets injured and they have major medical costs involved. And when there are injured lost dogs or cats they make sure they get the medical care they need to stay alive. Animal control officers keep animals safe.

They also investigate cases of neglect and abuse. Just the other day they had a dog that was discovered with a large logging chain embedded in his neck. The wound was very deep and appeared to be months old. They charged the owner with cruelty and took the dog to the vet to get the attention he needs.

Animal control officers take dangerous dogs off the streets that can bite or cause major harm to people or other animals.

Many dogs living in horrible conditions have come to us because an animal control officer did their job and had the owners sign them over to us so we can find them good homes.

If you have an animal concern they are the people you call. And they are a positive resource for this community.

These are just a few items that show you what they do but ultimately, they are advocates for animals and it is time they are thought of in a more positive light. The next time your dog is missing and picked up by animal control, you should thank them for helping your dog find their way home.

Focus on the Positive

2010-07-15T05:54:00.000-07:00

We get asked all the time, how do you work here? How do you do what you do? Honestly, how do we not do what we do? I can't imagine working anywhere else. We are trying to make a difference and save animals and we are all very passionate about our jobs. But I think when people ask that question they are really asking how do you see all you see (negative stuff) and still come in to work everyday with a smile.

Simple answer, we all try and focus on the positive. Yesterday was a hard day here if you focused on the 8 year old pit bull that was brought in by his owner because they had moved into a place that didn't allow pit bulls and her relatives, who were watching the dog, didn't want to deal with it any longer, which I think was all of a week. After talking to her about how crowded we were and asked if she could wait just a little bit of time to give her dog the best chance possible she said that today was the only day she could do it because of work and her schedule. Even when I emphasized the idea that an 8 year old pit bull coming into any shelter in the summer does not usually have a good end result, she didn't care.

But, what we did was turn it into a positive. After being a little frustrated we thought about it, thank goodness this dog came here. Anywhere else and it may not have had a chance at all and it will get one here. The owner wasn't a bad person, in her mind she just couldn't do anything else, so thank goodness we were a resource for her.

Other positives yesterday was that we had a number of great adoptions and one dog that we transferred in from Amherst Animal Care and Control, found a new family. So everyday there is good and bad but when you look at any job or life in general, you have to focus on what is great and all the people out there who are really helping and making a difference.

For every woman with an 8 year old pit bull there are 10 more willing to help us and do what is best for their pet and we all have to remind ourselves of that from time to time. That plays out in the numbers, Lynchburg is a great community that has helped us reduce euthanasia by 66% in a year.

Everyone is Responsible

2010-07-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

In this field we have always placed an extra level of importance on finding responsible owners for Pit Bulls and other dominant breeds. Some even go as so far to do home visits and have them sign a special contract. At LHS we take a few extra steps and educate as much as possible. It is understandable, because a lot of people don't understand that many landlords don't permit these breeds in their rentals because of liability and those that do take them, may not be places you want to live or more expensive. There are communities in the country that have bans on Pit Bulls and you can never live there and then there is the public perception you will have to deal with.

On top of all of this Pit Bulls are euthanized at a much higher rate at shelters in the country and can make up close to 60% of all dog euthanasia in a shelter. So if you care about your dog, you are committing to keep this dog for the rest of his life or for placing him in a No Kill shelter which will take time or finding a new home yourself.

Now with all of that being said, perhaps we need to hold cat owners to a higher level of responsibility as well. Cats are dying at a much higher rate than dogs in most shelters in the country and if you just look at local shelters I believe you would be alarmed. Most of the "animal shelters" in the area are euthanizing between 80-90% of the cats that come to their shelter. If you are interested in seeing how your community is doing with their euthanasia figures go to: VCACS Online Animal Reporting and click on single organization and the year you want to learn about. Then it will give you a list by name of all the organizations in the state. It is important to note that in the 2009 stats, Amherst Animal Care and Control is not the same as the Humane Society of Amherst. The Amherst Animal Control agency is where most of the county animals come in and they do not have their stats published yet for 2009. They have reported them but due to a glitch they are not showing up so the stats that you see are for the Humane Society of Amherst County only. In 2008 I believe the humane society also held the animal sheltering contract for the county but I am not sure, you can certainly contact them directly for more information.

I think it is important for the public to be aware of what is happening in our community with our pets. In the Lynchburg community, the Lynchburg Humane Society is currently saving 91% of the dogs that come to us and 73% of the cats. We are able to do this because people are adopting, donating, fostering and volunteering but more importantly, owners are willing to wait to bring us their pets when we have space. Which will be the subject of a blog in the near future. But for now with us having close to 200 cats and kittens at our shelter, it is important for pet owners to know the state of affairs for homeless animals in the community, because we are all responsible. Shelter's didn't create this problem, we may not have helped by not holding people responsible in the past but we can't solve this problem alone. We have to ask for help and continue to educate the public on what is happening.

So before you take your cat to another shelter because it is easier, please contact us and let us try and work with you. You may have to wait but at least by working together we can save more lives in our community.

What is the time limit?

2010-06-23T09:22:00.001-07:00

Even in light of all we have done to communicate our success we still hear this question. The Lynchburg Humane Society does not have a time limit on the animals we have up for adoption. If the animal continues to thrive and doesn't deteriorate behaviorally or to a medical condition we can't deal with then we continue to hold them until they find homes. Where the time limit comes in is if we have a stray animal we have to hold them for a state required limit of time before we can adopt them. With stray animals that come in without a collar we hold them for 7 days and with a collar we hold them for 12 days.

The other question we get a lot is what is the age limit that we place up for adoption? How old is too old. Honestly, we don't care how old they are if again they are medically and behaviorally sound. We have had a 11 year old beagle, a couple of 10 year old large black labs and many senior cats that have all found homes. This community is great about helping those in the greatest needs and we have no problems placing them if they are in fairly good health. We often discount the adoption fee to encourage the adoption knowing the adopters may have medical issues to deal with and always encourage them to return the animal if they find it is too much. All this being said, we do look hard at older pets to make sure we aren't placing obvious major medical issues up for adoption or ones with behavior problems. We have to be wise with our resources so we can help the most animals as possible without overlooking those that need us the most.

We take everything in that is brought to us regardless of age or condition. However, we are always honest with people when they bring us difficult cases so they understand the potential outcome and can decide if they want to bring it to us or not.

Pet Care in Warm Weather, copied from an article by Jo Ann Beehler in the News & Advance

2010-06-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Pet Care in Warm Weather

The warm weather is upon us and with it comes the need for increased vigilance in the care of our pets. Our faithful friends have a much harder time cooling their bodies during times of high heat and humidity and are highly susceptible to heat stroke. Heat stroke can be fatal for pets just like humans; hence it is imperative that we provide the following to keep them safe and comfortable.

Fresh, clean, cool water:
A basic need at all times, water becomes even more important during hot weather. Offer your pet several watering stations so that water is always nearby. If you like “high tech” items, automatic watering systems that connect directly to a garden hose or stand-alone watering stations that circulate water through a filter are available from pet catalogs. For those of us who are more “old fashioned,” stainless steel buckets and bowls work just fine. Regardless of the method used, ensure that the system is clean and sanitary.

During times of extreme heat consider treating your friend by adding some ice cubes to his water. Made-for-pets popsicles and ice cream are also available if you enjoy “spoiling” your pals.

Ample shade and air flow:
A plastic or wood dog house sitting in the back yard with no natural shade is NOT adequate during hot weather. Such structures act more like an oven than a shelter. In order for your pet to stay cool he needs both shade and flowing air.

If your yard has no shade trees or high bushes, you must provide shade using tarps and/or canopies. Tarps are available at most hardware stores and outdoor pet beds with built-on canopies are available from most pet catalogs. If your pet spends long periods of time outdoors, ensure that shade is available at all times as the sun moves across the sky.

Trees or tall shrubs and bushes are excellent shade providers. Consider planting leafy varieties to increase the shade available for your pets; you’ll be helping the environment and your pets at the same time.

Give them a pool:
Most dogs enjoy streams and creeks. Even if your pup doesn’t like fully immersing himself, chances are you’ll catch him cooling his paws when he starts to get hot. If there aren’t any creeks or streams nearby, consider purchasing your pet a “kiddie” pool or install a pond. Cats, like dogs, are fascinated by flowing water and you may find all your four-legged friends lounging by their private oasis.

Bring them inside:
Our canine and feline friends thrive on interaction with their human guardians. Your pet should spend time indoors with you every day and night! During periods of extremely hot weather, you can ensure your pet’s safety by bringing him indoors with you. Most homes today are equipped with central air, air conditioners, or fans. All of these devices help keep humans cool and they’ll do the same for your pet. Even allowing your pet to spend time in a cool basement is better than keeping him outdoors when the temperature continues to rise.

Exercise in early morning or late evening:
Whether it’s play time or walk time, these fun times need to occur before the mercury starts to rise. Get up earlier to play or schedule your walks after the sun sets. If you walk your dogs on pavement, remember the asphalt can get very hot and does not cool down immediately. If your pet shows signs of discomfort, move onto the grass.

No trips in the car:
We humans have a tendency to underestimate how long it takes to “run into” the store to grab a few items. Your automobile, even with the windows open, can reach a temperature that is deadly to your dog in less than ten (10) minutes. Also, you may be tempted to leave the car running with the air condition on, but you never know when the engine may decide to stall. Don’t take chances – leave your pet home where he will be safe!

Our pets rely on us to provide them with quality health care, nutritious meals, and lots of love. With just a little extra thought and effort you can ensure your pets stay happy and healthy during warm weather.

Duke's Better Life

2010-05-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Duke’s Better Life
By Nina Caldwell
Age 10

Duke was a dog
In pitiful condition
Tried to smile
Nobody even looked
One mistake
Cute dogs on both sides
Beat up, rough breed
Tender sweet heart
Nobody noticed
Until one day
One rainy day
They came
Two people
That loved him as their own
One even cried
He knew they love HIM
Now the cute dogs
Were passed by
That pitiful, beat up
Duke was finally loved

To Duke, this is him,
This is how I first saw him.

*Duke was adopted on Sunday, May 23rd. Duke suffered multiple wounds from being attacked by another dog. Animal control brought him in after having been to the vet for treatment. He is a wonderful, friendly and handsome boy.

Humane Terms

2010-05-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

This is a reprint of a News and Advance Column by Makena Yarbrough

Many people think that humane societies and SPCAs are connected with or governed by larger national groups. People often think that we are connected with the other humane organizations in the area, but the truth is that we aren’t. State and national humane societies and SPCAs each have boards of directors and their own individualized policies, programs and procedures. If you donate money to a national organization like ASPCA or HSUS, those funds stay with that organization. Unless we qualify for a grant that organization is offering, none of that money is funneled down to the humane organizations in our area. Please Give Locally.

With all the many types of organizations, how is the public supposed to know what it all means and how the humane organization works in their area?

What is No Kill? There are many types of No Kill organizations and it is important to know the differences.

The most recent movement in this field is for the creation of a No Kill Community, which is what Lynchburg Humane Society is attempting to accomplish by 2015. While maintaining pound services and open admissions, we will find homes for all savable pets in our community and euthanize only the unhealthy or untreatable animals.

No Kill Communities are communities where the humane societies and government shelters work together. Examples of such communities include San Francisco, CA, Jacksonville, FL, and Richmond, VA. In these models, typically the pound or government-run shelter accepts all strays while the humane society accepts owner surrenders by appointment and also pulls healthy and treatable animals from the government shelters. Although Charlottesville, VA works out of one shelter it also fall under this category since they are both the pound and the humane society for that community.

A Sanctuary is a No Kill organization that does not euthanize except in extreme cases. There are well-run sanctuaries like Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. However, there are some No Kill sanctuaries that become overwhelmed and unable to properly care for the animals they take in. Often these beleaguered sanctuaries refuse to euthanize aggressive animals or those with major illnesses. Sometimes the sanctuaries and the animals there suffer from crowding and lack of resources as a result. It is important that the needs of the animals are being met and that they don’t end up depressed or even going cage crazy.

A Traditional No Kill organization is an individual humane society that limits its admissions and euthanizes only those animals that cannot be treated behaviorally or medically. Some are non-euthanizing, as well, but don’t consider themselves “sanctuaries.” These organization can operate a shelter or out of foster homes.

Other important definitions you might hear in regards to animal organizations:

An Adoption Guarantee is an organization that does not euthanize healthy animals and also guarantees the placement of all healthy animals. Treatable animals may possibly be placed, but there is no guarantee.

A Pound is a facility operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia, or any locality, for the purpose of impounding or harboring seized, stray, homeless, abandoned or unwanted animals; or a facility operated for the same purpose under a contract with any locality or incorporated society for the prevention of cruelty to animals or humane society.

A Humane Society or Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (SPCA) is any incorporated, nonprofit organization created for the purposes of preventing cruelty to animals and promoting humane care, treatment and/or adoptions of animals.
A Foster-based Humane Society is a humane group that does not have a physical shelter or facility, and therefore uses a foster network of homes to house their animals.

Four year old mind

2010-05-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Today at naptime my four year old son chose to read 101 Dalmations. His favorite book for the last two weeks. Of course he has 101 questions on each page, and this is not the short version of the book. We read a couple of chapters at a time. Today's reading involved the puppies in the castle. If you are not familiar with the story, out of 99 puppies only 15 had collars. My son just can't understand why all of the puppies didn't have collars. I sat there on the bed trying to come up with an explanation that would make sense...but my reasons don't work for Joseph. He is not tolareting ingnorance and/or laziness as an excuse.

I had to sit back and chuckle. I've worked for 10 years in animal welfare and I am normally the one who doesn't want to hear the excuses. Here I am trying to give those excuses to MY four year old...who knows better. I hope that he is a picture of animal welfare for the future, because it looks good!

Please tag and microchip your pet if you haven't done so! It is easy for the LHS to call you if your pet is wearing your phone number :)

No Kill Shelter Possible in Lynchburg

2010-05-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

When Lynchburg Humane Society decided to go No Kill by 2015 we were excited about all the possible changes and the lives being saved. The humane industry has been changing little by little over the years with San Francisco spear-heading the No Kill movement some 20 years ago. Then came Ithaca, NY when it became the safest place for a pet while maintaining their open admission pound status.

Now the movement has gone from Jacksonville, to New York City, Seattle to Richmond, and Charlottesville. Lynchburg is now following in their footprints to create a community where all adoptable and saveable pets are placed in homes.

Since starting down this path last fall we have made lots of changes that have resulted in a significant reduction of the euthanasia rate and an increase in the number of lives saved.

So what has changed? We started a more active volunteer program, we created a foster home program, we have had more animals adopted through special pricing, events and we changed adoption policies that were archaic and created barriers to adoption.

Our more substantial change came when we increased our cat space by using a conference room and a storage room to house more cats and created a dog isolation room so we can treat contagious illnesses. We established resources for owners who needed to re-home their pets, and we have started an appointment program for owners who need to surrender pets. This program enables us to give surrendered pet as well as pets with no one advocating for them a chance at life, rather than being at risk for euthanasia due to space constraints.

Change is hard for some people and there will always be nay-sayers and those who stand on the sidelines and criticize the efforts of others. That happens with any kind of change. Richmond and Charlottesville had vocal opposition to their changes. However, they persevered and both organizations are saving more lives than ever.

There will surely be those who say it can’t be done here in Lynchburg.

We are here to say it can be done and we will accomplish the No Kill goal hopefully sooner than we originally planned. We have a solution to the problem and we will create a No Kill community. We can’t do it alone. You can help be a part of the solution by donating, volunteering, fostering, adopting, spaying and neutering. As a pet owner needing to surrender your pet, be willing to work with us to bring your pet in responsibly so we can ensure the safety of healthy animals.

What does the future hold? We are considering our community’s future needs by evaluating significant shelter renovations or construction of a new shelter. We want a shelter, which is friendlier to the public and the animals we care for.

Our ultimate goal is to make the community proud of its humane organization and to be a place where animals are valued and respected.

Designer Dogs

2010-05-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

The News & Advance features a column called "Central Virginia's Pets" I've decided to include some of these in our blog from time to time. The following is a piece written by Ann Holland who serves on the LHS Board of Directors.

Designer Dogs

My husband and I said “goodbye” to our 14 year-old dog, Spokes, last October. Our beloved girl was gorgeous: ice-blue eyes, long, soft fur in a kaleidoscope of colors, pricked ears and a flowing tail. Spokes was likely from Australian shepherd stock, but beyond that, her heritage was a mystery. Whatever she was, it was the perfect combination.

“The perfect combination” is also the idea behind the recent “designer dog” craze. A designer, or hybrid, dog is a first-generation cross between two breeds of purebred dogs. Goldendoodles (golden retriever + poodle), schneagles (schnauzer + beagle) and bullmations (bulldog + Dalmatian) are examples of designer dogs. While the names are fun, crossbreeding is serious business and is done for a variety of reasons.

Crossbreeding can be an attempt to reduce the incidence of genetic diseases found in so many purebred dogs. Regrettably, it can also result in a dog with problems common to both breeds. A responsible breeder ensures that purebred dogs used for mating are tested for, and free from, genetic diseases. If a hybrid puppy’s lineage is unknown or questionable, as is often the case at pet stores, that dog is more likely to have significant health problems.

Some designer dogs are touted as “hypoallergenic” pets (usually poodle + another desired breed). But keep in mind that allergies originate from dander, not fur. Such dogs may shed less, but there is no guarantee they will be tolerated by allergy sufferers.

Designer dogs are also often viewed as fashionable status symbols, or novelty products. Often these dogs cost significantly more than their purebred counterparts. Like most fads, as the popularity of designer dogs rises, they will inevitably become commonplace. Breeders will find they can no longer charge exorbitant prices and the hybrids will fall out of favor with trend-seekers.

If you have your heart set on buying a designer dog, the Humane Society of the United States encourages you to consider the following:

Do not purchase a hybrid – or any dog -- from a pet store where the majority of dogs are from puppy mills and are therefore more likely to become ill.

Find a reputable breeder who insists on meeting you and encourages you to see first-hand where the dog and its mother come from.

A good breeder will provide paperwork detailing the genetic testing done to screen for health problems to which the breeds are predisposed.

Research the needs of both breeds. This dog will be in your life for 15 years; you want to be sure he or she fits your lifestyle.

Before buying a dog, visit your local animal shelter. One in four shelter dogs is purebred, and the rest are hybrids in their own right – mixes of two or more breeds. There you will save hundreds to thousands of dollars and the life of a homeless pet.

I know I'll never have another dog like Spokes, but that makes her all the more special. To me, she was the most beautiful designer dog in the world.

Foster love

2010-04-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

My most recent foster puppy had a pretty hard start to life. He was brought to the shelter covered in ticks. I'm told there were dozens, if not a hundred of them. The poor little boy was hiding under his bed in his crate when I came to pick him up for the first time. The whole drive home, the little husky mix the girls at the shelter lovingly called "Tick" hugged my chest as closely as he could ( I wasn't driving, don't worry). The first thing the poor baby had to endure at his temporary home, was meeting my dog. Sadie wasn't too sure what to think about the little 6 pound ball of fur at first, but she gave him the nod to come on in "her" house.

Of course, once I got "Tick" inside, before his little paws even touched carpet I knew he'd need to get a bath. Oh, the things that came off that dog! I counted about a half a dozen dead ticks (the girls at the shelter gave him frontline... and picked off all the ticks they could) in the bathtub. Then as I dried his quivering little body, more ticks came off. His stomach was purple and blue from all the blood-sucking creatures that were attached to him. This little boy was hard not to fall in love with.

Shortly after his first bath, little "Tick" got a case of the hiccups. I don't know if you've ever experienced it... but there's truly nothing cuter than a puppy with hiccups!

Of course, I loved him from the first day. Why wouldn't I? His favorite place was in my lap... all he wanted was to get his head scratched.

That all changed by day two... when the shy little puppy, wasn't too shy anymore! "Tick" quickly took to romping around the living room with Sadie... and rearranging my shoes.

A couple weeks, and a couple pounds later, "Tick" got to go on his first road trip! After about 20 minutes in the car, he realized that he had no where to go, and nothing to do but nap. When we finally got to my parents' home in WV I was praying that my dad will fall in love with the puppy, too. Of course, it was my master plan from the day I brought him home! My dad has always raved about wanting a husky. I just knew this little energetic puppy was for him!

After Easter weekend, Tick, my husband, and I returned to Lynchburg. My heart was pretty heavy and my eyes filled with tears as I took him to the shelter that Wednesday morning for his trip to get neutered... because I assumed it'd be the last time I'd see him. I thought for sure that my mother's ruling of "heck no we're not getting a dog" would prevail and Tick would have to find a home with another family.

The next day, my dad called. He wanted to adopt the puppy! Well, Dad made the 5-hour drive to Lynchburg last Saturday and our little angel officially became part of our family! Of course, he became a part of my family and took a piece out of my heart the first time he looked at me.

I know all my foster pups can't stay in my family... but I sure am glad I get to be there to watch little "Tick" (now renamed Bandit) grow up!

Not Mine!

2010-04-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't think it is that difficult for people to know if they own an animal or not. But in our world it isn't so cut and dry. Yesterday a young lady came in to surrender two cats that "were not hers". Her friend had found them as young kittens and took them in to her home. Raised them and then this young lady decided to take two of them in and keep them. For one reason or another she could no longer keep them. So when we asked her to sign them over to us, as their owner, her sentiment was "they are not mine" they are strays. Well to give you some idea they are now almost a year old so they are definitely not strays. When a stray animal comes into any animal shelter we are required to hold them for a time period to allow them time to be found by their owner. These cats were beyond being looked for by an owner and were more than likely not being looked for by anyone. But she still could not understand why she was the owner. She didn't want to take any responsibility for the two cats she cared for these past number of months and she just wanted to dump them on us.

When someone makes the choice to take in an animal and begin to make decisions about their care, provide them with food and a home, the city of Lynchburg considers them owners of that pet after a very short period of time. I do believe this also applies to cats/dogs that you begin feeding and caring for but don't bring them into your home but allow them to stay on your property.

If you do not want to be responsible for the cat/dog then please contact your local animal shelter, report them as being found. Try and locate the owner by posting fliers or you can take them to the animal shelter as a stray at the time you find them. But it is a mini "button" of ours that someone has had the "stray" for 4 months but they don't want to be responsible for them. You made the choice to take them in and we are here to help you with your choice but please don't dump them like you don't care. You cared enough to take them in, please care enough to see them on to their next home.

At this time we are asking owners to allow us some time to bring in their pets when we have space to ensure we are not having to euthanize pets due to space. This gives their pet and the other animals, that don't have an owner advocating for them, a chance to find a new home and not be ask risk of being put down because we don't have a cage. I think it is a tiny price to pay, to hold on to a pet a little longer or to take responsibility for the "stray" animal you have had for a while, in order to save a life.

So enough of my mini rant. I want to say that more times than not people understand and work with us because they know it is what is best for the animal. It is only once in a blue moon that people don't. It warms my heart when people spend their money during these economic times to get those stray cats they are feeding fixed. One woman in particular has been helping these stray cats for a while now and has probably helped save many many cats just by taking responsibility.

An Office Affair

2010-04-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

I have a problem, I am having an office affair. I have a dog, his name is Parker and he is a 10 year old border collie mix. He came into the shelter in Richmond as a nervous dog who had spent the first 7 months on a chain in a back yard. He never spent a day in the kennel, I took him home immediately. Parker soon became my pet and the Richmond SPCA's education dog. I taught him a bunch of tricks and he would go with me to all the school and group visits to highlight how wonderful pets from the SPCA/Humane society can be. And he is special. He has been in a number of TV commercials, he was featured on an Animal Planet show called Adoption Stories and has been in a number of newspapers and magazines. As far as pets go, he is the love of my life. He is the first one to meet me at the door when I get home and if I just walk out to lets say take the trash out, he acts like he hasn't seen me in years and would die with out me. It is a mutual relationship of pure love.

So what a surprise when Angel, a border collie mix, came along. I see many pets come and go and I may have an instant attraction to them and I flirt with the idea of taking them home, but none have captured my heart like Angel. It is a bit crazy because she resembles Parker, physically, but is very different in terms of personality. Angel has been hanging around the office area during the day, she sleeps under my desk, greets me at the door with a wiggle and dance of excitement, enjoys meeting people and dogs that come to visit and is basically what I like to call my office pet. I must admit though she isn't just mine. Lori, our operations manager, is as much in love with her as I am and Angel adores her as well.

It is no surprise that I took Angel home to see how she and Parker would get along. Angel was nervous at first with my Son and husband, which is her M.O. with new people. But after one night she fit right in with the other humans. But, it was funny to see Parker and her trying to figure each other out. Soon competition began and we quickly learned that Angel likes to guard her objects of desire from Parker and unfortunately, that was me and any food item that hit the floor. Angel came back to the shelter.

Thus is why the title of this blog entry is an office affair. I feel guilty loving another dog as much as Parker during the day and then leaving her at night to come home to Parker. Friday of last week I brought Parker in to see if they could try getting along one more time and she was the ruler of the roost, letting Parker know that I and the office was hers not his. Parker was miserable all day with the power plays. No fights ensued but the stares Angel gave him were strong warnings.

Finding Angel a new home would be ideal, but it will take a very special person to deserve her. Thinking about her leaving creates a mini panic attack in me and I know will result in a broken heart. Angel deserves more than being an office affair and I know eventually she will leave us for her own family but for now I will enjoy having her around and sharing my heart with her.

Peaks View Park is Going to the Dogs!

2010-03-31T05:23:00.000-07:00

April 24th is the big day! Get ready for Lynchburg Humane Society’s 4th annual
Paws on Peaks View Dog Walk and Show-Off. We promise a howling good time for everyone!

I decided to survey some Lynchburg canines to get their take on the event. These canines are all a-bark with excitement.

“Oh, boy, oh boy, oh boy,” yapped a Jack Russell. He jumped and spun in a circle. “I can’t wait to see all my old buds and meet new pals! My human said there were over 150 dogs there last year. I can’t wait, I can’t wait!”

I chatted with a particularly striking Poodle. “Well, I’m thrilled about the Dog Show-Off. I’ve been looking at the categories and I really wish there were one for ‘Most Beautiful’. I’d be sure to win. After all,” she batted her long eyelashes, “have you ever seen a more gorgeous dog than I am?”

“Humph,” growled a Beagle mix, “too bad there’s not a ‘Most Conceited’ category.”

“Oh, stop it,” yipped a good-natured Lab, “there are categories for everyone: Musical Sit, Best Costume, The Fairly Odd Family, Best Trick, Owner Look-a-Like and, of course, Best Rescue Dog.”

“”Best Costume!’ I love costumes, my mom buys me lots of costumes,” a tiny, trembling Chihuahua whispered, “We look alike, too, maybe we’ll enter both.”

“My humans like the live music by the Dog Boys Band, and there’s lots of yummy food and vendors. Dad promised we could have our picture taken, too.”

“There’s going to be a raffle with great prizes like massages, jewelry and a night at a resort spa,” asserted a pooch in the know.

“What’s a resort paw?” asked a rolly-polly puppy.

A Border Collie mix yapped in, “I love the dog agility demonstrations-and lure coursing. I can run and chase and herd like anything, so I’m going to give lure coursing a try. My dad says any dog can join in. It’s going to be the best!”

“I want my caricature done!” a Pit mix sat up straight. “I have a really distinctive presence.”

I worried some about how our feline friends might feel about being left out of any event sponsored by LHS, so I interviewed several:

“Being ‘walked’ just doesn’t appeal to me,” one sophisticated tuxedo purred as she continued to preen, “such activity is far beneath my dignity!”

“Yeah, and I’m busy on Saturdays,” a yellow tabby stretched, yawned and went back to napping on the sunny window sill.

“Anybody tries to put a leash on me will live to regret it!” snapped a spunky black beauty and she showed me her claws.

Most cats, though, are in support of the event because they seem to believe a “tired dog is a good dog,” and “any event that gets the smelly, loud creatures out of the house is an event a cat should get behind.”

When I asked my dog what he thought, he smiled his silly dog smile, gave a vigorous, full body wag, leapt over the couch and the indignant cat, and ran for the door.

“Wait,” I cried, “not yet!”
If you plan to go

What: Paws on Peaks View Dog Walk and Show-Off
sponsored by Dawson Ford Garbee & Co., Realtors

When: Saturday, April 24th at 10:00 am (Registration starts at 9:30 am)

Where: Peaks View Park

Why: To benefit the Lynchburg Humane Society and help
“Give Animals a Second Chance”

You can download a registration form: www.lynchburghumanesociety.org
Questions? Sandy: 434.238.3181

Cats, cats and more cats

2010-03-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

As we move into warmer months we will begin to see more and more cats coming out of hiding. I am truly amazed at the amount of cats in this community and how much of a problem we have with feral and free roaming cats. I am not sure how cats became disposable in our culture and I am not just talking about here but across the nation. We get many calls a day from people trying to find a solution to their stray cat problem. We hear a lot of, "someone just dropped them here", when more than likely they came across a food source and wandered to the location. It is very apparent to us with the amount of kittens we see each spring through the fall, many coming in way too young to survive on their own without their mothers which means, we will get more next year because the mother was not spayed or the father not neutered. It is a chronic cycle each year that we want to stop.

So how do we stop it? I think knowledge is power and if you have a problem you should read up on the topic and see how to change it. Also you need to be responsible if you own a cat that is free roaming, you need to get it fixed. If you are a good Samaritan who is feeding cats around your home or barn, you need to get them fixed. Before you just take kittens or a cat to your local animal control, find out what their euthanasia rates are for cats, some are as high as 80% in the area. Then decide if you can find another way of handling this problem. If you feel you would like to make a difference and really see change then please check out our web page on feral/free roaming cats. Or go to national organizations who have a lot of information out there on the topic like Alley Cat Allies.

But doing nothing adds to the issue and less cats living in our community. Taking feral or wild cats to your local animal shelter does nothing to solve your problem. Please take a moment and read.

stray animals

2010-03-10T10:12:00.001-08:00

It is funny to think that people don't know what to do when they see a stray or if they pick up a stray, but more times than not we hear, I just can't keep it, like they are guilty about bringing it to us. Our main priority is to the lost pets of the community so you should never feel guilty about bringing us a lost pet, that is why we are here. So what are your options when you pick up a stray dog/cat.

First and foremost call the animal shelter and see if anyone has reported a lost pet matching the one you found. We can sometimes re-unite people with their pets without them coming to the shelter.
If you are able to keep the pet in your home and put up posters in the neighborhood saying you found the pet. The main thing is that you have already contacted a local animal control to let them know you found the pet.
Bring the pet to your local animal control facility so that the owners can find them. It is important to take them to the county/city in which you FOUND the pet. If you take them to another county then the owner may never find them, we are not tied to one another. Most shelters are open in the afternoon to give them an opportunity to clean in the morning, try and bring the animal during open hours.
If you see a stray dog and you don't feel comfortable picking it up to bring to the animal facility yourself then call animal control.
If you see an injured animal please contact animal control immediately.

2010-03-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

The story of Bandit is both sad and happy at the same time. For the first 3 years of his life, Bandit lived on a chain that was too short for him to get into his dog house and out of the elements. He was discovered by the concerned people in his neighborhood during our first December snow storm. He was not getting fed by his current owner because him along with 3 other dogs were left at the home while the owner resided at another location. In an effort to ensure the dogs were taken care of two neighbors began feeding all the dogs. From what we were told, Bandit seemed vicious and scary on the chain but who blames him, he was stuck out in the worst of weather for 3 years. I am sure he was trying to get someone's attention. Outraged at how the animals were living the neighbors contacted Animal Control and the dogs were removed from the property and brought here to the humane society.

When I first saw Bandit he was scared to death, cowering close to the ground unable to walk on a leash from fear. We put him in a quiet place for a few nights to see if he would come out of his shut down place. Unfortunately he cowered in the corner of the room and did not move. We had to carry him everywhere. Finally a wonderful volunteer agreed to take him over a weekend to see what she could do. It was amazing to us when he arrived back a completely different dog.

Wagging his tail up on all fours, licking faces, it was a complete turn around. We finally saw a happy friendly dog. We soon discovered that he had a weird medical condition, where his gums had grown up over his back teeth so we sent him off to the vet. Dr. Mulligan at Peaks View Animal Hospital upon examining him for his gum issues, found that Bandit had a problem with his heart. After a heart scan he discovered that Bandit had cardiomyopathy, where the right side of his heart was very enlarged and his best guess was he only had weeks maybe months to live. Our hearts sank because we felt so bad for how this dog had lived and to think that he would never have a normal life in a loving home environment, just made it all worse.

Thankfully one of the neighbors, who was feeding Bandit, had kept in contact and was asking for updates on his condition. When I told her about Dr. Mulligan's findings, she offered to take Bandit on as her own pet for the time he had left. So as sad as it is that this dog is sick and is not going to live long, we are so happy that someone like this exists and is willing to give this wonderful dog a chance at a happy life in a home filled with love.

Bandit left today to his new home, wagging his tail, licking my hand as he left the building.

Injured Lost Pet

2010-03-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

We get a lot of lost pet reports but this one made me think that if someone had done something then the dog might still be alive. A woman stopped in to see if her dog was here and brought us a photo in case we got him in and she went out searching her neighborhood. She called the next day and reported that her dog was found on a local city street dead on the side of the road, hit by a car. Obviously she was very upset and so was the LHS staff and I got to thinking about it, do people even know what to do if they hit a pet with their car. I wondered how many people drive off because they are afraid of being shouldered with the expense or don't know the basics of how to handle the injured pet.
The first thing is to STOP your car and see how bad the injuries are on the pet. First and foremost, use caution, injured animals may bite out of pain or shock so always approach slowly and carefully until you can asses the behavior. If you are able to, wrap the injured animal in a towel and take him/her to the closest vet. If you are unable to handle the pet or it is running away call animal control or the police department immediately and if possible do not leave the animal. Animal control or the police will make sure the animal gets the veterinary care it needs. If you are traveling out of state on a state highway, call the state police and they will assist you or direct you to the proper authorities.
This is all very basic information and there are websites dedicated to pet first aid that you can check out for more detailed information but the basics can save lives. If nothing else, call the authorities but don't ignore the animal that you or someone else hit.
The picture is of a cat that was hit by a car that was brought to us this past summer. She is now happy in a new home after getting the treatment she needed from Peaks View Animal Hospital.

Foster Dog in the Bed

2010-02-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

When I foster I always have to ask my husband and make sure it is a dog that I know my almost 4 year old can be safe with. My husband is experienced in my last minute call asking to foster and it is a mutual agreement that the foster will mesh well in our home and lifestyle. So I called him Friday asking if we could foster a little 1 year old whippet/hound mix that we named Lila. She had come in very very thin, you can see all her ribs and her hip bones. I wanted to bring her home because she was shaking in her kennel run, scared of all the other dogs barking around her. So home she came.
We normally don't let dogs on the sofa or chairs and we don't have dogs in our bed unless one of us is away. But as you see in the photo that didn't hold true with this girl. She was so loving and just so wanted to be touched all the time that she immediately found the one person who would give her constant attention, my son Sam. Then as we go to bed she bounces herself up on the bed and lays down between us and some how knows the person to snuggle up to, my husband. So she stayed in bed all night resulting in me being segregated to the very edge of the bed with no covers while the dog and husband slept soundly.
I always say that my husband is my gauge for not having a ton of pets and creating boundaries but this story goes to show that when the right pet comes into the home, sometimes those rules should be lifted to enjoy the pet and love they can give.
So Lila comes up for adoption on Friday and she is a fabulous dog for any family. She enjoys chasing my son around, cuddling in the chair with him and giving gentle kisses. She is great with my dog and appears to like cats. She walks lovely on a leash and we are working on housebreaking. If my husband would let me I would keep her but then again, I have said that about almost all the dogs/cats I have fostered. One of these days he will say, yes, let's keep her/him. Until then I will continue to foster and enjoy the whole experience of helping a pet in need.
Thanks for indulging me and reading my foster story.

2010-02-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

Even though this first picture is two years old, it is one of my favorites. It just shows you how my cats (I have 6) are part of our family. My husband and I have a four year old and two year old triplets. You see their child seats here. The loveable orange tabby is Freckles Juice. Freckles is the best lap cat and snuggler in the house. He sleeps with us every night and follows us where ever we are.

Given our busy lifestyle I fell vicitim to the easy round the clock "food available" way of feeding my cats. Yes, they are all overweight. Yes, I know this is my fault. But I continued. Juice weighed in at 14 pounds and was the biggest. I know there are much fatter cats out there, so I thought we were okay.

I was wrong.

I noticed that in a few months he had lost some weight(turned out that he had lost 4 pounds). He also was thirsty. All the time...in the shower, drinking from the dog bowl, drinking from his water fountain...I made him an appointment at our vet. Sure enough, Diabetes. His blood sugar was over 500, it should have been around 100.

My vet told me some very positive news - if I was willing to make a lifestyle change. The first thing he suggested was no more dry food. It is heavy in carbs which is a big no no for diabetics. Also, no more round the clock food. I would have to check his blood sugar once a day and give him insulin twice a day. However, we had a 90% chance of controlling his disease and a very good chance of getting him off insulin.

So as soon as I got home, I took up the dry food. (I guess if there was always a bag of chips on the counter, I would eat them all day long...I understand...the cats need portion control. Just like we do!)

My kitties get fed wet food, low carb. Cats are carniverous by nature so it makes sense to try and feed them more meat. My vet gave me a list that had the carb count of grocery store brands. I can shop anywhere and find the appropriate food.
I'm very excited to report that in less than two weeks we were able to get his disease under control and he is now off insulin.
I will continue to check his glucose levels each week and keep a log.

If you notice that your kitty isn't acting normal - please have your vet check him out. If you can catch things early on, they have much better chances of recovery.

Landlords and Homeowner Associations Can Help Us.

2010-02-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

We get a lot of calls from landlords who need our help with pets left behind and from citizens in neighborhoods that are seeing a lot of cats roaming and multiplying.

I want to put out a couple of ideas that will help us with this problem and in return help you; homeowner associations and landlords.

Homeowner Associations - How about setting up rules and guidelines around free roaming cats in your neighborhood. Cats are not permitted to be inside/outside or outside only unless they are fixed. That way those cats won't attract other cats who come around because of matting season. They won't produce more cats and the problem won't get out of control like so many neighborhoods in the city are experiencing.

Landlords - First off, allow people to have pets. Set reasonable pet deposits, stop charging a monthly rent for the pet and don't make decisions on pets based on size. One small dog can do as much damage and more than a 50 lb large dog can. Set up guidelines that show a responsible pet owner and will reduce behavior issues that might cause damage to the property. One example is that those that do have pets must have their pets fixed to be allowed to have them in your property. Especially cats. I can't count how many landlords have called us about someone moving away and they go to investigate they find many cats around the property and it appears that many kept having kittens and the problem got out of control.

Help yourself and help us in the meantime. You have the power to affect change that will result in less animals in shelters and more animals being saved.

Reasonable Expectations

2010-01-19T06:29:00.000-08:00

Jo Ann Beehler, LHS volunteer and regular contributor to our Pets of Central Virginia column in the Lynchburg News & Advance, wrote such a great piece on bringing a new cat home that I wanted to share it with you:

Realistic Expectations when You Bring a New Cat Home

by Jo Ann Beehler

Are congratulations in order? Did you recently adopt a new pet from a local humane society? Are you planning to do so soon? If yes, then now is the time to begin setting realistic expectations for your new pet. In order to make the adoption of your new pet a success, you must have realistic expectations firmly in mind.

When you adopt a new pet, you are making a commitment to love and care for your new friend for the rest of his life. Adoptions commonly fail because humans set unrealistic expectations for their new pets. Don’t put yourself and your new pet through this heartbreak.

Instead, be prepared to allow your new pet ample time to become acclimated to his new family and home. For example, if you adopt a cat, don’t be surprised or disappointed if he hides under the bed for several days or even weeks. Don’t take this personally. Cats, like humans are disconcerted by change. You must allow your new friend the time he needs to recognize his new home and trust his surroundings and new family members. Our companion animals provide us with tons of unconditional love and support; however, we humans must earn their trust and affection with patience and consistency.

My husband, Ed, and I adopted our third cat, Terry Tiger, on January 31, 2009. Prior to Terry’s arrival we set up a “safe room” for him. This room contained a new cat tree, a cozy bed mounted atop a modified windowsill perch, food and water, and at the opposite end a new litter box.

Terry, who was about 9 years old when we adopted him, spent over two weeks hiding in his safe room. Whenever Ed or I entered to give him fresh food, clean his litter box, or try to interact with him, he would hide behind furniture. Of course we could have pried him from his hiding spots, but we knew that would not help him trust us. Instead Ed and I took turns reading or taking short naps in Terry’s room.

Seventeen days after his arrival, Terry decided he was ready to meet his new canine siblings; during this meet and greet session with the dogs he finally allowed Ed to pet him. Subsequent similar meet and greet sessions allowed both Ed and I to interact with him. Thanks to our dogs, Terry learned to trust us.

Seventeen days may seem like a long time to you; however, most animal welfare organizations caution new adopters that it may take one month or LONGER, for a newly adopted pet to become acclimated to his new home.

Because we were patient, Terry is a happy and affectionate member of our family. He will occasionally retire to his safe room, but he also enjoys napping on the upstairs couch. In the evenings, he diplomatically shares his affection with Ed and me. If we’re busy he is more than happy to cuddle with one of his feline or canine siblings.

Oh, the Joys of Puppyhood

2010-01-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

I am currently one week into my first foster project for LHS. Little "Peanut" came into the Humane Society a little more than a week ago as a 3-pound, scared little puppy. The guess is she was about 4-weeks old. My husband and I decided a few months ago that fostering puppies would be a great way to get my 6-year-old Shiba Inu used to the idea of having another dog in the house, without making the commitment of actually adopting a second dog. Sadie has always been the queen of her castle... but after about 20 minutes, she finally let Peanut past the doorway. That was 8 days ago.

Now, Peanut has become a member of our family. My husband and I work together, and each morning he comes in with a new Peanut story (today, she made it up our 3 steps to the porch all by herself)! Peanut has gained a full pound since we brought her home, and we're very proud to see her learning the rules of the roost.

It has been six years since I awoke to puppy yelps, and cleaned up a puppy's late night accidents. This is a great learning experience for us as a young couple. Our foster puppy has, effectively, become our baby. Every tiny milestone for Peanut, is a victory for us. Working together to make sure this puppy will soon make a perfect pet for a deserving family has been a great bonding experience.

Each day is a new adventure. Though it's going to be hard for me when it's time for this little ankle-biter to move on, I'll feel so happy to know that we played a major part in giving her a second chance at a full life!

House Dog

2010-01-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have heard many many people come in to their local shelter, looking for a house dog. Our cute response is always, all our dogs are house dogs, knowing that they are looking for a small dog. We get many small dogs here and most people don't realize just how easy it is to find a great small dog for their home at any animal shelter, you may have to wait or be patient until one arrives but when they do it always seems like they come in droves.

Anyway the point of this blog is to point out that any dog can be a "house dog" no matter the size. I have seen 75 lb dogs make wonderful apartment dogs because most of the day they lay around the apartment or house and then they get the joy of a wonderful walk when their owner comes home from work. They tend not to bark as much as smaller dogs, causing less noise complaints and they may take up more space inside but, they also make better bed warmers if you ask me.

Baxter, the dog shown here is a prime example. He came to us housebroken, laid back, good with other dogs/cats and honestly is one of the best house dogs I have seen. He was fine when left unattended in my office, he never barked, he never had a "mistake" and he always was just happy as a clam to hang out with me. I almost took him home to my husbands surprise but, he found a wonderful home with a couple who are making him their house dog.

Any dog can be a house dog no matter the size it is more about whether they are happier inside or outside and if they owner is willing and able to train them to be inside. Example housebroken or crate trained if necessary. Puppies and dogs are like children, you have to teach them what you want and give them routine and then they will follow the house rules if they know what they are.

This is in no way against small dogs. I love small dogs, I have owned many in my lifetime I just wanted to bring to light the fact that many large dogs are house dogs too.

Purrfect Pet

2009-12-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

This was written by a 4th grader at Holy Cross by the name of Molly Graham.

Into the car
Along the street
To the little building
Open the door
Within the building
Above the barking and meowing
Between the bars
With begging eyes
Inside the cage
Is the purrfect pet!

Merry Christmas to all and thank you Molly for such a wonderful touching poem.

Blizzard! Lori Cline takes care of business at LHS

2009-12-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

We are often asked how the animals are managed when the shelter is closed and during inclement weather. Of course shelter workers are always scheduled to come in to clean runs and cages and feed the animals whether we're open to the public or not. The LHS shelter staff are fiercely loyal to the animals and would never neglect their duties.
Lori Cline, the shelter supervisor, left work Friday just as the monster blizzard was starting. She decided she just couldn't leave the animals alone and returned to the shelter. She said she was afraid the storm might be so bad that no one would be able to get back on Saturday to look after the critters. She made up her mind to spend the night at the shelter. I asked her how she spent the time. She cleaned, did some laundry,visited with the animals, did some paper work, and watched old Seinfeld reruns on the internet. She finally made a bed from blankets, freshly laundered of course, on the floor in the break room and with Baxter, one of the shelter dogs, for company slept. How lucky are we to have Lori Cline at the LHS!!

Thinking of adopting a new pet for the holidays?

2009-12-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is a wonderful time to adopt a new pet for the family. We encourage suchgift-giving to children and family members within the same household. Done thoughtfully, there is no better gift than that of a new four-legged pal. While careful consideration is important, there are many reasons the holidays are an excellent time to bring a new pet into the home:

Many people have extra time off to spend with a new pet during the holidays, time for training and socializing the newcomer.
Festival time is an opportunity to show off your new family member, invite friends to visit and welcome him/her.
The exuberance of the new family member will help bring the true holiday spirit to focus.
This is, after all, a time of family, love and new beginnings. Isn’t that what a new pet brings to any home?
Pets can help reduce stress, that’s help especially needed over the holidays.
Studies have also shown that having a pet can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, making you less prone to heart attacks and stroke.
Another bonus-dog walking, pet grooming, and even petting the cat may not seem like exercise, but any activity that gets you up and moving can help burn off the holiday calories.

The most important reason to adopt this holiday season? Unconditional love that will last a lifetime.

Pay it Forward

2009-12-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

Doogie’s Great Escape, or Pay it Forward

I received a call from a grateful dog-lover the other day. She wanted to make a donation to our “Second Chance Fund”, a fund ear-marked for medical expenses for animals in need. She made this donation gift in honor of two neighbors to whom she is so grateful.

Pamela Minkler wrote:
“My dog escaped from our newly fenced-in yard today and, thanks to the concern and kindheartedness of two neighbors, (we just moved here two weeks ago), was returned to us safely and quickly. My husband and I were both at work while all of this was happening, and things could certainly have turned out very differently. My dog could have very easily needed the services that your second chance fund provides, and I am so grateful to my neighbors for the fact that he did not.

While there is nothing I can do to convey to these two people just how grateful my husband and I are to them, I would like to take a small step in that direction. I would love to donate to the second chance fund in each of their names if that would be possible.”

We learned the names of the escaped dog chaser/retriever neighbors, Mel White and Robin Blackman, and we know them to be dog-lovers themselves.

I’m sure “Doogie”, that’s the wild-at-heart doggie’s name, had a grand adventure leading the neighbors on a merry chase during his great escape. We salute the good neighbors for their gift of a good turn, and Pamela for paying that good turn forward as a gift to help animals in need.

2009-12-16T10:18:00.000-08:00

Hooray for Old Navy!!!
Our good friends at the Lynchburg Old Navy received national recognition for the fund-raising, adoption event they sponsored for us the month of October. The corporate folks at Old Navy think it's important to give back to the communities that support their business and they ACT on their convictions. Old Navy charged all their stores to choose a non-profit and come up with a plan not only to support that choice financially but also to sponsor an event. Of course there were hundreds of stores across the nation involved in that competion. Ten stores were honored. Our own Lynchburg store with it's wonderful folks-Alana Carter, Sharon Birch, Justin, Joy-to name a few, won one of those top spots. We love you, Old Navy!
Be sure to check out our tree there, and choose a pet to adopt or sponsor.

Say "yes" to the cat

2009-12-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

I have often watched "Say yes to the dress" on bravo tv. Mainly because doesn't every girl love the idea of getting a wedding dress even if you are married already. I still want to pull mine out and put it on from time to time. If I could come up with an event where I can wear my wedding dress again I would.

Ok so now to the story:
We had a lovely young lady come in with her mother last week. They had been in a couple of times and "tried out" many cats to find the one that was a fit. They decided on Wilma because she kept coming back to her. The young girl was crying and she said, "just like they say on the TV show, say yes to the dress, you know it when you find the right one." It was quite touching not just because of the wonderful show of affection for Wilma but because they were very thoughtful in general. The young girl was a student at Virginia Tech and her mother lived here in Lynchburg. She had already checked with her rental office and roommates to make sure it was ok. The mother said it was fine for her to have the cat at her home during breaks. In general, they had really thought through the whole process and enjoyed the experience.

When you find the right pet, you know it. Please share your own say yes to the pet story.

Give Locally

2009-11-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

Lately I have seen a lot around in regards to "Buy Locally" and "Shop Locally" to bring awareness to supporting the community in which we live. Well, I would like to bring up "Give Locally". Over the years in this business I have seen many people, even relatives, give money to large animal organizations thinking the money would then filter down to the local organizations. The large animal organizations like The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Best Friends, ASPCA, PETA and American Humane Association are all independent non-profits that have no governing responsibility to the rest of the smaller humane societies, SPCAs or rescue groups. When you give to those larger national organizations you are giving to them and them alone. A few of them do offer some small grants to those of us who apply but in general the money stays with them.

The Lynchburg Humane Society is a private organization that relies greatly on donations. So this year as you write a check to those national organizations with the heart touching TV commercials please consider Giving Locally to those organizations who do the work in your community.

Fostering is such a joy

2009-11-07T06:16:00.000-08:00

My wish is for others to try fostering an animal from your local humane society. You will receive such a blessing in helping an animal become adoptable.

Our first, very first fostering experience has been such a delight! I'd like to share my experience with you....

My husband and I have an 'empty nest' now, so we decided to foster a cat. I went to the humane society to talk with Makena about this and I asked her if I could pick out an adult cat to take home and foster. She mentioned the fact that they have a kitten with a broken leg that needed a foster home. She told me how he needs to have someone give him lots of attention and love. I took one look at him with his cast on his leg and made the decision to bring him home.

Once we were home I showed him his room (the extra bathroom), I showed him his litter box, where his food was, and I laid him down on a soft baby blanket in his room. He followed me to the recliner, looked up at me and meowed, so I picked him up and placed him in my lap. He immediately crawled up to my neck and curled up around my face, licking my face and neck as if to say "Thank you for bringing me home to live with you."

For the next several days he would lay around my neck, or eating, or sleeping on my shoulder. He is such a loving kitten! I thought that all kittens were very nosey and curious, but Oliver didn't seem to be like any other kitten I had ever known. He showed me and my husband as much TLC as we showed him.

Two weeks went by and then came time for his cast to be removed. Once we returned home from the vets office and getting that cast off, Oliver became a bit more curious about his new home. He finally began acting like a normal kitten. He became more playful. Remembering that the vet warned me to not let him jump from high places, I watched him like an over-protective mother would. :) Now that he is cast-free, he runs around as if he never had a broken leg. He is still very attached to my neck for his 'cat-naps', but is slowly finding other new places to lay down for his naps. He is such a joy to have around, we love playing with him with his toys which helps him to become a very pleasant companion to live with.

Our fostering experience has been such a joy and I would encourage more people to foster a pet. Fostering also allows humane societies to have more space to care for more animals that are brought in on a daily basis.

Written by Becky Glass, foster parent

Adopt a Shelter Pet Today

2009-10-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

With only 10-15% of all pet owners adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue we felt like we need to increase our market share in this community by showing this commercial provided by Best Friend's Animal Society. We have many highly adoptable pets here and many arrive here because of the circumstances their owners find themselves in. They are not damaged or broken pets but wonderful caring family members who just need a second chance. Come see our long haired cats, our two friendly declawed cats; our husky, black lab, golden retriever mix, beagles and border collie mixes. You will not regret helping a pet with a second chance of happiness.

Fall Time

2009-10-19T07:22:00.001-07:00

I think fall is my favorite time of year. I love the crispness in the air. It also reminds me of when we added Bodie to our family. I fell in love (with the help of Ed and Jo Ann, LHS volunteers) at the annual Howl-o-ween pet party. My husband and I had agreed that we would adopt a small female dog. He was a little surprised when I called him with the dog of my dreams - a 60 pound male.

Bodie had been at the shelter for five months. I thought it would be hard to house train him - but it was a breeze! Crate training is very useful tool. I was able to stop using the crate after about six months. He took well to his six feline brothers and sisters. Over the past seven years he also gained a four year old human brother and three - two year old siblings.

Here is a picture of them from last night. This was right after bathtime and they were all hanging out in our bed.

Have a great week - and come in to the shelter if you are looking to add to your family! We have a big adoption event this Saturday the 24th at the shelter. Great prices, but even better animals!

Big Change Announced at the Annual Fund Kickoff Party

2009-10-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

The Lynchburg Humane Society announced last night at their annual fund kickoff party that it will undertake an aggressive goal:

By the year 2015 all saveable pets sheltered by the Lynchburg Humane Society will be given the medical and behavioral treatment they need to be placed in caring homes.

In the long-range plan there are additional main focuses and goals:

Researching to see if the community will support a new shelter with better living environments for the animals
Increasing the adoptions by 10% each year for the next five years
Increasing the redemption rate so more owners find their lost pets
Feral cat plan to reduce the population of feral and free roaming cats in our community
Targeted spay/neuter plans to reduce the numbers of cats and pit bulls in our community

“This plan is not going to be easy and will take the support of the city and its citizens,” says executive director, Makena Yarbrough. “We feel that it is no longer acceptable to euthanize healthy or treatable abandoned animals. We certainly can’t do this overnight which is why we are giving ourselves time to raise the money needed to implement this plan and provide the services required to reduce the animal over-population problem.”

Cats again...

2009-10-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

So I feel like we woke up and found ourselves once again with a facility full of cats. We had a second wave of kittens come in and at the same time we have a number of healthy cats that have been treated for URI, ready to come out for adoption. So we are having a one week only sale to see if we find new homes for the available cats. All cats- 5 months or older are 1/2 off now thru the 14th. Stop in and find a cat to snuggle with on these cool autumn nights.

Gameday!

2009-10-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

Two teams face off in what could be the most important football game of their lives. And yours. Each animal that gets adopted, is a score for their team. Special pricing on team members help make the process easier.

Head coach for the Diamond Hill Dreamers, Charlie, a five year old chow mix told us this could be his last game. He is ready to retire to a big back yard, or country home.

Head coach for the opposing team, the Riverside Rangers, Mama-Lou, a two year old, short haired orange tabby, told us;she has been awaiting this game a long time. “Now that my kittens are weened and I am spayed, I'm free to pursue other interests, such as long naps and soothing massages.” This statement was punctuated with loud purring.

Duke, center for the dreamers, a one year old Rottweiler mix, put it this way.” I mean, you know, this game means everything to us, but you know, the real winners are the great folks that allow us to share their lives.” Colleen, a one and a half year old Short haired gray tabby, playing defensive end for the Rangers added “we are all playing for keeps.

The shelter is o.k for a short time, but we want real homes with people to love us.”

For more information on this grid iron match up, call 434-846-1438. You may view our team members on our website;www.lynchburghumanesociety.org. We are open Monday through Saturday, noon to five. The Lynchburg Humane Society is located on Naval Reserve Rd., behind the city stadium.

Written by Lori Cline.

And baby makes four

2009-10-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

We have recently had a number of calls about people who are wanting to bring us the dog or cat they own because they are pregnant or just had a baby so I thought I would post up my personal story in hopes of helping others. Note: I promise that not all my posts will have Sam in them, I know I am beginning to sound like a stage mom.

3 years ago my son Sam was born. At the time our home already included Parker, our Border Collie. I know that the books tell you to “prepare the dog or cat” with sounds of baby cries, baby-like dolls and articles of clothing and blankets from the hospital. We were concerned about how Parker would interact with the baby, especially when Sam began to grab at things. So, before Sam was born, I decided to take Parker through basic obedience class so that I knew he would listen to me if I needed him to do something like “drop it,” “go lay down” or “move away from the baby.” The only other thing we did was bring home a blanket from the hospital – but honestly, the dog couldn’t care less and it really didn’t make much of a difference.

Once the baby came home, we made sure Parker smelled him, and we would pet Parker, interacting with him in a very positive way when the baby was around. I wanted to make sure Parker had a positive association with the baby. We had no problems with managing the two, but I will prepare all those pregnant mothers out there – the dog will lack attention sometimes because you are so tired and fatigued, but this is only temporary. Do not make any re-homing moves because you feel the pet isn’t receiving enough attention in the early months. I promise this is short lived. We would put Parker outside to go to the bathroom and many a night forgot him and went up to bed only to have to get up in a moment of panic because we remembered he was still outside. I can’t count the number of times I said, “Where is Parker? Is he inside or out?”

When Sam hit 11 months old he became very mobile, and we used baby gates to keep Parker and Sam separated unless we are able to monitor the interactions. Sam quickly learned not to hit or grab Parker because we stopped him when he tried. Parker grew to love licking Sam’s face to hear him giggle, which is the best sound in the world. One of Sam’s first words was DAW (dog), which I might add was before Mama, and the two are living very happily together now that he is 3. Sam feeds Parker, gives him treats and has told him, NO many a time when he is trying to take food from his hand. We are still very careful to monitor them when they are together, especially when Parker is eating food or a treat. And now there are times when I separate Parker from Sam because I can see Parker getting tired of Sam trying to “chase” him. It wasn’t always easy but honestly, my dog is another child to me and I would never want to raise Sam without a pet in the household.

Blessing of the Animals at Old City Cemetery

2009-09-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

I attended the Blessing of the Animals ceremony last year and was absolutely charmed! Old City Cemetery is such a beautiful, peaceful place that being at the service, and watching all the animals and animal lovers interact was a delight! The fact that the organization chose to include the Lynchburg Humane Society in the celebration and give us a chance to bring adoptable animals made it even more meaningful.

Join us this year:
Sunday, October 4th, at 3:00, the Old City Cemetery will join with the Lynchburg Area Episcopal clergy to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi with the Blessing of the Animals.
Bring your favorite creature (in pet carriers or on a leash, please) or picture of your pet and join us to have your animal friend blessed in the spirit of this patron saint. All animals welcome!

Bring food or money donations for the Lynchburg Humane Society who will have animals available for adoption.

Fostering Attila

2009-09-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

I've had a fostering experience, too, Makena. I brought the tiny little tortie kitty home with the idea that I would keep her until she weighed enough to be spayed. Then I would give her back to the shelter. She seemed so small and helpless....
Ha! Small, yes; but helpless? Oh, no! I quickly learned that Attila the Hunny (the name just came to me) had her own plan. She promptly took over the house, chewed and climbed the plants, chased Oso, the 65 pound dog upstairs and down, put JuJu and Zoe, the adult cats, on notice that big exercise was now in order.
In Attila's tiny terrorist mind, anything that moves deserves to be chased, chewed, climbed or swatted. She loves to assume grizzly bear stance and swat at the dog. When he retreats in confusion, she bats at his tail. Oso looks at me as if to say, "Can't you control this little bully?"
But even as she wreaks havoc, Attila purrs happily. She collapses for reviving naps and snuggles between attacks.
The truly amazing thing is that we all adore the little monster. The adult cats play happily with her and the dog wags his tail when she touches noses with him. I laugh at her antics until my sides ache.
Give her back? No way. I've adopted our little foster, how could I not!

My Foster Cat

2009-09-25T15:19:00.001-07:00

I wanted to write a brief little story about my foster cat, currently named Thelma (my 3 year old likes to change his mind often on her name). Thelma came into the humane society about 6 weeks ago very very thin and honestly, she appeared lifeless. I decided to put her in my office while I was there to see just how bad she was. She was barely able to walk and would lay around most of the day. Thankfully she was eating and drinking water so I knew she had a chance. The interesting things about Thelma is that she never made a sound, or asked for attention, boss me around; basically she did not act like a cat, she was just there. Then one day after rubbing her on her chin, she reached out with her paw and tried to touch my hand like, please do that again. Thelma was still very thin at that point so I decided to take her home to be fostered.

Interesting note to some, my husband used to be highly allergic to cats but we have found that over the years the more he is exposed to cats the less they affect him. So I figured having Sam exposed to cats at his age might help in keeping him from developing animal allergies later on.

So now Thelma has gained some weight, meows frequently for us, purrs like a Pontiac, seeks attention and kneads on us; she has become like a member of the family. She and Sam have developed a wonderful friendship and my husband calls her our second dog.

Fostering is a wonderful experience for the entire family. I know we have been talking a lot about this program, that is because it truly saves lives and it really gives so many fulfilling moments for those who take in an animal in need. I have fostered many many animals over the years and each one has a special place in my heart. It doesn't take much time but you receive so much more in return.

Foster's Needed

2009-09-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

We are looking for some great individuals to help us with the overflow of kittens we have right now. We are experiencing the second wave of kitten season and we would like to get the kittens out in homes where they can stay healthy while they grow old enough to be spay/neutered and adopted out.