Have you ever wondered how our dog parks came to fruition in Montgomery County? Longtime resident, Laura McConnell had a passion for dogs and found a need and filled it in a critical way by starting The Woodlands Dog Park Club. On their first of many missions to get dog parks started in the Woodlands, it was a catalyst for change when there were a number of people surrendering their dogs when many residents in apartments and condos did not have a place to run their dogs off leash.
At the time, John Powers was leading The Woodlands Parks and Recreation Department and was thinking the same thing and asked the Woodlands Dog Park Club to get 2,000 signatures on a petition to validate interest. Laura shared that when that happened, Cattail Park was the first dog park constructed in the Woodlands in 2004, and Bear Branch came next, then extended to Terramont Park and other areas across the Woodlands. Chris Nunes, Chief Operating Officer at The Woodlands Township was also pivotal in bringing the projects to fruition during his tenure as Director of Parks and Recreation.
Not only were the dog parks an outlet for dogs to get exercise, and dog owners to socialize, but the number of dogs being surrendered were decreasing as a result. As the Woodlands Dog Park Club grew, they extended their mission and now operate under Lone Star Animal Welfare League. “We started by raising funds to help other groups with veterinary expenses,” shares Laura McConnell. “In 2007 we started our Lab Rescue program, where we have saved, rescued, and adopted 4,500 Labs and Lab mixes since then.” Their tagline aptly reflects their mission: Bettering the Lives of our Best Friends.
The group has evolved over time to the needs of the community and their main focus is their Senior Citizen Pet Pantry for Montgomery County residents providing them food and necessities for their pet. Their spay-neuter program, Fixing Montgomery County, is their largest mission. In June, in Splendora, the group reached out to other rescues and nonprofit businesses in Montgomery County, businesses and individuals to fund The Empty Shelter Project. Their mission was to spay and neuter 600 animals across the Splendora, Porter, and New Caney, their target area where too many animals and strays are being surrendered.
Another facet of the group is their Stray Aid Program. Finding a shelter or rescue to place pets is hard to come by, so the group encourages its volunteers to hold the animals while the group funds the preliminary vetting which includes spay, neuter, vaccines, heartworm test, and a microchip. “We’ve probably helped around 75 animals through the Stray Aid Program,” shares Laura McConnell.
“At this point and time, we have spayed and neutered 9,300 animals over the past three years for Montgomery County,” says Laura McConnell.
Volunteers can best benefit the organization by going to their Lone Star Animal Welfare Facebook page where events are posted and updated. One Saturday a month, food distribution is a rewarding way to volunteer at ‘Bull’ Sallas Park in New Caney. Volunteers are always needed to help assist with check-ins for their spay-neuter events, or to donate funds to help support any of the missions.
Team Gillman, of Gillman Subaru North, is one of the group’s largest contributors and their Share the Love program with Subaru designates the group as one of their annual community partners donating over $300,000 to date. East Montgomery Improvement District, Montgomery County Texas Community Foundation, and Houston Pet Set have also donated funds to help Montgomery County. “Because of the donations and support, we are able to do all the things we do to meet our mission,” shares Laura McConnell. “We couldn’t do this without the support.”
Lone Star Animal Welfare League, formerly The Woodlands Dog Park became a nonprofit in 2004 and celebrated their 20th Anniversary in March. The group had shirts made for the group and their stats are printed on the t-shirts. The group has had a phenomenal community impact by upping the spay-neuter game in the area, serving citizens with food support, and are forming along with other Montgomery groups, a Montgomery County Texas Spay Neuter Alliance to pull together to do more. The group's contributions have exceeded $1,500,000 through their numerous missions. Be sure to check out their Pet Pantry Wish List on Amazon on their website at: www.lsawl.org. If you are looking for spay-neuter options, call them at 713-304-2444 and a volunteer will return your call with solutions.
"Our Lab Rescue program, has saved, rescued, and adopted 4,500 Labs and Lab mixes.” Laura McConnell