- Video shows Dr. Melissa Owings, vet at Kibby Park Animal Hospital and President of the Barkley and Lulu Foundation.
- The Barkley and Lulu Foundation prevents unnecessary euthanasia by performing 50 cat sterilizations a month, and offering funding for medical treatments and procedures that some pet owners can't afford.
- For every forecast prediction in our 10pm newscast our meteorologist gets correct within three degrees, in March, we'll donate $50 to the Barkley and Lulu Foundation.
In 2012, Dr. Melissa Owings started the Jackson Cat Project based on the need for cat sterilization in the community. From there, she and Doctor Cathy Anderson conducted a statistical analysis on cats and the number of residents in Jackson County. The result of that study showed that about 2,000 cats and kittens were not going to find homes, due to the fact that there were not enough people to adopt them.
From that came the Barkley and Lulu Foundation, with an initial goal to spay and neuter 200 cats a year, and provide medical and surgical funds for patients to receive routine care, and at times, life-saving procedures.
Dr. Owings shares, "It's really good for our veterinary community. It's prevented unnecessary euthanasia. It's helped to keep pets with their. families, and I believe that our veterinarians are healthier emotionally and mentally for that."
The Barkley and Lulu Foundation has helped several pets in Jackson already, like Miso, a Siamese cat who had difficulty walking and needed hip surgery, and Bella, a basset hound with a blood disorder who requires a monthly procedure. "We've had everything from starvation cases... We have dogs that have been shot. We have dogs that have had problems with cancer, and we have a lot of people who have been very, very grateful," says Owings.
For every forecast prediction in our 10pm newscast our meteorologist gets correct within three degrees, in March, we'll donate $50 to the Barkley and Lulu Foundation. According to Dr. Owings, that money will be used to spay and neuter the foundation's new goal of 50 cats per month and provide funding for care that animals throughout the county need.
"It's great to see the smiles from the families, from the pets themselves, and from the veterinarians that are able to provide this care, that they wouldn't be able to provide otherwise," Owings shares.
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