Lynchburg Humane Society Blog

One of our organization’s core values is to set goals and then smash them when possible.  Last year we smashed all sorts of records including helping more animals than we have ever helped in over a decade. With a continued save rate of 94% and with adoptions up by 44%, we had an amazing year.  But we are not ones to stand still.   Our management team met at the beginning of January and have set up new goals for 2016.  In 2015 we: •  took in 3,286 dogs and cats which was 968 more than the year before and more than we have ever helped in a decade •  brought in 290 pets from high kill shelters in the region •  adopted out 2,467 dogs and cats which was an increase of 44% over last year •  fixed 7,035 pets at our spay/neuter clinic and fixed 1,736 feral cats • served 1,200 children with birthday parties, camps, field trips and   other educational activities •  oriented 909 volunteers •  reduced our dog length of stay from 19 days t...

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 wi...

Where there is success, there will be detractors.   There will be those who will communicate false information or want to discredit the work of others.    We know there will always be differing opinions in this field and other groups from time to time disagree with us.   We certainly have opinions as well about a few of the other Humane Societies’ policies and restrictions. We feel a few of them sometimes choose to follow classic old fears, myths and thinking. Recen tly, some of the actions by a few people in these other groups have made it difficult to ignore our differences.     We strive to be progressive, learn from studies and best practices and by doing the right thing to help the pets.   We strive to continue to learn from mistakes and grow and change to meet the needs of this community.  So while we know that others will not always agree with our progressive, life-saving style or policies, we feel it is unfortunate tha...

We have implemented a series of Core Values to help us guide our practices at the new Center for Pets.  One of our favorite is GLITTER!  People often wonder how glitter is associated with core values.  Well, glitter is extraordinary, it delights, it sparkles, it makes an impact, and it sticks around longer than intended – so we strive to glitter!   Let’s break down the elements. We feel that this community gave us an extraordinary gift by building our new facility, and our new Edythe Elizabeth Stauffer Center for Pets certainly has some sparkle to it.  It sparkles in the bright cheerful lobby, the artwork of local artists decorating our walls, the pets that are showcased in individual living rooms, some with chandeliers!  Lynchburg allowed us to be held as an example of excellence in the field of No Kill communities and we have gained national recognition as such. Glitter leaves a trail of happiness, which is reflected in our new slogan, “Find Happ...

     As some of you may know I was asked to represent Lynchburg at the Best Friends Animal Society’s National Conference this summer in Atlanta.   I spoke to a full house and was thrilled to see so many people eager to hear how we accomplished all we did here in our small city.        With most conferences, even if I am going to teach, I always learn something new.   We learned some new techniques and ideas on marketing and fundraising but the ideas and operational things we learned are where you will see the most change.        Our biggest change is with FIV cats. The new movement is to not test for FIV because the chances of spreading it to another cat is slim if they are living peacefully with other cats.   Many cats can co-habitat with one being FIV+ and the other cats will never get the virus if they live harmoniously.   The new movement at LHS is to let FIV+ cats into group rooms; as...