Heartworm disease is an infection of a worm that lives in the heart of the dog. Ultimately, this causes heart failure and death without treatment. Mosquitos are responsible for passing heartworm larvae from one dog to the next. Your puppy/dog must be started on heartworm prevention as a young puppy to prevent infection. It is important for owners to have a good relationship with a veterinarian to oversee the health and heartworm management of your pet. 

Heartworm disease is in every home in every state. Your dog/puppy is still at risk of getting heartworm infection from a mosquito bite even if he/she lives inside. Your dog can look healthy and have heartworm disease even if he/she doesn’t show symptoms. A simple quick blood test through your vet can check to see if your dog has adult heartworms living inside its heart. Heartworm prevention is relatively inexpensive but treating the disease is costly!

Heartworm disease requires extra care and veterinary visits. A heartworm positive dog undergoing treatment can be scary for a family as the treatment itself is harsh. It’s important to keep a dog going through the treatment quiet for about four months. Once recovered, most dogs can go back to a normal activity level. But the fight doesn’t stop there. Even after treatment, every dog must stay on prevention the rest of its life to prevent further infection. 

All of our dogs are tested at point of intake (if they are 6 months or older) and all puppies/dogs are started on heartworm prevention. Thanks to generous contributions from our community, our Mead, Music, Mutts partners  (Queen’s Reward Meadery and the Hound Dawgs), and the Petco Foundation, we are able to treat all of our homeless heartworm positive dogs for heartworm disease. That means our dogs can be placed in loving homes and their new family can financially prepare to set their home up for a new pet instead of being burdened with costly heartworm disease treatment.

To learn more about heartworm disease, click here.

We believe that breed specific legislation is not the answer for enforcing responsible pet ownership. We are committed to educating pet owners about responsible pet ownership and humane care. With no scientific evidence to support that any one breed is more “aggressive” than the next (American Veterinary Medical Association), we see dogs as just that: dogs.

Any animal with teeth has the potential to bite regardless of the temperament. Animals respond with “fight” or “flight” behavior to stimulus which means if an animal cannot escape it may attack in defense. There are other factors to take into consideration too. Lack of socialization, territorial guarding (often these pets are intact and not spayed/neutered), and pack development from having too many dogs running together with little or no training are all scary scenarios that could lead to a bite or attack.

If an owner has their pet spayed/neutered and provides an enriching home with exercise and training, especially socialization and manners, the chances of a bite or attack are slim. Most bites are in homes with their family and familiar dogs and are due to human error. Dogs can feel pain and can feel threatened. It is highly recommended never to leave small children with any pet without supervision.

A new statement from the National Animal Care and Control Association supports that each dog is an individual and each bite incident should be treated the same. Breed specific legislation does not enhance public safety and violates the property rights of responsible dog owners.

At TLHS, we believe that open, progressive adoption policies as well as conversation based matchmaking is best for our pets. We do not have any breed specific policies and matchmake pets with an adopter that has a lifestyle best suited for the pet. Breed specific discrimination and adoption practices are outdated and have been disproven as a valid means of denying an adoption. Our goal is to place every dog, regardless of assumed breed, in a loving home that is ideal for the pets personality.

If you have a dog that you are concerned may be considered a “dangerous dog” due to its breed, please visit our Pet Owner Resources page for more information on local ordinances.

Feline leukemia (Felv) is a viral infection that cats can get. This viral infection will be with the cat for the entirety of the lifespan as there is no cure. Felv positive cats may need extra veterinary care and can have a shortened lifespan due to the virus. People can’t get the virus but other cats can through prolonged exposure to body fluids or a bite from an infected cat. That’s why it is important that our Felv positive cats are adopted to inside only homes with no other cats unless resident cats are Felv positive too. 

All of our cats have been tested for Felv/FIV. Felv positive cats used to be euthanized upon positive test results. New research shows that these cats have the possibility of living a pretty normal life but do require attentiveness and extra veterinary care. That’s why it is important for our adopter’s to understand that adopting one of these cats can require additional financial obligations and a lifetime responsibility: both to the cat and the community. By providing these cats a live outcome, they can live the remainder of  their lives in a loving home.

To learn more about Felv, click here.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is another virus that cats can get. Unlike feline leukemia, FIV is not as easy to transmit to other cats as it usually is passed on from a mother to her babies during birth or through a bite from an infected cat. Only cats can get this so people are safe to own an FIV positive cat. 

FIV positive cats may require more veterinary care as they are unable to fight off common viruses and bacterial infections like a normal cat. FIV positive cats can live a normal life and can have the same lifespan of a cat without the virus. Adopter’s still must understand that these cats may require more veterinary care and may cost more to care for than an FIV negative cat. We only adopt our FIV cats to inside homes. 

Can FIV positive cats cohabitate with cats that don’t have FIV? Cohabitation amongst FIV positive and negative cats is a controversial topic. There have been groups of FIV negative cats in the same home that never contract FIV from the FIV positive cat that lives with them. With all animals being fixed, there is no transmission during reproductive contact. However, the risk of the cats having a disagreement and a bite wound resulting from the FIV positive cat to an FIV negative cat is possible. We recommend our adopters to only adopt an FIV positive cat if you are ready for the commitment and have no other cats or have another FIV positive cat at home. 

To learn more about FIV, click here.

At TLHS, we receive inquiries daily about specific breed availability. The most common breeds that we are asked if we have available are Siberian Huskies, German Shepherds, Boxers, and many toy breeds including Chihuahuas, Shih-tzus, and Yorkshire Terriers. Many people who are interested in one of these pets have owned one as a child or may have recently lost a pet of the same breed. The conversation usually begins with “I would love to have another (insert dog breed).” 

To be honest, each dog is an individual. It is remarkably impossible to look at a dog and the breed description and assume that this German Shepherd is just like the one that you owned as a child. Or that the Siberian Husky you saw on TV will be a perfect family pet. Breeds with longer hair often need to see a groomer at least once a month if not twice a month. Are you prepared for the responsibility to train and care for a pet that is a breed that is pleasing to look at or hold? 

Many families are looking for a great family pet that is “easy.” Pets are like children and sometimes require extra care and training. Time is important to have available for a pet as behavior is not determined by a “breed standard.” What is your lifestyle like? Do you live in an apartment and work 14 hours a day? Are you looking for an outside pet? Or a guard dog? Do you have a fenced yard? Do you have young children? Do you have other pets? 

These are questions that our staff will take into consideration when they are trying to matchmake you to one of our available pets. We will not send a dog or cat into a home that is not a good fit for the pet or your home. TLHS adoption counselors make our best effort to ensure a positive experience for you and our pets. Give your new pet time to adjust to your home while making sure that you are doing your best to provide exercise, nutrition, and positive reinforcement to help support good behavior the rest of its life.

Info Coming Soon!

Info Coming Soon.

The adoption fee is waived. You will be responsible for ongoing veterinary care (as necessary), food, water, and shelter.

When you bring the new cats home, they will need to be confined to an escape-proof room or enclosure like a tack room, garage, coop, or XXL dog crate for 2-4 weeks while they acclimate to their new surroundings. You will feed/water and clean the litter pan daily during the confinement period. After this period of confinement, the cats will usually accept their new home and may be released. You will continue to provide daily food and water and allow them access to shelter such as your barn or garage.

All barn cats come spayed or neutered, rabies vaccinated, treated for worms/fleas/ear mites (dose of Revolution), and ear tipped.

Any cat you adopt from TLHS will be current on rabies vaccination. Following adoption, you will be responsible for keeping the animals’ vaccinations up to date. The best way to have feral cats vaccinated is with the use of a live humane trap such as those used to trap raccoons, possums, etc.

The cats in the barn cat program are not social, friendly cats or suited to be pets. They have no desire to be “lap cats” and cannot be touched, or may take a very long time to trust enough to pet. We strongly encourage adopters to offer cats in this program an independent outdoor life complemented by appropriate care and shelter like a barn or garage.

The youngest cats in the Barn Cat Program are approximately six months old. TLHS will not adopt younger kittens as barn cats, as they don’t yet have the knowledge, size, or skills to remain safe outdoors. Most cats in the barn program are young adults between one and five years of age, though we do have younger and older cats available occasionally. If you have an age preference, just let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you!

The cats require shelter in a permanent building or structure like a barn, shed, stable, or garage in a suitable rural area where they will be safe. The property should be at least .5 miles away from busy roads. Daily food and water must be provided, as well as any future medical care needed. The cats must also be kept confined for the initial 2-4 week relocation period to ensure a successful transition to their new home.

The TLHS barn cats are not accessible to visitors for safety reasons. When you are scheduled to adopt, TLHS will select barn cats for you based on which cats are the most eager to enter a cat carrier for us. If you have a color, age, or gender preference, we will do our best to accommodate you, though we’re not able to make any promises! All barn cat adoptions are scheduled by appointment since it can take some time and extra staff to round the kitties up.