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2018 Year In Review

The Lynchburg Humane Society had an action-packed 2018. It was a record year for pets coming into our Center, adoptions, fostering, and saving pets from at-risk shelters.  As an organization we saved
6,973 pets!

We helped 761 pets in at-risk shelters who faced euthanasia if we didn’t intervene and bring them to our Center. This included many orphaned and newborn pets, pregnant and nursing moms and pets who needed medical treatment. We gave these pets a chance at life and finding a home. 

We had many adventures, some were heartbreaking, but all were life-saving and worth every moment to give so many pets a chance at wonderful, loving lives. 

  • Our team saved pets from Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, working around the clock, driving hours to the flooding shelters and bringing 30 pets back to the safety of our Center.  
  • We were called upon by the state to help make room at a shelter in the eastern part of Virginia  as they were dealing with a large hoarding case coming into their shelter.  
  • Lynchburg Animal Control and our staff teamed up to help 26 dogs living in poor conditions who are now receiving care in our Center.
  • We opened our doors to the Best Friends Animal Society to house 30+ dogs overnight so the pets and staff could rest along their journey to New York from Texas. 
  • We watched Barney, a dog that had been in our care for more than 800 days find happiness with his new family.
  • And of course, watching 3,188 pets find new, loving homes! 

The rescue mission to the flooded shelters of North Carolina from Hurricane Florence brought two heartwarming stories and reminded us of the importance of doing the right thing:

  • Our littlest survivor, Shelby, was rescued outside the flooded shelter. She was soaking wet, covered in feces and crying for help. Our staff took action and immediately gave her a bath, cleaned her up and got her warm. Shelby received the medical care at our Center that she needed to survive.  She is now spoiled in a loving home.
  • After Panzer was rescued from the hurricane and safe at our Center, our medical team evaluated him and he tested positive for heartworm disease. Panzer was very ill, urinating blood and coughing from the heartworms. This was one of the worst cases of heartworms our veterinarians had seen and they weren’t sure if Panzer was going to survive. After intense treatment, Panzer was just recently given a clean bill of health and has already found his new family.

This year was also about helping many pets with serious medical issues, including Sir Thomas Wyatt and Daisy:

  • Sir Thomas Wyatt was hit by a car in Lynchburg, which resulted in a broken jaw and severe injury to both eyes. A local vet tech suggested he come to our Center because she knew if he had a chance to beat this, it would be with us. A chance is exactly what Thomas received. Both of his eyes had to be removed and his jaw had to be wired. But none of that stopped Thomas from being the most loving cat we have ever seen. He is now fully healed and living his best life in a loving home.  
  • Daisy, a sweet beagle mix, had miscarried late in her pregnancy and was having serious, life-threatening complications.  Daisy would not have survived had she not found her way to us and our medical team who worked tirelessly to save her life.  Daisy is now loving life in her new home.  

The work and the lives we saved in 2018 would not have been possible without our wonderful community support.  Thank you for always being there for the pets.  Here’s to another life-saving year in 2019!

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