Lynchburg Humane Society Blog

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 yo...

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...

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. ...