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You Make Us Happy!



This is the perfect time to reflect on last year’s view of animal welfare in our community.  We don’t have final 2015 statistics yet with only a week left we have brought in 3,273 pets which is 946 more than last year and we have adopted out 2,419 which is 727 more adoptions with a save rate of over 93%. 

We have had over 1,200 children take part in birthday parties, summer camps and educational programs thanks in part to the Grainger Foundation. We oriented 888 volunteers this year and have on average about 250 volunteering on a regular basis!   

We have had Terry Volkswagen Subaru sponsor our adoptions for two months and had other businesses such as Flat Creek Pet Care, Learn Play Stay Doggie resort, Crouch Insurance Group, Domino’s Pizza, Fur Kidz sponsor the care for the pets and adoption fees. Our local business engagement with our operations have increased tenfold through sponsorships, volunteerism and endorsement, we couldn’t have done it without them.  

Our spay/neuter clinic did more surgeries in one month, 780, than in their history of operating and helping with the over- population problem.  We have spay/neutered over 3,455 cats for free in our city cat fix.  We have added a second vet and begun wellness for those who can’t afford the vet and in the next month every animal adopted from us will be getting microchipped.

But those are just stats.  This community has really had a huge impact on so many individual lives.  Kersey for instance came in as one of the worst cases we had seen in a long time. He was a beautiful pure-bred collie and had been living alone in the woods for quite some time. Our local police were able to catch him and bring him in where we could treat his severe starvation and get him on the road to wellness. Loving fosters made sure he had a place to feel safe and the community helped with medication and treatment. Kersey is now living in a home with dedicated adopters that are able to spend a lot of time at home and give Kersey the love he so deserves.

Dazzle, a wonderful Jack Russel, came in from Buckingham County Shelter
because they were full and needed help.  Dazzle was limping when he arrived and further examination by Dr. Al Henry from Peaks View found that he unfortunately had a chronic ruptured Achilles tendon and grade 4 luxated patella which meant he had to lose the leg.  Thanks to the generosity of Peaks View Animal Hospital he had surgery and he was able to find a great loving home.  We have been able to help 279 pets from other counties this year just like Dazzle who might not have made it out with their lives.

We have helped so many more pets this year, something we didn’t forecast.  Because of this we have seen more medical cases and in just 5 months we have already spent our entire budget for medical supplies.  Just antibiotics cost us between $1,500-$2,000 a month and vaccines cost between $2,000-$3,000 a month.  We have been able to help all of these pets because of this community’s support and we know we are going to be able to help many more because of you. 

We are now being seen as a Center, not just for pets but for people too.  From our First Friday Gallery showings with many popular artists, to our movie night, speed dating, our reading wagon for kids to having many clubs and business groups use us as a meeting venue. We have even opened up the adoption center for a private party. 

We have begun to look to the future now as well. We are in the final processes of getting property re-zoned and purchased from the very generous Schenkel family.  We go in front of City Council on the 12th of January.  This property will allow us to grow even further the amazing programs that go to benefit everyone in Lynchburg and hopefully bring our spay/neuter and medical services to the city.  

This is one very very amazingly, generous and loving community.  We love to see all the wonderful people coming in to our new center each day.  We even had Leland Melvin come and tour and that made us feel out of this world excited about how much has changed in just this year alone.  We have said goodbye to our old building and old mind set and we are focused on changing the world of animal welfare not just here but in our entire region, the state and why stop there?

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