• 370 pets adopted into loving homes!

• 305 LCHS animals spayed or neutered at our clinic

• 354 community-owned animals spayed or neutered at our clinic

• 166 animals spent time in our in-home foster care program

Licking County Humane Society understands that people's pets are one of the bright spots in their lives and, in times of hardship, these pets may be their only bright spots. If we can continue to extend our outreach to pet owners in need, we can make a monumental difference in their lives. We can directly assist these pet owners in keeping their pets healthy and, therefore, we can keep their beloved family members in their lives. Because we are always looking for more ways to positively impact our community, we are launching the Bright Spot Clinic on August 7. The Bright Spot Clinic will be held on the first Monday of each month at the Salvation Army in Newark, Ohio. The Clinic will take place immediately after the Salvation Army's heavily attended free lunch, from 1 pm - 3 pm. This clinic will focus on wellness by providing pets vaccines and preventatives. Pet owners will not need an appointment and they are not required to pay for our services, though we will accept donations of any amount for treatment. This clinic is designed to serve unsheltered pet owners living in Licking County; unfortunately, this population continues to grow and so their need for a wellness veterinary clinic grows as well.  We want to help this population keep their pets because we ardently believe that ALL people - including people who are trying to care for their pets but are unable to afford proper supplies and treatment - deserve a bright spot.  

If you are able, please consider donating to LCHS today to help us continue our work in both the shelter and the surrounding community. 

From our Medical Director:

Meet Dr. Elaine!

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Elaine Sipka to LCHS as our new shelter veterinarian! Dr. Sipka will work closely with Dr. Wooden (the LCHS Medical Director) in providing care to both shelter and community animals. Dr. Sipka comes to us after six years at the Knox County Humane Society. Originally from rural southern Ohio (Brown county), she graduated from OSU veterinary school in 2016 and currently lives in Columbus with her husband and a very spoiled terrier, Archie. Dr. Elaine enjoys hiking, camping, gardening and the outdoors in general. She also likes to read, bake, and cook in her spare time. As for her veterinary interests, Dr. Elaine particularly enjoys shelter medicine and surgery, especially high volume spay and neuter. She likes finding ways to keep pets and people together. She loves all animals, but most enjoys working with cats because of their personalities and their amazing ability to adapt and survive. We are so happy to have Dr. Elaine on our medical team!

Updates from Sophie's Thrift Store

Some tips for donating:

• Your donations need to be sellable, not just usable.
• Items should be of a quality you would give a good friend or family member.
• We cannot take the following: used undergarments, used socks, items with stains or holes.
• If you have to think about whether to donate or put in the trash, then, unfortunately, it is probably trash.

Guidelines for what we accept are on our Facebook page and the LCHS website.

We look forward to seeing you at Sophie's!

Sophie's has a great selection of vintage clothing (above) and unique finds in its furniture section (below)!

Foster News: The Buddy Brigade Begins!

In May of this year, we launched a brand-new aspect of the foster program called the Buddy Brigade. This program was designed to give a temporary reprieve from the confines of kennel life. The participants are dogs who have been in the shelter for a while and are showing signs of stress (continuous barking, aggression, etc.). Approved fosters are able to take eligible dogs home for a weekend as a sort of sleepover. Every Buddy Brigade dog is sent to the weekend home with a “report card” for the foster to fill out. This report card gives the LCHS staff (and potential adopters) valuable information about how the dog behaved during the sleepover. The report card is displayed on the dog’s kennel when they return to the shelter. While in foster, the families send LCHS pictures and videos of the dog, which we then post on our Facebook page. We use these pictures and videos, along with the foster's report card feedback, to publish positive news about the dog with the goal of getting that pet adopted faster. So far, we have had 2 dogs participate in the Buddy Brigade. Asher (black dog) went on his sleepover during the Memorial Day weekend and was adopted shortly after his return. Max (brown and white dog) was with his Buddy Brigade family over the 4th of July holiday and was also adopted shortly after his return. Two Buddy Brigade dogs, two quick adoptions as a result...we call that a success!!

Volunteer News: We've Been Busy!

Our shelter pets and volunteers have been all over Licking County this summer!

July 12: Licking County Library - Hebron held a pet parade, volunteer Teresa attended with Max (adopted)

July 10: LCHS attended Pups on the Patio hosted by Papa Boo's, and recently adopted Dusty (center) won 3rd place in the "Best Haircut" competition.

July 2: Volunteers Abby and Michelle with Grover (adopted) and Milton (adopted) at the Star Spangled Celebration at Geller Park in Heath.

July 1: Milton (adopted) and Grover (adopted) at the Dunkin's Diamonds Dogs and Diamonds event. Dunkin's Diamonds will soon be selling LCHS logoed jewelry!

June 10: Dawe's Arboretum StoryTrail public launch event featuring "Trees Make Perfect Pets" By Paul Czajak. Volunteer Abby with Matilda Jane (adopted) and LCHS Volunteer Coordinator Kaycie Yeager with Coco (adopted).

Blue Bunny is a 9 month old grey and white cat who arrived at the shelter in February as an owner surrender.  Blue Bunny is very shy but also very calm. He can coexist peacefully with other cats as long as he has a place to retreat to. He could probably live in a home with dogs as well if, again, he has his own peaceful retreat. This beautiful boy would be the perfect mellow companion for some lucky family.

Come to the LCHS shelter to meet Blue Bunny!

825 Thornwood Dr. Heath, OH 43056

See our other adoptable cats at www.lchspets.org/available-cats/

Niko is an almost 1 year old black lab/poodle mix who has been at the shelter for about four months. He came to us as part of a humane agent case; Niko had a rough start to his life as he had been living in an outdoor box with limited food and water. He has been diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia, likely caused by a combination of genetics and having little opportunity to move in his early life. As of now, Niko is comfortable and appears pain-free. However, his condition could change and he may require surgery later in life; ultimately, Niko's future is unknown and so he needs a family willing to provide long-term medical management of his hip condition. This boy is so sweet and loves attention once he is comfortable around a new person. While he is shy, he will come out of his shell with patience and he will be a loving family member. We hope Niko can find his forever home soon, because he certainly deserves a life of luxury.  

Come to the LCHS shelter to meet Niko!

825 Thornwood Dr. Heath, OH 43056

See our other adoptable dogs at: www.lchspets.org/available-dogs/

Golfing for the Pets

Our 9th annual Golf Outing was held at the Trout Club in Newark on July 8. It was a fantastic day from start to finish (and the rain waited until everyone was seated for dinner!). Thanks to our generous sponsors, golfers, and other donors, we raised over $22,500 for our animals!

And they're off! Video footage from the start of the 9th Annual LCHS Golf Outing, held at the Trout Club.

Save the date...Fur Ball is coming!! We will post on social media when our online ticket purchasing site is available.

We told you about Aiden in our last newsletter. Aiden, a ten year old male Boxer mix, was surrendered to LCHS by his owner.

This gentle dog was suffering from a severe and chronic skin infection that had been left untreated for years. Aiden's skin had become thickened and hyperpigmented (turned grey/black in color), creating an "elephant skin" appearance.

Even though he had suffered a life of neglect and pain, this sweet boy came to the shelter with his tail wagging, ready for love. For several months, Aiden was not available for adoption, as he was undergoing daily monitoring and treatment by the LCHS medical team and staff. Once he was given a clean bill of health, he was moved to the K9 center.

We are thrilled to report that Aiden found his forever home on June 29! He has begun a new life full of love and hope and we can't think of a happier tail than that.

Thank you, Mehrmann Family, for choosing a special senior dog.

(Above) Aiden when he arrived at LCHS; (Below) Aiden several months after arrival, ready to be adopted.

Happiest of Happy Tails, Aiden!!