Category: Blog

In 2022, as the COVID pandemic slowed and the community gradually returned to normal, Pets4Life Louisville was able to increase the number of events and community services back to pre-pandemic levels! While many small nonprofits didn’t survive the pandemic, Pets4life persevered during hard times through the dedicated work of the board members, vets, vet techs and volunteers. In 2022, we were able to grow the number of pets helped by 20% over the numbers from 2021.

We want to thank the following organizations for partnering with Pets4Life Louisville and supporting our mission: The Table, Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Louisville Metro Animal Shelter (LMAS), My Dog Eats First (MDEF) and Central High School’s Vet Science Program.

We are very grateful to the following groups for contributing to our mission through grants and financial support: Banfield Foundation, Frazier Joy Family Foundation, Crutcher Family Foundation, Jarboe’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, Best Friends, The Kron family, and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

2022 Highlights:

PET WELLNESS CLINICS: Partnering with ‘The Table’ in the Portland area, we held six pet wellness clinics to offer very low cost vet exams and services to the community. In addition to providing preventative care such as vaccines, dewormer and flea medicines, we provided microchips and treated common ailments such as ear, skin and eye infections. In addition, we provided each pet with several months of flea preventative.

COMMUNITY VACCINE CLINICS: In partnership with the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, we expanded to a new location in Chickasaw Park to reach more pet owners in our target zip codes. Due to generous grants, we were able to host two community vaccine clinics offering vaccines, dewormer, microchips and flea medicine to our targeted audience for free or very low cost.

MICROCHIP CLINICS: In partnership with Central High School, Pets4Life worked with students from the school’s Magnet Vet Sciences Program to hold a ‘Home for the Holidays’ Microchip event in December. This was the 1st of many events that we hope to do in partnership with Central High School. This event was funded with a memorial gift from the Kron Family.

LMAS SPAY/NEUTER VOUCHER PROGRAM: We continued our partnership with LMAS (Louisville Metro Animal Services) which was made possible by a Best Friends grant. This program helps pet owners in our target zip codes with Spay/Neuter services to help prevent unwanted births and decrease homeless pets in our community.

DENTAL/SURGERY PROGRAM: Pets4Life Louisville continued providing dental surgeries and other minor surgeries to pets from our clinics with the most pressing needs. This work was initially funded by a grant from the AVMA (The American Veterinary Medical Association). After the AVMA grant funds were depleted, we continued this program using funds raised during last year’s Giving Tuesday campaign for special needs pets.

Pet Treatment Services Summary:

Number of Pets Treated: 330 (269 dogs & 61 cats). Note: this is a 20% increase over 2021

Rabies Vaccines: 229

Other Vaccines: 242 (FVRCP and DAPP)

Microchips: 130

Dewormer: 245

Flea Treatments (multi-month): 310

Nail Trims: 133

Spay/Neuter Vouchers Distributed: 126

Surgeries (ex. Dentals, Hernias, Mass Removal): 22

Demographic Analysis:

 Pets4Life has identified certain target zip codes for services: 40201, 40202, 40203, 40208, 40209, 40210, 40211, 40212, 40213, 40214, 40215, 40216, 40217, 40218, 40219 40258 and 40272. These zip codes are those within the ‘resource desert’ with little to no vet resources available in the community or they are in areas with high shelter intakes. Our analysis shows the break-down of pets treated in 2022 based on zip codes:

Within Target Zip Codes	Other Jefferson Co Zip Codes	Outside Jefferson Co
87%	9%	4%

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:

89% of services went to households with incomes less than $25,000 per year

9% of services went to households with incomes between $25,000 – $50,000 per year

Just 1% of services went to households with incomes over $50,000 per year

This December we are kicking-off our Angel Tree gift drive in multiple locations in Louisville. This program provides gifts to help the pets of needy families through the support of donors throughout our entire community! Items donated will be used to provide care in Pets4life clinics and some items (such as sweaters, dog beds & harnesses) will be given to pet owners with the greatest needs.

This holiday season please consider giving a gift to help the most vulnerable pets in our community. The Angel Trees are decorated with laminated tags with some of our most urgent needs to help these pets. Here are some of our most urgent Angel Tree needs:

• Walmart Gift Cards
• Amazon Gift Cards
• Flea & Tick Preventative (dogs and cats)
• Dog & Cat Treats
• Dog slip leads & muzzles
• Donations for cat & dog well check-ups

If you would like to participate by donating an angel tree item, please bring it (unwrapped) to one of our Angel Tree host locations (see list below). In addition to gifts, monetary donations will also be accepted and put to great use! Note: Because Pets4Life Louisville is an ALL-VOLUNTEER organization, 100% of donations go directly to helping pets.

Angel Tree Instructions:

1. The Angel Tree Gift Drive will take place during the month of December (the trees will be picked up up in early January)

2. Select a tag from the Angel Tree of any item you would like to donate

3. Once you’ve obtained the item, place it unwrapped under the Angel Tree. Gift cards and cash gifts can be placed in the cut-out in large box.

4. Online donations can be made using the QR code or online at our website pets4lifelou.org

5. Please place the used tag in the large box so we can use it again next year.

Thank you to our Angel Tree Hosts

This year, we are thrilled to have eleven vet clinics hosting a Pets4Life Angel Tree! We are sincerely grateful to the following vet clinics for their support of Pets4lIfe Louisville’s mission:

Springhurst Animal Hospital

St. Matthews Animal Clinic

Animal Doctors

Stoneybrook Animal Hospital

Seneca Animal Hospital

Animal Hospital of the Highlands

Gailor Animal Hospital

Doerr Animal Clinic

Shelbyville Road Veterinary Clinic

East Pointe Animal Hospital

Central High School

Partnering with MDEF to help the pets of the homeless community

Did you know that there are over 100,000 dogs and cats living in our community that don’t have access to veterinary care? And many of these pets belong to people in our homeless communities. This year, Pets4Life is partnering with My Dog Eats First (MDEF) to raise money to help these pets with basic supplies and vet care.

We will be partnering with MDEF and working with other nonprofits to go to Louisville’s homeless communities to help with pet food, warm pet clothing, flea medicines, vaccines and more! Although these pets are owned and loved, they are often suffering terribly due to hunger, cold and easily treatable conditions medical conditions such as fleas and worms.

Because we are a 100% ALL VOLUNTEER organization, 100% of the funds raised will go directly to helping these homeless pets. Funds will be used for pet food, pet clothing, vaccines, dewormer, microchips, S/N vouchers, flea medicines and more.

Make a Donation: Pets4Life & MDEF Giving Tuesday Goal: $3000

On Giving Tuesday, November 29^th, we would like to ask if you can make a donation (small or large) to help us with vet care in Louisville’s homeless community. Our goal is to raise $2000 so that we can help the most vulnerable dogs and cats in our community who are suffering and are in pain. Scan/Photograph this image to make a donation:

Would you be able to make a donation to help reduce animal suffering and help people keep their Pets4Life? Please give to Pets4Life Louisville today or on November 30, Giving Tuesday.

Other ways to help Pets4Life & MDEF with Giving Tuesday

Set-up a Facebook Fundraiser:

1. Set your Fundraising Goal
2. Set your end date
3. Feel free to personalize the title/description of your fundraiser
4. Press ‘Create’ and get started on your challenge

Follow this link to create a Facebook Fundraiser for Pets4Life Louisville

Buy From Amazon Wishlist:

Amazon: Who doesn’t love a little on-line shopping?  Are you planning to do some Black Friday shopping? How about some Cyber Monday shopping? If you’re looking for a tangible way to make a difference in the lives needy pets, then look no further! Check out the Pets4Life Louisville’s Amazon Wish List. 

Be sure to mail it to the Pets4Life Louisville Mailing address:

Pets4Life Louisville

291 N. Hubbards Ln.
Suite 172, Box 105
Louisville, KY 40207

Use Amazon Smile:

Shopping online at Amazon on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?  Did you know that every time you shop at Amazon, you can help needy pets? Through the Amazon Smile program, all your purchases can help Pets4Life at NO ADDITIONAL COST to you!

To participate, simply navigate to smile.amazon.com and look in the upper left corner. Search and select ‘Pets4Life Louisville‘. Each time you make a purchase, navigate to ‘smile.amazon.com’ before checkout (all your account information will remain the same). For each purchase, Amazon will make a small donation to Pets4Life Louisville.

Share on Social Media:

Follow and participate on our main Facebook Page, Pets4Life Louisville . To help us during Giving Tuesday, please consider sharing the content and posts on your newsfeed, or sharing in Facebook Messenger with your friends who love animals. These acts will help us expand our reach to more people who need our services, as well as people who may want to support our mission to help needy pets in Metro Louisville.

Pets4Life Louisville is a 501(C)3 nonprofit. We have received the GuideStar Bronze Seal of Transparency. And because we are an all-volunteer organization, 100% of your donation goes toward helping animals!

Pets4Life was thrilled to partner with 3rd Turn Brewing and Titos at their Pet Costume Contest just in time for Halloween! Although it was a rainy October afternoon, the vibe was warm and cozy inside 3rd Turn Brewing. Thank you to Jason for inviting Pets4Life to be a part of it! And thank you to everyone that made a donation in support of our mission!

Here are some photos from the event:

Thank you to all the volunteers that helped at our table! Thanks to Melissa Kron, Dr. Keehner and Karen Mujica. And especially thank you to the 3rd Turn Brewing and Titos!

We received a WONDERFUL gift from Jarboe’s Plumbing, Heating & Cooling for $1500.00! They presented the oversized check to our vet Dr. Lisa Keehner and several volunteer vet techs from Springhurst Animal Hospital. Thank you to EVERYONE that participated in our January Fundraisers during the matching campaign. Your generosity will help many needy pets!

Here are some photos from the event:

We are so appreciative of all the support that we get from the Louisville Business community! Together we can make Louisville better for pets in need (and their owners)!

More pets helped with the AMVA Grant

Pets4Life Louisville continued to put the AVMA COVID Relief/Domestic Abuse Grant funds to good use by helping pets in need of dental surgeries and extractions. Pets4Life partnered with Springhurst Animal Shelter to help reduce suffering due to pet dental disease. Severe dental disease is one of the most common issues that we see in our pet wellness clinics. Treatment requires anesthesia and dental surgery. Below is another update on some of the pets that have been helped with this grant:

Pets4Life Louisville is a 501(C)3 nonprofit. We have received the GuideStar Bronze Seal of Transparency. All donations are tax deductible.

During 2021 we continued with our appointment-only drive up clinics as the Covid-19 Pandemic continued. We continued with our pet wellness clinics located at ‘The Table’ in Portland and even though the challenges continued, we increased the number of pets we helped compared to 2020. Here are the highlights of 2021:

The big news from 2021 was being a recipient of a $10,000 Community Care grant from Banfield Foundation. This grant helped us to help more pets in our target zip codes (zip codes that do not have vet clinics). Due to this grant, we were able to expand into a new location and offer a free vaccine clinic in the West End of Louisville. This grant also allowed us to give out more flea medicines (up to 6 months of treatment) to each pet that attended a clinic.

We continued our partnership with LMAS (Louisville Metro Animal Services) made possible by a Best Friends grant. This program helps pet owners in our target zip codes with Spay/Neuter services to help prevent unwanted births and decrease homeless pets.

Pets4Life Louisville also received a $5000 grant from the AVMA (The American Veterinary Medical Association) COVID Relief/Domestic Abuse Grant.  Pets4Life used the grant funds to provide dental surgeries and extractions to pets with severe dental disease that attend our clinics.

Pet Treatment Services Summary:

Number of Pets Treated: 256 (215 dogs & 41 cats)

Rabies Vaccines: 198

Other Vaccines: 220 (FVRCP and DAPP)

Microchips: 116

Dewormer: 171

Flea Treatments (multi-month): 214

Nail Trims: 114

Spay/Neuter Vouchers Distributed: 117

Dental Surgeries Performed: 13

Demographic Analysis:

 Pets4Life has identified the following target zip codes for services: 40201, 40202, 40203, 40208, 40209, 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 2021 based on zip codes:

Within Target Zip Codes	Other Jefferson Co Zip Codes	Outside Jefferson Co
76%	12%	12%

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:

81% of services went to households with incomes less than $25,000 per year

16% of services went to households with incomes between $25,000 – $50,000 per year

Announcing Grant from the American Veterinary Medical Association

Pets4Life Louisville is thrilled to be a recipient of a $5000 grant from the AVMA COVID Relief/Domestic Abuse Grant. The AVMA (The American Veterinary Medical Association) was founded in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 97,000 veterinarians in the USA. Pets4Life applied for help and was awarded $5000 to help pets in need of medical care. Pets4Life has put these funds to work to help reduce suffering due to pet dental disease. Severe dental disease is one of the most common issues that we see in our pet wellness clinics. Treatment requires anesthesia and dental surgery. Below is an update on some of the pets that have been helped so far with this grant:

Pets4Life Louisville is a 501(C)3 nonprofit. We have received the GuideStar Bronze Seal of Transparency. All donations are tax deductible.

Would you like to purchase a gift for a pet in need? Due to the continued Covid pandemic, we are unable to hold our annual Holiday Tree gift drive at local veterinary clinics. Instead, we are holding a virtual Holiday Gift Drive using an Amazon Wish List. The gifts on our list will help pets stay warm, safe and happy, during the holidays and beyond! They will be distributed to pet owners living in our target zip codes, the underserved communities of Louisville.

This is ‘Charlie’, a 17-year old senior Labrador retriever that attended our November Pets4Life Wellness Clinic at ‘The Table’. Charlie was a staff favorite and he looked adorable modeling a Santa Hat from our gift table! Charlie was one of many pets that received donated gifts from Pets4Life. We gave away pet food, pet beds, leashes, harnesses, collars, raincoats, toys and more. Recipients were thrilled to receive these extra little pet gifts, right in time for the holidays!

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If you would like to help Pets4Life Louisville by purchasing an item for a pet in need, please check out the Pets4LIfe Amazon Wishlist. Items can be sent to our mailing address:

Pets4Life Louisville

291 N. Hubbards Ln.
Suite 172, Box 105
Louisville, KY 40207

Phone: 502-309-9303

Email: AWCLouisville@gmail.com

We need your help on Giving Tuesday – the day of giving for nonprofits

Did you know that there are over 100,000 dogs and cats living in our community that don’t have access to veterinary care? The mission of Pets4Life is to help these overlooked pets with basic wellness and help with easily treatable conditions such as fleas and worms. However, we often see pets that are suffering terribly from conditions that require a bit more help.  

These special needs pets may have a range of physical disabilities and/or chronic medical conditions. Many are seniors that have chronic illnesses such as diabetes, COPD, persistent allergies, and severe dental disease. Most of these pets have suffered for years without proper vet care. This year’s Giving Tuesday donations will help Pets4Life Louisville go above basic wellness to help pets in our community that are suffering. Here’s an example of some of the special needs pets that we have helped:

How to help Pets4Life Louisville to help pets with special needs

Make a Donation: Pets4Life Giving Tuesday Goal: $2000

On Giving Tuesday, November 30^th, we would like to ask if you can make a donation (small or large) to help us with these special needs animals. Our goal is to raise $2000 so that we can help the most vulnerable dogs and cats in our community who are suffering and are in pain. Scan/Photograph this image to make a donation:

Here’s an example of what your Giving Tuesday donation can do:

• $10 donation: Provides a microchip to reunite a lost pet with owner
• $25 donation: Provides a wellness exam for a cat or dog
• $25-$100 donation: Provides medications for a needy pet
• $250-$500 donation: Covers a dental surgery for a dog or cat

Would you be able to make a donation to help reduce animal suffering and help people keep their Pets4Life? Please give to Pets4Life Louisville today or on November 30, Giving Tuesday.

Set-up a Facebook Fundraiser:

1. Set your Fundraising Goal
2. Set your end date
3. Feel free to personalize the title/description of your fundraiser
4. Press ‘Create’ and get started on your challenge

Follow this link to create a Facebook Fundraiser for Pets4Life Louisville

Buy From Amazon Wishlist:

Amazon: Who doesn’t love a little on-line shopping?  Are you planning to do some Black Friday shopping? How about some Cyber Monday shopping? If you’re looking for a tangible way to make a difference in the lives needy pets, then look no further! Check out the Pets4Life Louisville’s Amazon Wish List. 

Be sure to mail it to the Pets4Life Louisville Mailing address:

Pets4Life Louisville

291 N. Hubbards Ln.
Suite 172, Box 105
Louisville, KY 40207

Use Amazon Smile:

Shopping online at Amazon on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?  Did you know that every time you shop at Amazon, you can help needy pets? Through the Amazon Smile program, all your purchases can help Pets4Life at NO ADDITIONAL COST to you!

To participate, simply navigate to smile.amazon.com and look in the upper left corner. Search and select ‘Pets4Life Louisville‘. Each time you make a purchase, navigate to ‘smile.amazon.com’ before checkout (all your account information will remain the same). For each purchase, Amazon will make a small donation to Pets4Life Louisville.

Share on Social Media:

Follow and participate on our main Facebook Page, Pets4Life Louisville . To help us during Giving Tuesday, please consider sharing the content and posts on your newsfeed, or sharing in Facebook Messenger with your friends who love animals. These acts will help us expand our reach to more people who need our services, as well as people who may want to support our mission to help needy pets in Metro Louisville.

Join ‘Pets4Life Pals’:

Do you have just 5 minutes each week? If so, we welcome you to be part of Pets4Life Louisville’s Social Media Team, which we call ‘Pets4LIfe Pals’. This is our small team of ambassadors that help us expand our message and reach by being an active participant on the Pets4LIfe Louisville Facebook Page. This is a great way to make a BIG IMPACT with just a little time! If interested, please email awclouisville@gmail.com

Pets4Life Louisville is a 501(C)3 nonprofit. We have received the GuideStar Bronze Seal of Transparency. And because we are an all-volunteer organization, 100% of your donation goes toward helping animals!