It’s raining cats and pigs at the Lexington Humane Society

By Emily Markanich

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While the Lexington Human Society mostly cares for cats and dogs, some of their 480 residents could be anything from bunnies and rats to George Clooney, their 5th potbelly pig.

According to LHS Senior Development Manager Ashley Hammond, unlike past pigs which were brought in by hoodwinked owners who believed they purchased a miniature pig, George was found in a storm drain on West 6th.

Located next to Animal Control off ld Frankfort Pike, LHS has a paddock in their facilities to house livestock. Some former live stock residents include a group of sheep found wandering around town one day, horses going through cruelty investigations and UK’s runaway cow from Spring 2015.

George on the other hand, waits paitently for his forever home in a kennel rather than the paddock because he is considered a pet.

The LHS is a non-profit organization relying strongly on volunteers and donations collected at local events.

At the Crave Festival this year LHS did doggy day care. At other events you may see dogs decked out in brightly-colored vests with “adopt me” on the side and a pocket to put some cash in. Lexington residents could also stumble upon a puppy kissing booth reading “kisses for a $1.”

“Pinterest has been very helpful … [the kissing booth] brings in quite a lot of money. People love having dogs slobber all over them for some reason,” said Hammond.

LHS  raised$8,000 in funds this fiscal year, which ends June 30th, according to Hammond. LHS refuses to turn away any animal, which results in them putting cages in their offices and giving animals foster homes.

“If it weren’t for our foster parents we wouldn’t have made it through this kitten season,” said Hammond.

LHS relys heavily on student volunteers during the week and for their foster programs. After attending orientation and training, volunteers have a variety of projects to choose from.

One such program is Humane education, which teaches proper pet care to children at schools in lower-income areas of Lexington. For example, children attending humane education programs are taught that it is not good to kick your dog when it barks.

“We like to have ambassadors for us. People who are interested in going out into the community, who are good with children, talking to them about proper pet care,” Hammond said.

To volunteer for the Lexington Humane Society call a volunteer coordinator and reserve a spot for their next volunteer orientation. Their number is (859) 233-0044 and more information can be found on the LHS website at lexingtonhumanesociety.org