Lynchburg Humane Society — Local services in Lynchburg

When I adopted my cat from this shelter, I asked for all paperwork they had on him and was told that they didn’t have anything beyond the basics. After taking my cat home, he had once a month aggression episodes, leaving puncture wounds and bruising (see the pictures). This happened even with medication and behavior intervention for over a year! When I went back to the shelter one day with my pants literally torn to shreds and demanded help and more information on his history, they pulled out thorough notes about his previous owner’s surrender!! He was feral on the streets, brought to the shelter, in a home for 2 years where he was mistreated and surrendered due to extreme aggression that left their daughter HOSPITALIZED! Granted, these people mistreated the cat, BUT the shelter KNEW his history. Whether they thought it was the previous owners faults or not, they still withheld the information from me. I love Mufasa (my cat) but my body is scarred and shredded. He was supposed to be my Emotional Support animal and instead caused significant trauma to me. I pay over $50 a month just in medication on top of his other expenses and he has a behavior intervention plan. He still attacks (unprovoked) every few months because he has been diagnosed with PTSD and bipolar disorder. I’m an animal person, which is why I’ve fought for him, but this shelter MAJORLY neglected their responsibility and duty to inform me about the animal I was adopting. I was straight up lied to that they “didn’t have any information on him more than what was on his sheet” (his name, gender, age, eye color, and breed...). They just wanted him to be adopted and didn’t care what the cost was to the adopter. Even with improvement, my cat is a threat to me and my future family and children. If I was given the information they had on him, I honestly wouldn’t have adopted my cat. I pray that no one else suffers from the negligence of...

The new protocol for trying to adopt is awful. We filled out an application the day before. You are asked to provide a list of several animals you want to see, understandable. We came with our own list of SEVEN... You are then asked to check in when you arrive using an app, again understandable. However... After checking in online and waiting for 10 to 15 minutes (as the first in line) we were allowed in the building. We then were escorted to the adoption desk. Each time we provided a name from our list of SEVEN cats, we were told that they were either in the back ill or too young to adopt, except one. We got these names from the profiles on the LHS website less than 24 hours before we arrived. (Why is a kitten that is a month from being available even listed as available on the website?!) We get to the kitten room where the sole kitten we can see is staying, it's locked. Those cats are also sick and now being quarantined. At this point, both of my kids are in tears and I'm on the verge. We filled out the app, waited our turn and were able to meet not a single one. We thanked them for a truly terrible experience and left.

I understand that updating procedures and protocols is necessary for the times. However, if the success of a system relies on online information that isn't kept up to date, it will fail. This...

I had visited this facility on several occasions with my young daughter for service work and always enjoyed it. I live in Forest about 10 miles from Lynchburg. Friday at noon a young German Shepard mix puppy showed up on our front porch- no collar and looking haggard. We have an older Boxer who does not play well with others so we tried to chase this dog away but he would not leave. He was still there Saturday morning. We fed him 2 bowls of food. We decided to take him to SPCA since he had a great temperament and would be easy to adopt out. Bedford SPCA is closed on the weekends so we took him to this Lynchburg facility. Before we took him in my husband went in and asked if they would take him. A staff member said yes. After carrying the puppy in we went through a 45 minute ordeal of excuses of why they wouldn't take him. 1. We live in Bedford. 2. They don't have room 3. Can we just keep him for one more night. 4. Wait while we call our supervisor . 5. Which staff member told you we would take him? What did she look like? Meanwhile my 8 year old is crying because of the stress we are all going through trying to demonstrate to her how to do the right thing. We were finally "allowed" to leave the stray puppy at a facility that was established to take care of homeless animals. Very bad...