Last year, after attending a national lifesaving conference we decided it was time to lead a statewide change. We put a stake in the ground; we would help lead our state to no kill status by 2020. To do this we committed to help other organizations reach a place where no healthy or treatable pet was euthanized in the state of Virginia. We began working with other localities to bring in pets in an effort to save more lives, 602 to be exact in 2016. In 2017, we have made great strides towards setting our goals in motion. We have begun managing the Appomattox Shelter and we applied for and received a very generous, multiple year grant from the Petco foundation. The Petco Foundation Lifesaving Impact award will be used to assist with low cost spay/neuter and medical services, transport assistance, training, mentoring and for us to offer consulting services to other shelters. We will create No Kill VA support services to build relationships and coordinate efforts in the state