Lynchburg Humane Society Blog

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. E

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 o