Why Amazon Smile?
Like many of us, I am an Amazon shopper. It’s easy, convenient, and I can find everything I need in one place…even my favorite charity! When I shop I use the Amazon Smile app so the proceeds from my purchases directly benefit the Humane Society of Loudoun County. Without even thinking about it, I can help the animals in my community simply by doing what I always do – shop! It’s a no brainer really – I understand that not everyone can personally donate every time so I’m thankful that Amazon has created this site for busy shoppers like myself where they donate for you! It doesn’t cost you anything to be kind.
Why HSLC?
I chose the Humane Society of Loudoun County for the animals, of course! Not only are these animals in my own backyard but it’s very personal for me as I also know the amazing group of men and women who work selflessly every day to save the animals and educate our community. We have the same goal and I encourage my friends and family to join me. We’re shopping anyway so why not make it count! One click and you can save HSLC as your charity every time you shop!
You can follow Stephanie’s lead and start shopping at Amazon Smile today! And, if you have a little bit of space left in your shopping cart, please consider adding a high priority item from HSLC’s new Charity List on AmazonSmile. Thank you and happy shopping!
HSLC is very grateful to Spanky’s Shenanigans in Leesburg for choosing us as the non-profit to benefit from this year’s Yappy Hour Wednesdays. A very special thank-you to Joni Smith and all of the staff. For the entire spring and summer, Spanky’s has been donating a percentage of their Wednesday Yappy Hour food sales to HSLC. In addition, Titos Vodka donated $1 from every drink ordered using their product at the Yappy Hours.
The Spanky’s Yappy Hour Wednesdays are a local legend in the area. They open their back deck to allow customers to bring their furry friends while providing great food and drink. What could be better than sharing the evening with your pet and friends?
The Wednesday Yappy Hours start up every year in April and culminate the first part of October at Spanky’s Spooky Yappy Hour and annual Halloween dog costume contest. During the hotter months Spanky’s provides kids wading pools full of water for the dogs to use to keep cool. And yummy steak treats are always handed out to the dogs that visit.
Our community partners are an essential part of what we do and Spanky’s definitely went above and beyond to help us help animals.
What better time to chill out at home with a cuddly cat than November? The air’s getting colder, and the approach of Thanksgiving reminds us to contemplate all the reasons to be grateful. It would be difficult to find a more grateful being than an older cat adopted from a foster home or shelter and welcomed into a comfortable forever home. Often passed over for cute and spunky kittens, adult cats bring many advantages frequently overlooked by adopters. 
For one thing, although kittens can be adorable, the energy and attention they require as they grow can be a lot to manage. Adult cats, while still playful and affectionate, have outgrown this stage and are usually happy just being with their family. They’ve had time to develop their personalities, making it easier for fosters to ensure a good match with a potential adopter. Also, as they’ve often lived in homes for many years, adult cats are usually accustomed to using the litter box.
Cats in their twilight years take a lot of the guesswork—and the actual work—out of adoption. In recognition of November as National Adopt a Senior Pet Month, HSLC would like to introduce some of our adult cats waiting to find homes.
Mittens is a handsome guy with a mysterious past which probably included some adventures. Now ready to retire, he was found in the parking lot of a local brewery, and although initial reports indicated he was a kitten, he is actually around ten years old. He is charming and affectionate, running to greet you when you get home. He may follow you around waiting for you to sit so he can hang out beside you.
Erin is a beautiful, snuggly girl who is looking for that special someone to be her companion. She is very mellow and is perfectly content sitting with her people while they watch television or read.
Midnight is described by her foster mom as, “A perfect lady. She loves to lounge and is the best cuddle bug!” Smart and sweet, she is approximately 9 years old and loves being held.
Margo is a friendly, affectionate cat who has overcome many obstacles. Approximately 12 years old, she is mostly blind due to high blood pressure (well-managed with a low-cost prescription), so she needs someone who is going to be patient with her while she learns to trust them. Once that bond is formed, she becomes a chatty, snuggly cat who loves to give head bonks. She does not let her limited vision hold her back either! She finds her way to her food, water, litter box, onto the sofa, and even up and down the stairs without incident. She may be blind, but she will find her way into your heart. Margo’s adoption fee is sponsored so there will be no cost to her adopter, plus she has been offered free laser therapy for life from a local vet.
Adopters of adult cats often find it the most rewarding adoption experience, both for the companionship of a furry friend, as well as the sense that cats’ love seems to multiply exponentially when they know they’ve been rescued from living out their lives alone in a shelter. In exchange for a quiet, warm place to live and sleep, they will provide companionship and gratitude in abundance. Please consider welcoming an older animal into your home and family. The adoption fees for these senior cats are discounted during the month of November thanks to a generous sponsor.
All HSLC cats are vaccinated and microchipped. Please see our website (www.humaneloudoun.org) for information on Erin, Midnight, Margo, Mittens, and other cats available for adoption. Interested adopters can arrange a meet and greet. Please contact us at helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org.
“Working” cats are domestic cats that live mostly outdoors, as feral or semi-feral, on rural, agricultural or commercial properties. They are free to roam the property while providing free and organic pest control in exchange for food, water and shelter.
Our Loudoun Working Cat program places healthy, sterilized cats onto suitable properties. An appropriate location could be a barn, greenhouse, brewery, warehouse, store, office, winery, vineyard, shed or other similar building. Relocation is always a last resort for cats/colonies, but sometimes they are facing dangerous situations—like eviction from their homes or euthanasia at a shelter—and relocation is their only option.
All cats adopted out as working cats are fully vetted. HSLC also provides guidance to help the relocated cats successfully transition to their new homes. There is no adoption fee for Loudoun Working Cats. Please save a life by applying for one of these at-risk cats today.
As a foster-based, all-volunteer organization, HSLC relies on the community to provide homeless animals the second chances they deserve. Here are five great ways to help our furry friends this holiday season.
Become a Guardian Angel – Maybe you’ve fallen in love with one of our animals but can’t adopt. Or perhaps you see a cat that has been on our site for a while that isn’t being adopted. Sponsoring an animal in full or part will help us help them and will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Host a Pet Food Drive – The Loudoun Pet Pantry is in constant need of cat and dog food. Hosting a pet food drive is a great family, school or community project for the holidays and we have many ideas to get you started. Be sure to tell us about your efforts so we can give you the recognition you deserve and inspire others by your example.
Set Up a Facebook Fundraiser – Involve your friends and family in our life-saving work by setting up a Facebook Fundraiser for Giving “Mewsday” (12/3) or your birthday. Please type “The Humane Society of Loudoun County” when selecting your charity.
Give through a Donor Advised Fund (DAF) – More and more supporters are using DAFs to manage their charitable giving. They combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to support your favorite causes, like HSLC. Visit our website to learn more. HSLC also accepts stock gifts and charitable IRA rollover distributions.
Donate Your Vehicle – Got a vehicle you want to unload before the new year? Consider donating it to HSLC. We offer free pick-up for donated vehicles of all types—cars, trucks, boats, and even ATVs. Start the process here.
Thank you for making a life-changing difference for at-risk animals across the area.
A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is a simple way to manage your charitable giving. It combines the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to support your favorite life-saving causes, including The Humane Society of Loudoun County (HSLC). DAFDirect, a widget available on our website, enables you to recommend grants to HSLC directly from your DAF as long as your DAF’s sponsoring organization is participating.
Now–before the tax year ends–is the perfect time to set up a Donor Advised Fund. DAFs can be established at many financial institutions or community foundations. HSLC does not directly manage Donor Advised Funds and does not give individual tax advice, so please always consult your professional tax advisor on how a Donor Advised Fund might impact you specifically.
Generally speaking, contributions and/or grants from a donor’s DAF can be made to one or more charitable organizations, and a donor may receive benefits including:
- An immediate federal tax deduction generally available in the year that contributions to the DAF are made in accordance with applicable law
- The flexibility of having one source to coordinate charitable giving, without many of the costs and administrative obligations of a private foundation
If you already have a DAF established and would like it to benefit HSLC, click here to access DAFDirect on our website. Simply type in the name of your fund, list The Humane Society of Loudoun County as the designated charity and indicate the amount you’d like to give. Then click “Next” to complete your recommendation. It’s that easy!
Thank you for your continued support.
Earlier this summer Cody Madison, a Boy Scout from Leesburg based Troop 663, dedicated his Eagle Scout Service Project to help rescue cats. His project consisted of modifying a design and building cat cots to help with the comfort and display of HSLC cats available for adoption.
Our foster volunteers love the cots because they add space to the display cages by providing an elevated place for the cats to sit and sleep. Food bowls or litter boxes can be placed underneath. The cats even enjoy using them at their foster homes.
The Eagle Scout Service Project is an opportunity for a Boy Scout to demonstrate leadership skills while performing a project that will benefit his community in order to obtain an Eagle Scout rank. Cody will receive his Eagle Badge later this fall.
Margo is a snuggly, chatty kitty who has overcome many obstacles in her 12 years. She came to HSLC almost by accident. We were rescuing a different cat from an overcrowded shelter in Maryland when they mentioned her to us. She had been surrendered to the shelter by her owner due to allergies. HSLC rescued Margo just one day before she was to be euthanized.
Nearly blind because of high blood pressure, Margo was shutting down in the shelter environment due to stress. But since being placed in a foster home she has made an amazing comeback. Thanks to her blood pressure medicine, she is seeing a little better now. Her appetite has returned and she is moving around much better. She’s even giving head bonks!
Margo does not let her limited vision hold her back. She finds her way to her food, water, litter box, onto the sofa, and even up and down stairs without incident. Once she feels comfortable she’s very affectionate. She is friendly with other animals and loves to be brushed while sitting on her foster’s lap. Her extraordinary personality is still blooming and her forever home is out there waiting.
Become a Guardian Angel
Cats like Margo present HSLC with an extra challenge. They require more than the usual vet checkups and vaccine updates. You can help us help these extraordinary animals through our Guardian Angel Program. Sponsoring an animal will help us help them and will give you a warm feeling.
You can help by sponsoring part or all of the medical expenses for one of our animals.
- You can sponsor some or all of these expenses for a specific animal or sponsor a certain number of vaccinations, tests or surgeries for several animals. (Foster or Feral)
- You can sponsor the expenses for one kitten, or a litter of kittens.
- You can also sponsor the adoption fee for a specific animal or several of our adoptable animals.
To become a Guardian Angel for any of the animals in our care, please visit our donation page. In the dedication section, let us know how or who you would like to sponsor. You can make a one-time donation or make your gift recurring (monthly or quarterly) which would give us the flexibility to help whichever animal needs it the most. Recurring donations provide steady support for the animal but can be stopped at any time just by contacting us. If you have any questions about the Guardian Angels program, please send an email to helpanimals@humaneloudoun.org.
By Anne Senft
On August 17, tens of thousands of animals found their forever families as a result of Clear the Shelters adoption events across the nation.
The Humane Society of Loudoun County adopted out one of our young cats that day. His name was Mellow.
After weeks of preparing for the event, you can imagine how heartbroken we were that more of our wonderful animals didn’t find their forever homes that day—including our celebrity kitties, Margo and Mr. Meow Meow.
To help me bounce back personally, I headed to my favorite yoga studio where the instructor told us a story. While it was a story I had heard many times before, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
THE STARFISH Story
by Loren Eiseley
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean.
Approaching the boy he asked: “Young man, what are you doing?”
The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
The man laughed to himself and said, “Do you realize there are miles and miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then smiling at the man, he said: “I made a difference to that one.”
Mellow was that lucky starfish who got his second chance on August 17. I happened to be nearby when the teenage daughter let the foster mom know that her family was adopting Mellow.
I wish I could capture in words the pure joy I saw on the foster’s face. She was so relieved that Mellow was going to a loving home. She gave the daughter a big hug. What a wonderful addition to the family Mellow would make.
HSLC doesn’t have a physical shelter. We rely heavily on a network of dedicated foster moms and dads to provide our at-risk animals the safe haven they need while waiting for their forever families. We are so thankful to them along with our caring volunteers and generous donors who make it possible to provide the second chances these animals deserve.
Adoption events like Clear the Shelters wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful fosters, volunteers and donors.
One day isn’t going to keep us down. Together with your help, we will continue to fight—day after day—for the abused, neglected and abandoned animals who are counting on us to rescue them.
Because, after all, there are still a lot of starfish we must save.
NBC and Telemundo owned stations are teaming up with hundreds of shelters and rescue organizations across the country to host Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet adoption drive on Saturday, August 17 to help find loving homes for animals in need. More than 250,000 pets have found their forever homes since 2015.
The Humane Society of Loudoun County will participate in this annual event by holding an adoption event at the Leesburg PetSmart from 11:00 to 2:00 on the 17th. We will be waiving all adoption fees for the event but need sponsors to help make that possible. Sponsorships will help cover the higher than normal medical expenses we have faced due to an influx of homeless animals this year.
Current adoption fees are $150 for cats and $300 for dogs. If you are able to sponsor or co-sponsor an animal, please:
- Visit the adoptable animals on our website.
- Choose the animal you would like to sponsor or co-sponsor.
- Make a donation and, in the dedication section, let us know which animal you are sponsoring. If you prefer not to choose, just type “CTS adoption event”.
NOTE: If you are donating from a mobile device, there is no dedication field. Simply email anne@humaneloudoun.org and let her know how you would like your donation designated.
Sponsoring adoption fees will help increase our adoption rate. This, in turn, will free up our fosters so we can save more animals.
We’re off to a good start with Newk’s Eatery sponsoring three of our homeless animals for the Clear the Shelters event. Please join them and sponsor or co-sponsor an animal today!