Pets4Life S/N Voucher Program helps ‘Babybug’

Pets4Life partners with Louisville Metro Animal Services to provide spay/neuter surgeries and other vet services for pet owners who cannot afford these services. This program is made possible by donations and also partly through a grant from Best Friends. One of recipients of this program is a little cutie named Babybug. Below is the story of Babybug as told by her owner:

Babybug came into my life in June 2021 via an app called Nextdoor where I had posted how heartbroken I was over the loss of my Pomeranian, Preston 10 months earlier and stated I was looking for a new furbaby to bring into my life. A lady named Sally saw my post and it just touched her heart. She had a situation where she was a caregiver to an elderly woman with dementia who was the owner of Babybug. This elderly lady was mistreating Babybug by choking her with her collar, slapping her, kicking her and throwing heavy objects at her when she thought Sally wasn’t looking. She would prop open the front door and let her run the neighborhood and Sally would have to go chase her down or drive around to find her. Anyway Sally contacted me and asked if I would want to take Babybug because she couldn’t stand by and let this abuse continue. I told her ‘yes’.

We met and Ladybug took right to me and jumped into my arms like we were meant to be together. I took her home that day along with her 5 toys. She loves her toys. My husband absolutely DID NOT want another dog at the time and was mad at 1st when I brought her home but when he heard her story and how and why I rescued her he got to be ok with it. Babybug won him over within the week. It’s like she knew she had a job to do to win him over. She would jump up in his lap and nuzzle her head into his arms and he’s the only one she’ll play toys with (not Mama lol). She is a high risk runner. If she gets half a chance to get out she will run away. Our backyard is secured like Ft. Knox. She loves her brother, Eli a 16-yr-old Pomeranian (but he just tolerates her). She loves being outside, loves chasing squirrels and rabbits. She likes to lay on the deck and sunbathe. She loves sitting on front deck and likes to bark at anything and everything that walks by. When I got her she hadn’t been spayed or microchipped and that’s where Pets4Life came to the rescue.

Due to Covid I wasn’t able to work so I needed help to cover Babybug‘s spay surgery and vet services. When I got Babybug, she was 2 years behind in shots and had not been properly cared for. I definitely wanted her microchipped just in case she did ever get out and got lost and I didn’t want to deal with her going into heat.

She is now living her best life. She is spoiled. She is always decked out in cute little dresses and she has a pink collar with bling bling  rhinestones on it and a pink harness with ruffles all around it, very girly and fancy. She sleeps in bed with me and sleeps up against me and cuddles with me every night and smothers me with kisses day and night. She is a lap dog, very loving and affectionate. She has definitely won her daddy over. She loves it when my 2 grand-daughters come over for a visit. They love her and give her so much love and attention. She knows how to give  a “high 5”. I bought her a doggy bed but she will only use it if it’s up on the couch. I have to keep the curtains pulled open on the front windows so she can see out while she’s up on the sofa and I have to keep the front door open so she can see out the storm door. She adjusted to us and our home within 4-5 days. She’s a very picky eater and prefers to be hand fed like my older dog is fed.  She had never been to the groomers before. I take her about every 6 weeks and she tolerates it well and struts around when she gets home as if to say “Look how pretty I look Mama”. Well that is Babybug‘s story. Thanks to Pets4Life and LMAS for helping us out. It means the world to me and I can relax knowing if she were to ever get lost that she is microchipped. Babybug thanks you too with a tail wag and a kiss!(Note: Some names have been changed for privacy)

Club K9 Dog Park Bar Community Day

Pets4Life was the proud featured non-profit of Club K9’s Community Pet Day. We set-up a table and offered microchips and nail trims to those that made donations. In addition, Club K9 had a small raffle to collect donations.

Here are some photos from the event:

Thank you to all the volunteers that helped at our table! Thanks to Denna Bowman, Amy Smalley, Alissa Pemberton, Jenn Hammond, Betsy Foster and Len Foster, and Karen Mujica. And thank you to the Club K9 folks (Marilyn Parker and Lauren Parker) for inviting Pets4Life to participate!

‘Vegas’ the dog, helped though S/N Voucher Program

Pets4Life is honored to partner with Louisville Metro Animal Services to provide spay/neuter surgeries and other services through a voucher program made possible by a grant from Best Friends. LMAS provides the vet services including surgery and microchip and Pets4Life covers the vaccines and dewormer. One of many recipients of these valuable vouchers was this little cutie, Vegas.

Vegas received a voucher from Pets4Life from their Spay/Neuter Voucher program with LMAS. The owner made an appointment, then Vegas received vaccines, microchip, nail trim and surgery. The only cost to the owner was a $10 pet license. The owner said, “Pets4Life, LMAS and Best Friends are so awesome!! They helped me get my puppy all together with his shots, he’s fixed and microchipped!! He’s legal and license. I’ve never had a pet so taken care of.   We are set for life!!”

How a Birthday Fundraiser changed a pet’s life!

This is the story of Prince and how his life has been completely changed through a Facebook Fundraiser for Pets4Life. Back in July 2021 we were made aware that a Facebook fundraiser had raised $355 for Pets4Life. We wanted to put the funds to use to help a specific pet in need. So shortly after, we were notified that one of our regular clients’ pet, Prince, had become paralyzed. After being examined by one of our wonderful vets, it was determined that surgery was not an option. However the fantastic news was that Prince was not in pain. The Pets4Life Board made a decision to use Betsy’s fundraiser to help Prince by purchasing a doggie wheelchair and ‘drag-bag’ to improve Prince’s quality of life.

Watch this video below to see the exciting moment when Prince’s life was changed (Note: If you want to skip right to the action go to 3:20 seconds into the video).

As you can see, Prince wasted no time ‘adjusting’ to his new gear. Suddenly he had his freedom back and could explore, run and walk just like any other dog! This is a testament to the power of individual fundraising and the power of the Facebook fundraising platform. Many Thanks to Betsy Foster and all those individuals who made a donation!

If you would like to help a pet like Prince, please consider hosting a Facebook Fundraiser and designating Pets4Life Louisville. (Note: And please message us or email us at awclouisville@gmail.co to let us know so that we can put the funds to great use!)

Thank you to Pet Wants J-Town

Let’s give a giant THANK YOU to Pet Wants J-Town for donating dog and cat food to give away at our last wellness clinic! It’s so nice to be able to give a little something extra to the most needy pet owners in our community.

Pet Food Donation from Pet Wants

Pet Wants’ creates small-batch specially-crafted pet food made with natural ingredients and enhanced with vitamins and minerals for a complete and balanced diet in every bowl. In addition to dog and cat food, they produce healing salve, calming balm, anti-itch spray, paw wax and more. For more information, check out Pet Wants – J-town.

Thank you for your support!

Best Friends: Coco (the dog) & Luna (the cat)

Pets4Life is honored to partner with Louisville Metro Animal Services to provide spay/neuter surgeries and other services through a voucher program made possible by a grant from Best Friends. LMAS provides the vet services and surgeries and Pets4Life sponsors vaccines and dewormer.

Some of the pets that have been helped by the Best Friends grant are pet siblings, Coco and Luna.  Coco is a gray & white female pit-bull mix and Luna is a gray female kitten.  
Their owner, found Coco at a Thornton’s service station. Although she was able to track down Coco’s current owners via Facebook, it was discovered that they were fostering her, so Allison decided to adopt Coco as her own!  Later, the owner found the kitten, Luna on Facebook from a couple who could no longer care for her.  The owner said the previous living conditions were horrible and little Luna was covered in fleas!

Coco and Luna received vouchers from Pets4Life from their Spay/Neuter Voucher program with LMAS. Because of the program, both pets have been spayed/neutered and have received the needed vaccines, microchip and more! As you can see from the photos, Coco and Luna are best friends!  Luna (the cat) likes to ‘beat-up’ the doggy and it’s so funny!  Now, because of the Spay/Neuter Voucher program, Coco and Luna can live healthy and happy life! And because they’ve been microchipped, they will find their way home if they are ever lost again!

Pets4Life Louisville 2020 Year-End Summary

The year 2020 was challenging for everyone. While the total number of clinics and pets treated was impacted by to the Covid-19 Pandemic, we are proud that we modified our clinics to a drive-up ‘appointment-only’ model and continued helping pets in spite of the challenges. We held 5 pet wellness clinics and also began new partnerships with KHS and LMAS to help pet owners with Spay/Neuter. Below is a summary of services provided in 2020.

Pet Treatment Summary:

Number of Pets Treated: 174 (147 dogs & 27 cats)

Rabies Vaccines: 126

Other Vaccines: 134 (FVRCP and DAPP)

Microchips: 65

Dewormer: 104

Flea Treatments: 130

Nail Trims: 107

Demographic Analysis:

 Pets4Life has identified the following target zip codes for services: 40201, 40202, 40203, 40208, 40210, 40211, 40212, 40213, 40214, 40215, 40216, 40217, 40218, 40219 and 40258. These zip codes are within the ‘resource desert’ with little to no vet resources available in the community. Our analysis shows the break-down of pets treated in 2020 based on zip codes:

Within Target Zip Codes Other Jefferson Co Zip CodesOutside Jefferson Co
72%21%28%
2020 zip code break-down

In addition, our goal is to help people living in underserved communities who cannot afford veterinary care for their pets. A large percentage of our vet services were provide to households living below Federal poverty guidelines:

82% of services went to households with incomes less than $25,000 per year

18% of services went to households with incomes between $25,000 – $50,000 per year

Pets4Life Appointment Requests

Due to overwhelming demand and a backlog due to the Covid pandemic, we have a long waiting list for appointments. If your pet needs vet care before spring or summer of 2021, please contact one of organizations on our Pet Resources Page.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OUR NEW APPOINTMENT REQUEST PAGE

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT AGGRESSIVE PETS: We are a volunteer organization and we are not equipped to deal with aggressive pets. Any dog that has ever exhibited aggressive behavior must be properly restrained and wearing a properly fitted muzzle upon arriving at the clinic. Note: We have muzzles that can be borrowed, but owner must be able to place on and off their pet.

If you’re pet has NOT BEEN Spayed/Neutered Due to very limited resources, pets need to be Spayed/Neutered before requesting a Pets4Life Appointment. If your pet has not been Spayed/Neutered, please see our Pet Resources Page for options. If you are unable to get help with one of these resources, please email awclouisville@gmail.com and request assistance for Spay/Neuter.

If you’re pet has already been Spayed/Neutered and you would like to be put on the wait-list for a clinic in 2021, please complete the Appointment Form FOR EACH PET. (Note: if entering multiple pets, refresh the page after each submission for a blank form). CHECK YOUR EMAIL for notification when an appointment becomes available. Walk-ins will not be accepted. Note: If you are unable to complete this form, please call or text Pets4Life at 502-309-9303 and request help completing the form.

We will contact you (via email, phone, or text) to discuss an appointment in one of our upcoming clinics. Please DO NOT arrive at the clinic without an appointment because we can no longer accept walk-ins. Thank you for your understanding.

Pets4Life Fur-Real FUN-Raiser! (Ended)

The Mask Fundraising Campaign has ended. But donations are always needed and appreciated. If you would like to make a donation to help a needy pet, please use the donate button on the right of each page. Thank you for your support!

Did you know, there are tens of thousands of pets in our community that don’t have access to vet care? Pets4Life Louisville serves the eight Louisville zip codes that do not have ANY vet clinics by providing mobile vet services. With just a $25 donation, you can help a needy dog or cat by sponsoring their clinic fee, which includes exam, vaccines, microchip, nail trim, dewormer and more. And right now, Louisville’s hardest hit communities need help more than ever. With your help, we can provide these pets with needed veterinary care, and help reduce the number of pets that end up in our local shelters.

We are an ALL-VOLUNTEER organization, so EVERY dollar that’s donated goes directly to cover medical supplies to help pets right here in the metro Louisville area.

Group of cats and dogs

Your donation provides a wellness exam for a needy dog or cat with one of our volunteer veterinarians. The exam includes vet recommended services/treatments such as vaccines, microchip, dewormer, flea medications, nail trim and more. After making your donation, please complete this form to order your mask:

Important notes: 

These custom face masks are NOT medical grade masks (which are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an infection preventative measure, i.e. grade FFP2/N95). Please DO NOT assume these face masks will prevent infection from Coronavirus. They are more about protecting others to reduce spread

These masks are handmade-to-order so it may take several weeks to receive your mask. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at awclouisville@gmail.com

Thank you so much for your donation. You are helping people keep their Pets4Life!