Lab Rescue of the L.R.C.P. Wins Tony Stewart Foundation Grant

    ANNANDALE, VA, November 04, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Lab Rescue of the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac announced that the Tony Stewart Foundation has awarded the group a $7,500 grant to support its Healthy Start Program, which provides each rescued Lab with a diagnostic test for four serious infectious diseases.

Many of the dogs saved by Lab Rescue have unknown or incomplete medical histories. Undiagnosed infections can make these Labs less adoptable or could result in their being returned after adoption. By testing for mosquito-borne heartworm disease and the tick-borne bacteria that cause ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and Lyme disease, Lab Rescue can identify dogs with these infections and provide them with the veterinary care needed to restore them to good health.

"A healthy dog is a more adoptable dog," said Lab Rescue President Sterrie Weaver of Yorktown, Va. "By helping us provide this test with this generous grant, the Tony Stewart Foundation is enabling us to save more Labs and get them off to good starts in their new homes."

One beneficiary of the Healthy Start Program is Butch, an 8-year-old yellow Lab adopted by Heather Morrissey, a Lab Rescue adoption coordinator in Gainesville, Va. Obtained this summer from a shelter, Butch had heartworm disease and whipworms, an intestinal parasite. He was underweight and lethargic, with a thin, dull coat. After Lab Rescue provided treatment for both heartworm and whipworms, Butch has gained 10 pounds, is much more energetic, and exhibits a thick, silky coat. "I wouldn't think twice about adopting or suggesting others adopt dogs that are heartworm positive," Morrissey said. "With the treatment and rest following treatment, these dogs can live long, healthy, happy lives."

Founded by NASCAR champion driver, racecar owner and philanthropist Tony Stewart, the foundation selected Lab Rescue as one of 40 charities from among more than 300 nominated throughout the United States for "Tony's Grant Accelerator" competition. "We created this competition to uncover terrific charities that are serving children and animals in innovative ways," Stewart said. "The result is a collection of charities - large and small - with a common denominator of having a strong volunteer network and a dedicated staff to deliver programs."

Since 2004, the Indianapolis-based Tony Stewart Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in grants to organizations serving children, animals and drivers injured in motorsports. More information about the foundation, including photographs and stories about the 40 Grant Accelerator Charities, is available at www.TonyStewartFoundation.org.

Founded in 1991, Lab Rescue of the L.R.C.P. Inc. is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization that rescues, fosters and adopts more than 800 Labrador retrievers per year to approved applicants. The group serves Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C., as well as adjacent parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina. Labs available for adoption can be seen at www.lab-rescue.org.

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