CHESAPEAKE, Va. — As people shelter in place during the coronavirus, some may consider bringing home a pet from an animal shelter.
“Right now, it's a really difficult time that a lot of us are going through— a lot of emotions that are going on that we're just not used to feeling. And so, our pets can really provide comfort,” says Lacy Kuller, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Humane Society.
The nonprofit has been helping homeless pets in Hampton Roads since 1972. The shelter’s adoption center is currently closed to the public amid COVID-19. But animals are still available for adoption.
“We're doing virtual meet-and-greets,” says Kuller. “So, we're jumping on Zoom videos with our adopters to do an interview with the animal to see if it's a good fit.”
The organization has made more changes in response to the pandemic— including making check-in curbside for surgical and vaccine appointments, as well as modifications to its pet food pantry to help people in need feed and keep their furry friends. “
Pretty much, if you come to us and say, 'I need help feeding my pets', no questions asked--we're gonna give you food,” says Kuller.
Your financial support goes to the shelter’s medical fund, which provides life-saving procedures for pets.
“We take in a lot of heartworm-positive dogs. We take in dogs and cats that need leg amputations or eye enucleations, which is just the removal of the eye because of an infection or injury,” says Kuller. “So, we do take on that additional medical burden quite often.”
The Chesapeake Humane Society is also in need of unopened pet food and supplies, as well as more foster homes for animals during the crisis.
“We've been incredibly fortunate that we've been able to modify our operations so that we can continue serving the community with our important services,” says Kuller.
For more information about the Chesapeake Humane Society, visit http://www.chesapeakehumane.org. You can also check out the animal shelter on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChesapeakeHumane/.
More than 200 other local nonprofits need your support as part of the Give Local 757 initiative to spark local philanthropy. By donating, you’ll help them continue to help the community recover from this crisis. Please go to https://www.givelocal757.org/.
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