Lucas was a beautiful and curious Springer Spaniel puppy when he and his best buddy Guinness ventured across the partially frozen Lake Montclair and fell through the ice. Guinness, a Labrador puppy, was stronger and able to tread water until a neighbor risked his own life to save him. The loss of Lucas was devastating and we struggled for a long time with what the reason could be and what we could do to make something good out of this senseless tragedy.
We are animal lovers who believe that every life is precious and deserves a loving home, so we started volunteering with different rescue and humane groups. During that time, we were shocked to learn the astronomical number of animals that go through the Prince William County Animal Shelter yearly (approx. 8,000 in 2005) and even worse, more than 50% of those were unnecessarily euthanized. We knew we had to do something to change this deplorable situation. Through research and information provided by the shelter and the PWSPCA, we discovered that neighboring counties' statistics are considerably lower as a result of successful spay and neuter programs and no kill shelters. As such, LUCAS was formed and we decided to focus our efforts on raising funds through special events and contributions to meet our goal of ending the needless loss of life of both healthy and treatable homeless animals.
We are not a rescue organization, nor do we have a shelter or a foster program. We are however familiar with several such groups and organizations and links to their web sites will be posted under "Links". We promote a happy and healthy relationship between companion animals and their owners and in so doing this site will post various items of interest, newsletters and links under "Articles". We will also be extending an invitation to our furry friends to join in the fun at our various fund raising events.
2 unaltered cats and all their offspring can produce 420,000 cats in just 7 years.
2 unaltered dogs and all their offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in just 6 years.
Everyday 10,000 humans and 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in the United States. As long as these rates continue, there could never be enough homes for all of the animals. As a result, 6 - 8 million cats and dogs enter animal shelters every year and of those, 3 – 4 million are put to death. 71% of cats and 56% of dogs never make it out of the shelter.
The Prince William County Animal Shelter received over 7,500 cats and dogs in 2004, of which over 3,700 of them were euthanized simply because no one adopted them. Cost to taxpayers; $1.4 million. For every dollar invested in municipally operated spay/neuter clinics; taxpayers would save $18.72 in future animal control costs over a ten-year period.
"No other disease or condition of companion animals takes as many lives as euthanasia. In fact, no other disease comes close." Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhD, Cornell University
If they were never born, they would never be unwanted, becoming homeless, ending up in shelters, longing for a loving home and trying to outlive the executioner. Just imagine the countless lives that would be saved.
Permanent sterilization is the most effective method of preventing unwanted births.
Spay/neuter laws – At least 30 states have passed legislation requiring sterilization of cats and dogs adopted from community shelters. Many state laws charge a substantial financial penalty to those who do not comply.
Only 30 years ago, about 17 million cats and dogs were killed in the course of a single year and today that number has been reduced approximately 80%.
Affordable sterilization programs – Many communities provide reduced rate spay & neuter services as an incentive for low income guardians.
Education and outreach programs – Humane organizations and animal protection groups raise public awareness of overpopulation through education and outreach campaigns that promote spaying and neutering and encourage people to adopt animals instead of buying them.
Despite being the 7th most affluent county in the country, Prince William County falls well below the standards of proper animal welfare and is not considered to be pet-friendly. Besides euthanizing over 50% of adoptable animals at the shelter, the County has no low cost spay/neuter options for residents, no humane education programs and no dog friendly parks or venues.
Obviously, financing Spay/Neuter Clinics and supporting No Kill shelters is not an inexpensive endeavor. Still, numerous programs in locations throughout the U.S. have successfully subsidized these costs for those residents who qualify financially. Thanks to private and government grants, generous bequests from the estates of animal lovers, affinity programs with businesses, and generous donations from the general public funding for the necessary sterilization procedures and establishment of No Kill shelters has become a reality.
Local veterinarians have given generously of their time, advice and skills both in the form of free and reduced fee services. Countless volunteers have worked tirelessly to provide assistance with fund raising events and campaigns, spay and neuter clinics, educating the public and providing love and compassion to those pets that are lucky enough to outlive the needle.
- Donate! Financial assistance is always needed and appreciated.
- Help stop the over-population problem in Prince William County by helping us establish Low and No Cost Programs and a No Kill Safe Sanctuary where these precious beings have a real chance at life and love.
- Please spay and neuter your pets to reduce overpopulation, urge others to do the same.
- Never buy a dog or cat from a puppy mill, backyard breeder or pet store: instead, save a life by adopting a homeless animal from your local shelter or rescue organization.
- Volunteer with an animal welfare organization in our community.
We are always looking for corporate sponsors who are community minded and concerned about animal welfare to contribute to and or assist in our endeavors. We appreciate any financial support, influential support with county officials and other business owners, donations of property, supplies, labor, celebrity, etc. to assist in this worthy cause.
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