No Kill Shelter Possible in Lynchburg

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.