Nevada Humane Society
In a typical year, Nevada Humane Society would hold a big spring fundraising gala. With the COVID-19 pandemic still impacting in-person events, NHS will instead hold a month-long virtual fundraising campaign, Paws for a Cause, in May.
“Paws for a Cause will highlight the different aspects of the incredible work that is done quietly each day,” said Greg Hall, CEO of Nevada Humane Society. “While the pandemic slowed some aspects of life down it has not slowed animals’ need for care; in fact we’ve seen the need increase. The staff and volunteers that work tirelessly for these animals have all stepped up and there are some incredible stories to share.”
Each week of Paws for a Cause will focus on a different aspect of the incredible work NHS does to better the lives of homeless pets in our communities in the areas of adoptions, veterinary care, fostering and rescue.
Adoptions, sponsored by 1-800 Pet Meds — May 2-8
As the only open-admission, no-kill shelter in the state of Nevada, adoptions are essential to the shelter’s mission. The shelter takes in animals regardless of age, illness or past trauma. Week one of Paws for a Cause is sponsored by 1-800 Pet Meds and will feature a heartwarming story of Lady Bug and her adopter, Cat. As with many adoption stories, there’s a question of who saved whom. Lady Bug spent six months in the shelter before finding her forever home and now she helps Cat who is fighting stage four cancer.
Veterinary clinic, sponsored by VCA Animal Hospital — May 9-15
NHS provides homes for over 16,000 animals each year, many of which require life-saving care. The passionate veterinary clinic team works tirelessly to provide these homeless pets in need with the highest-quality veterinary care, every day. Week two of Paws for a Cause, sponsored by VCA Animal Hospital, will highlight a pup named Jellybean whose medical conditions were so extreme she was surrendered to Washoe County Regional Animal Services, so she could receive the veterinary care required to save her life. Jellybean came to NHS in December 2020 in rough shape—she had a club foot, a urinary tract infection, a heart murmur and was coughing and covered in urine. Thanks to the help of the dedicated clinic staff who performed numerous, life-saving procedures she recovered and was adopted in March of this year.
Fostering, sponsored by Petco Love Lost — May 16-22
With adoption being the end goal, there are a fleet of foster homes that help take in animals who are orphaned and require bottle feeding, adult animals who are recovering from surgery or those that are having a particularly hard time coping with life in the shelter. Week three of Paws for a Cause, sponsored by Petco Love Lost will tell the story of mother-daughter fostering duo Angie and Lizzie Ballettie. Angie and Lizzie are always willing to step in and help pets in need regardless of the animal’s age, health condition or medical needs. NHS often asks these two for help with some of their most demanding foster cases and they are always ready to help –no matter what. Since they started in 2017, they have fostered more than 150 shelter pets. This video tells the story of their amazing, life-saving work.
Rescue, sponsored by Petco Love — May 23-29
The final week of the Paws for a Cause campaign will highlight rescue. In 2020, NHS saw an increase in the number of animal cruelty cases and the severity of those cases since the pandemic began. This week, which is sponsored by Petco Love, will tell the story of a large-scale rescue effort in which eighteen animals were rescued from a neglectful hoarding situation and transferred to NHS. Animals rescued from neglectful situations often require significantly more care and resources before they are ready to be adopted. In addition to medical care, rescues may need rehabilitation and behavior training and additional time spent in foster care. That was true for this case, and while the situation was tough the stories (including a doggy wedding) that came from it are heartwarming and powerful.
Go here to learn more about Nevada Humane Society and the Paws for a Cause fundraiser.
