RICHMOND, Va. — A veterinary nurse with over 20 years of experience is the creator of a new animal transport service that will cater to the needs of pets and their owners in Richmond.
Becky Lacy has spent her career dedicating herself to helping save animals in the region.
In fact, she was part of the team of nurses who cared for Tommie, the pit bull who was set on fire in Richmond nearly six years ago and whose story sparked outrage and sadness across the nation.
Lacy recently transformed a large van into the "Animalance," which she uses to transport both large and small dogs and cats.
In the front seat, you may even find one of her sweet pets, like Yuki, the smiling pup who sometimes comes along for a ride.
The Richmonder says she saw the need firsthand for this kind of service, as many animal owners with mobility issues or limited transportation have had to put off vet care for their pets that need assistance.
"It's been great because I didn't expect it to take off the way it did," she said. "And so, we're rolling, we're helping hospital transports. We're helping people with mobility issues."
Lacy says she also understands the stress many pet owners feel in emergency situations trying to figure out which animal hospitals are open or their clinics' phone numbers. That’s where she says she can step in to help relieve some of that stress.
"Even when you think that you can transport your animal, you're just like, oh, I'm panicking," Lacy explained. "I can help in these situations, or even if you go to pick up your animal from a veterinary hospital that just had surgery and you weren't expecting them to maybe look a certain way or act a certain way from anesthesia, and you're like, how am I going to get them home? So it's a lot involved."
Lacy says she wants to reach as many people as she can, so Animalance RVA is open for transport from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and after-hours rides are available as well.
While Animalance RVA is not yet offering actual medical assistance, Lacy hopes to be able to do so soon.
She adds that she tries to make each ride affordable for those who need her assistance.
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