We’re here today with Ashley Hammond, the Director of Fundraising at the Lexington Humane Society. She’s been there for about 11 years starting as a volunteer with fundraising, and she has been there ever since. We had a couple of questions for her about the organization.

Can you tell us a bit about the organization and when it was founded?

The Lexington Humane Society was founded in the late 1800s, and it was originally concerned with animals and children, but over time it changed to just being about animals. Over the last 15 years, we have grown so much. We care for so many animals not just in our community but in surrounding communities and all over the U.S.

Can you talk a little bit more about the adoption process?

We have around 400 animals in our care. A lot of them are in foster care, so you might be able to see them all in one of our locations. A better place to look is our website, where you can see all of the animals currently up for adoption.

You’ll come in and spend about 30 minutes with that animal. Then after a questionnaire and proof of homeownership, you can take that animal home. We complete around 4,000 adoptions a year this way.

“We are so happy to have chosen the Lexington Humane Society as one of our partners to donate to this year.”

How many animals have been adopted so far this year?

This year, we are at about 2,500 to 3,000 right now. We usually see a lot of adoptions around the holiday season.

How can we as a community contribute to the Lexington Humane Society?

There are a lot of ways to contribute, whether that is volunteering, donating money, or even agreeing to be a foster home. Spreading the word is also huge. Adoption is the best way to add a pet to your family, and we want more people to know that.

Are there any upcoming events?

On September 11, we are having our dog paddle. It’s exactly how it sounds, a swim for dogs. It is so much fun. It’s held at Woodland Aquatic Center with three different time slots: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Be aware that the earlier time slots are more expensive.

We are so happy to have chosen the Lexington Humane Society as one of our partners to donate to this year. We will be contributing a portion of our commissions to them. If you have any questions about their organization, you can reach out to us, and we’ll point you in the right direction, or you can go straight to their website. And as always, don’t hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email if you have any real estate-related questions. We’d love to help.