Lynchburg Humane Society Blog

What to do when you lose your pet? It is unfortunate, but most people don’t start by calling their local animal shelters to see if their pet has shown up there and to place a lost pet report. Only 1 percent of the stray cats we take in go back to their owner — last year that was only eight cats. Our dog rate is much better and is currently around 45 percent. But you wouldn’t believe how many purebred dogs and cats come in here with no one calling about them. By law, we have to hold a stray animal without a collar five days, but we typically hold them for seven; with a collar, it is 10 days, but we usually hold them for 12. We try to give owners ample time to find their pet and are always disappointed when they don’t come. There are several measures that can be used in order to find your pet more quickly. Tags are important because if an animal control officer or a private citizen finds your pet they can contact you directly and the pet never has to come to a shelter. Mic...

I was recently watching one of my son's cartoon shows with him this weekend and they had an animal control officer playing the bad guy, trying to catch a dog that was running lost. And it struck me that many shows portray this job in a negative light. So I thought it was time to talk about all the good that Animal Control Officers do to help the animals in our community. Yes, the owners of the dogs running lost may not appreciate getting tickets or having their dog picked up. But, the alternative is that their dog gets injured and they have major medical costs involved. And when there are injured lost dogs or cats they make sure they get the medical care they need to stay alive. Animal control officers keep animals safe. They also investigate cases of neglect and abuse. Just the other day they had a dog that was discovered with a large logging chain embedded in his neck. The wound was very deep and appeared to be months old. They charged the owner with cruelty and took the ...

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...

Even in light of all we have done to communicate our success we still hear this question. The Lynchburg Humane Society does not have a time limit on the animals we have up for adoption. If the animal continues to thrive and doesn't deteriorate behaviorally or to a medical condition we can't deal with then we continue to hold them until they find homes. Where the time limit comes in is if we have a stray animal we have to hold them for a state required limit of time before we can adopt them. With stray animals that come in without a collar we hold them for 7 days and with a collar we hold them for 12 days. The other question we get a lot is what is the age limit that we place up for adoption? How old is too old. Honestly, we don't care how old they are if again they are medically and behaviorally sound. We have had a 11 year old beagle, a couple of 10 year old large black labs and many senior cats that have all found homes. This community is great about helping those in...

Pet Care in Warm Weather The warm weather is upon us and with it comes the need for increased vigilance in the care of our pets. Our faithful friends have a much harder time cooling their bodies during times of high heat and humidity and are highly susceptible to heat stroke. Heat stroke can be fatal for pets just like humans; hence it is imperative that we provide the following to keep them safe and comfortable. Fresh, clean, cool water: A basic need at all times, water becomes even more important during hot weather. Offer your pet several watering stations so that water is always nearby. If you like “high tech” items, automatic watering systems that connect directly to a garden hose or stand-alone watering stations that circulate water through a filter are available from pet catalogs. For those of us who are more “old fashioned,” stainless steel buckets and bowls work just fine. Regardless of the method used, ensure that the system is clean and sanitary. During times of extreme h...

Duke’s Better Life By Nina Caldwell Age 10 Duke was a dog In pitiful condition Tried to smile Nobody even looked One mistake Cute dogs on both sides Beat up, rough breed Tender sweet heart Nobody noticed Until one day One rainy day They came Two people That loved him as their own One even cried He knew they love HIM Now the cute dogs Were passed by That pitiful, beat up Duke was finally loved To Duke, this is him, This is how I first saw him. *Duke was adopted on Sunday, May 23rd. Duke suffered multiple wounds from being attacked by another dog. Animal control brought him in after having been to the vet for treatment. He is a wonderful, friendly and handsome boy.