Lone Star Animal Welfare League hopes to increase awareness of spaying and neutering

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- This summer The Montgomery County Animal Shelter saw a large number of cats and dogs abandoned or returned. According to MCAS, the number one way to reduce the amount of animals at the shelter is to spay and neuter pets.

Lone Star Animal Welfare League can provide these services. LSAWL is a 501 © (3) non-profit with the mission of “Bettering the Lives of our Best Friends” with the many goals to promote “not only better, healthier lives for the pets in our community but promote a better existence for the homeless animals who are in great need of our assistance and advocacy.”

Founded in 2004, LSAWL originally pushed for more dog parks in The Woodlands and was referred to as The Woodlands Dog Park Club.

“We needed a place for dogs to run, play, and exercise since many animals were being returned because [owners] didn’t have room,” said Laura McConnell, president and founder of LSAWL. “Now we have grown to giving financial aid to rescue groups for varies surgeries.”

LSAWL has many diverse goals. They wish to spread awareness of spaying and neutering through education, lend aid to local shelters, lend aid to local rescue groups, save Labrador Retrievers, promote safe off-leash environments for the interaction of dogs, and establish an educated, dog-friendly environment. McConnell founded LSAWL and knows all it has accomplished and been through.

“I founded LSAWL because I felt like there was a lack of animal welfare groups, and I felt like there wasn’t enough change in our shelter,” McConnell said. “But what [LSAWL] has done is a small drop in the bucket to all we need to do.”

Throughout the years that the LSAWL has been active, they have accomplished many of these goals. MCAS went from an 85 percent kill rate to 45 percent after they sponsored NO-KILL expert Nathan Winograd to review the facility. Also, the total donations to MCAS are over $200,000 for items like medical equipment, medical expenses, and microchip scanners.

“We pushed for many changes at MCAS,” McConnell said. “Vaccinations on intake, micro chipping, healthier conditions, and sanitation are just some.”

LSAWL is responsible for the “Rescue Me Dog Park” at MCAS. The park, an acre in size, includes features such as large and small dog free-run areas, double layer of security fencing, five park benches, a shade shelter structure, drinking water facilities, and fully mulched ground with new perimeter trees.

“We are always trying to raise money to help Montgomery County,” McConnell said.

LSAWL started as The Woodlands Dog Park Club and was the first advocate for dog parks in The Woodlands. Their help has since extended to other non-profits and rescue groups helping with emergency surgeries. They have raised more than $60,000 for them.

“You need open-mindedness when you try to save animals,” McConnell said. “It is always a work-in-progress; we are always trying to do better.”

Foster Homes

LSAWL asks the community for help in one specific way: foster homes.

“I had already been fostering since 2001 for Houston Beagle and Hound Rescue, to honor the memory of a beloved Basset Hound we had recently lost to old age,” said Kitty Strawbridge, foster for LSAWL. “After fostering around 25 Beagles (and adopting one of them), I offered my services to Laura McConnell.”

LSAWL also has a SOS Labs Etc. program that is specifically dedicated to saving the great number of labs and lab mixes that are being euthanized at shelters all over Texas. They have found homes for more than 850 labs and lab mixes, and they have saved non-labs and cats as well.

“I had grown up with Golden Retrievers and had an interest in labs because they are lovable and easy-going,” Strawbridge said. “I have fostered around 55 dogs, mostly Beagles and labs. I do it because if I didn’t, that is one less dog that might make it out of a shelter alive. I love dogs, so it’s easy for me.”

Fostering is needed to help lower the number of animals at shelters. The more animals are taken out of the environment, the more likely they will be healthier and comfortable with people. Not to mention, as more animals leave the shelter, the more space can be available for other strays to come in.

“Every once in awhile, I try to retire, but then there is always one more dog who needs a place to feel safe and loved, get good meals and treats, and learn to trust and feel valued again, and that makes it all worthwhile,” Strawbridge said. “Fostering has been a great experience for me. My husband says I’ll probably end up as an old woman with wild hair known around the neighborhood as that crazy dog lady. And that’s OK with me.”

Lending a Helping Hand

Helping these animals can be as simple as spaying or neutering pets or avoiding those cute puppies for sale on the side of the roads. “I’m also proud of the push our group has made toward stopping the roadside sales of animals,” Strawbridge said. “Acquiring a pet should not be a spur of the moment decision as you drive by a pen full of cute puppies.” LSAWL helps those individuals who want to spay and neuter their pets but do not have the money to do so. The Fixing Montgomery County Spay Neuter Program has helped spay or neuter more than 2000 dogs and cats and helped vaccinate more than 1500 dogs and cats alongside MCAS.

“Our goal is to educate people about spaying and neutering,” McConnell said. “It gives their animals longer and healthier lives while avoiding overpopulation.”

Depending on an owner’s financial situation, LSAWL will decide how much the owner needs to pay for whatever surgery or vaccination that will be given.

“We try to help people who can’t afford to take care of their animals,” said Connie Eshelman, membership coordinator for LSAWL. “We just want to keep the numbers down at shelters.” Eshelman is also part of the Tag Program at LSAWL, which has just started.

“We send two tags with memberships so that animals, if they get picked up by animal control, don’t get sent to the shelter,” Eshelman said. “Memberships are $35 annually, and pet owners receive tons of discounts with pet businesses around the area.”

Right now LSAWL has between 200 to 300 members.

“With members they are saying they agree with your mission.” Eshelman said.

LSAWL continues to grow and give more help to the animals in the area whether it is at MCAS, local rescue groups, or household pets. They host numerous events to educate people on becoming more responsible pet owners.

“We have an idea coming out in November that is a total education program on the importance of things like vaccinations, spaying, neutering, and house training,” Eshelman said. “It will be in front of MCAS.”

The Spring Bark is also hosted every year in April at Northshore Park. Many rescue groups are there along with agility groups and drug-sniffing groups preform.

“It was voted best pet event in the Houston area three years in a row,” Eshelman said. “Again, it focuses on education.”

Moving Forward

LSAWL has done a lot of work with animals in the area. They don’t seem to be slowing down either.

“I have met some wonderful folks who all help in different ways toward our common goals; I foster and write the biographies for the dogs, others do photography and videography of the dogs, organize fund-raising events, collect our donation can proceeds, serve on the LSAWL board, and some folks even help by running dogs to the vet to be bathed,” Strawbridge said. “It takes a village to save a dog!”

Please call LSAWL’s spay/neuter hotline if you are on assistance and need help: 713-304-2444 or email the email provided.