November 24, 2019
Keep your pup happy and healthy! If your puppy is under 9 months of age and has not had all their vaccinations, Keep their paws off the ground. Puppies don’t have a fully developed immune system and can easily pick up bacteria and germs from the ground that can make them very ill. If you do need to set them down, use a clean sheet or towel.
January 3, 2019
The Pets4Life vet-mobile has been on the road working with animal groups including LMAS, Saving Sunny & My Dog Eats First to help people and pets in Louisville’s under-served communities. Here is a summary of services provided in 2018.
Number of Pets Treated: 392 (316 dogs & 76 cats)
Rabies Vaccines: 278
Other Vaccines: 299
Microchips: 216
Flea Treatments: 320
If you would like to help us help more pets, please consider donating/volunteering. All help is needed.
January 6, 2018
Pets4Life Louisville worked with My Dog Eats First and LMAS to help provide low-cost vet treatment to under-served communities in Louisville. We provided the Pets4Life state-of-the-art vet-mobile to Louisville Metro Animal Services for use at their community rabies/vaccine clinics. Below is a summary of services provided in 2017.
Number of Pets Treated: 338
Rabies Vaccines: 292
Other Vaccines: 241
Microchips: 116
Flea Treatments: 94
Please consider volunteering or donating to help us help more pets and people. If you are a pet-related organization or business, we are open to all ways we can work together to serve Louisville pet owners in need.
July 24, 2017
Imagine hearing a story about a woman in your community who owned three dogs but was having trouble feeding them. What if she called the local shelter herself for assistance? Upon evaluation, the shelter staff found three skinny dogs– a Pit bull, a Rottweiler and a Terrier mix. The owner had no money for food and the dogs were living solely off table scraps. The dogs were primarily outdoor dogs. Their dog bowls were dirty and chewed up, but they all had fresh water. They had doghouses in the yard (which was mostly knee-high grass). They were far from pampered, but they were happy and loved by their owners.
“What would your community do?”
Traditionally, the animals might have been seized from the owner and placed in the shelter, since, at first glance, the dogs might seem neglected, or worse, abused. The owner might have reluctantly brought the pets to the shelter herself, feeling she could no longer afford them. Either way, the animals end up as part of the homeless pet population, and the odds for these dogs being adopted are statistically stacked against them.
In reality, these pets could have been kept in their homes for a fraction of the cost to the community. Pets4Life Louisville and other groups in the Louisville area are working together to keep pets out of shelters by intervening in their lives, and the lives of their owners by offering free/low cost veterinary services in areas of the city where few resources exist.
So many animal advocacy groups are focused on rescuing pets from shelters, but preventing pets from entering shelters in the first place is a more effective way to save lives.
We believe the human/animal bond is critical to human wellness and to the essential health of a community. Pets4Life Louisville works to save animals’ lives by connecting with owners in their own neighborhoods, listening to their concerns, understanding the obstacles they face in providing adequate care for their family pets, and doing what we can to help them keep their “Pets4Life”
April 14, 2017
December 1, 2016
Welcome to our new website! This site is still under construction and we will be adding functionality in the future. In the meantime, I want to share with you our 2016 accomplishments and our vision for the Pets4Life mobile vet clinic.
First, a little recap of the year: In 2016 we found ourselves in a pickle: We had an amazing $400,000 state-of-the-art mobile vet unit, but no resources or support structure to get it working for the good of the community. With that in mind, in 2016 we re-established a new board, changed our name, created a logo for the mobile vet, met with several Louisville animal advocacy groups, and executed a series of pilot events. By year-end we will have participated in five community events and helped approximately 110 at-risk animals (dogs, cats & rabbits) in the community.
Our goal for 2017 is to partner with other advocacy groups, individual philanthropists/volunteers, and corporate stewards to bring the Pets4Life mobile vet to under-served communities of Louisville (areas without veterinary services or transportation).
Email [email protected] for details on how to get involved.
At Pets4Life Louisville, we believe in starting with compassion, curiosity, and connection. As we began our work in the 40210 zip code—an area that has long been underserved and overlooked—we knew we needed to take our time and listen first.
This past year, with support from PetSmart Charities and the Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC), we spent several months holding focus groups, conducting surveys, and simply showing up. We spoke with over 200 community members and asked them about their pets, their challenges, and their hopes. What we heard was honest, emotional, and deeply motivating.
Pets are family.
More than 80% of the people we surveyed are pet owners, and most described their pets as sources of comfort, love, and joy. But many also shared the pain and stress of not being able to provide the care their pets need.
Barriers are real and complex.
High costs, lack of transportation, limited internet access, and few nearby vet clinics all make basic pet care feel out of reach. Many families said they simply don’t know where to go for help—or they know, but they can’t get there.
People want to learn.
The top three pet topics community members want more information about? Behavioral training, pet nutrition, and pet insurance. Folks want to care for their pets—they just need tools, support, and a chance.
Safety is a shared concern.
Aggressive or stray animals in the neighborhood were mentioned often. Pet families expressed a desire for help managing pet behavior and improving safety for everyone in the community.
If we’ve learned anything, it’s this: there are no shortcuts to real, sustainable change. It takes time. It takes trust. It takes being present—not just once, but again and again.
We aren’t here to “fix” communities. We’re here to walk alongside them. We’re here to listen, to learn, and to co-create solutions that actually work for the people who live there. That means showing up with free pet food, pop-up clinics, friendly faces—and a lot of patience.
We Need People Like You
As we move into the next phase of our work in 40210, we need help—not just from animal lovers, but from people who are ready to get out of their comfort zones and stand beside pet families in real, tangible ways.
Here’s how you can help:
We believe in a future where every pet is cared for and every family feels supported—but we can’t get there alone.
If you’re ready to be part of something real, something rooted in love and community, we’d love to hear from you.