Author: Senior Manager of Operations, Amber Cabell

Saving pets at-risk of euthanasia

Did you know in 2022, LHS transferred 783 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens into our care that were at risk of euthanasia at other shelters? That’s 783 pets that were not euthanized for space or length of stay because of LHS’s transport program and were given a second chance to find happiness. There are many reasons why these pets may have been at risk; they may have been sick or injured and their originating shelter did not have the resources to provide medical care, they may have been too young for adoption and the originating shelter did not have any fosters for them to go to or adequate resources to care for them, or they may simply have been unlucky enough to end up in a shelter that is forced to euthanize for space because their community is unable to provide the resources they need to care for the number of pets they bring into the shelter’s care.

But there is one thing that every one of these 783 pets had in common. They all deserved to find happiness.

How to shelter transport programs work?

Everyday there are a myriad of shelters and volunteers organizing transports all over the country to bring pets from at-risk shelters to safety.  A smooth transport is no easy feat and requires the collaboration and cooperation of both the originating and destination shelters. Through each shelter’s point of contact, transfer paperwork is prepared and volunteers are secured to drive the pets from one location to the next. During this time, our pet care staff is working hard to prepare space for our new additions and setting them up with comfy blankets, fun toys, and tasty treats to celebrate their arrival. Once the pets arrive at LHS, our medical staff performs exams to ensure everyone is safe and sound, administers vaccines, and places them into their new, temporary suite and our adoptions team gets to work finding their new homes.

How to help shelter pets at-risk of euthanasia  

We are very fortunate to be part of a community that makes this level of lifesaving possible and allows us to help pets both inside and outside of our city. Through fostering, adopting, volunteering, and donating, we are able to continue to save at-risk pets, provide them with the care they require and unite them with the homes they deserve. For information on how you can help save lives, visit the Get Involved tab on our website https://lynchburghumane.org/