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Animal Advocates

Rebekah Harrison//July 1, 2015//

Animal Advocates

Rebekah Harrison //July 1, 2015//

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We spoke with Joey Herrick, founder and president of The Lucy Pet Foundation, about its mobile spay and neuter clinics, the foundation’s goals and its plans for SuperZoo.

Rebekah: Can you tell me a little about The Lucy Pet Foundation?

Joey: I started The Lucy Pet Foundation with two main goals, to reduce pet overpopulation and support causes that benefit animal welfare. Once you go into shelters and learn that more than 80,000 dogs and cats a week are being euthanized just because there’s too many of them, it affects you. There are too many animals coming in the front door and not enough getting adopted. That’s why I decided to have either no-cost or low-cost mobile spay and neuter clinics.
I also want to stop the 22 states that still euthanize animals by the gas chamber.

Rebekah: What is your goal for The Lucy Pet Foundation?

Joey: My goal today is the same as it has been for the last 30 years: to enrich animals’ lives. In the past, I did that by pioneering great pet food formulas and making sure that high-quality ingredients went into those formulas. I donated tons and tons of food to animal rescue groups. They are the real heroes! They are the ones who go into shelters to take dogs and cats off of death row and get them adopted. Now, it’s using all of my experience in the pet industry to get pet overpopulation under control and to eliminate the barbaric practice of shelters using gas chambers as a form of euthanasia.

Rebekah: What is the process that The Lucy Pet Foundation takes in its approach to help animals in need?

Joey: We work closely with city and county shelters, animal rescue groups and feral cat trappers to identify where the biggest problems of pet overpopulation are. We then get the word out in that area by radio, television, posting flyers and knocking on doors.

Rebekah: Anything special going on at The Lucy Pet Foundation booth at SuperZoo this year?

Joey: Surfin’ Jack, our dog rescued from the shelter and star of our football commercial seen by millions, will be there with her trainer, Mathilde DeCagney. Mathilde is the trainer for such famous dogs as Eddie from “Frazier,” Baxter from “Anchorman” and her new movie dog just coming out,“Max.”