The top words of 2020 are all too familiar by now: Pandemic, Lockdown, Distancing, Face Mask, Furlough, NTI, and TikToker. The year 2020 STUNK, like a big ol’ bag of dog poo (apart from the TikTok famous videos or funny Zoom meeting snafu). Did your Zoom or TEAMS meeting, like mine, include extra special guests like cats, dogs and the occasional bird? These are the times! Let’s focus on some good and how to make a difference in the lives of dogs, cats, and their owners.
While other businesses were on lockdown, Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS) was deemed an essential business. Unfortunately, animal abuse and neglect did not go away, but neither did fostering nor adoptions.
The harsh reality is that furloughs and job loss have impacted many families in our community. Adding to this immensely stressful time, imagine if you lost your pet? The thought of someone losing their fur-baby, on top of everything else, personally saddens me.
The bright spot was that in early 2020, The Good Works Program funded an emergency grant and within two months, LMAS reunited 73 pets with their owners. We call this program Return to Owner (RTO). While we are out of grant monies, we want to continue to help families in need.
The average cost to reunite a family with their pet is $215
I am asking for your help. Let’s continue to waive redemption fees and assist pet families reclaim their pets for the remainder of 2020 and the full year in 2021. A one-time donation or recurring monthly donation of any amount will go a long way to create an RTO Fund.
Let’s discover better top words for 2021 like: Reunited, Healthy and Happy! With your help, we can make that our new reality in the coming year.
You’re appreciated,
~ Friends of Metro Animal Services (FOMAS), 501(c)3, the sole fundraiser for LMAS