The Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Club, whose intention is to try and help as many animals as possible find permanent homes, focuses on increasing membership and raising awareness for lost animals.

The Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Club would usually have meetings on Mondays and would have a fundraiser at the Petco Rockville Location on Saturdays. During fundraisers, the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue brings 10-20 dogs to Petco and club members walk the animals around the store to have them meet prospective families who will hopefully take them home. “When I was walking my assigned dog around Petco, a family came up and asked about my dog and – long story short – the conversation ended up with the family taking the dog home. I felt so proud of myself at that moment and I will never forget it,” sophomore member Lauren Povich said.

Other events the club would have had throughout the year are bake sales, planned by the club sponsor, English teacher Melanie Moomau. The money raised would be to buy toys, food, and other supplies for the dogs and cats. “Covid-19 can not stop this extremely dedicated club from helping the rescue,” Moomau said.

Due to the pandemic, the club will not be able to do fundraisers because Petco is not allowing any events on their premises; however, the club continues to find new ways to stay active with the community and its members. They are having virtual meetings and other Covid-friendly events that comply with health restrictions. “Right now we are looking into different ways to fundraise for the foundation, and we are waiting for the adoption events to reopen at the Rockville Petco. Also, we are always looking to recruit more people. We can always use more help to ensure that the spots are filled for each event,” President and senior Jared Boyd said.

Although Covid-19 is affecting the club, they have found ways to help virtually. The club helps out by going on The Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Website. Club members can select individual cats or dogs and donate money for supplies, or post about the animals on social media to raise awareness for that pet.

Also, people have the option to foster a dog or cat. Fostering is when you bring a dog or cat home from the rescue, take care of it, and try to get it adopted. Fostering allows the rescue to have more space for new dogs or cats, and the dog/cat gets to live in a loving home instead of a kennel with other animals.“I don’t own any pets but I like to help the community and help out or give back whenever I can. I want to join this club so I can do that in a setting outside my comfort zone,” member Saurav Khetan said.