 | Lucky Star Spay Neuter Program News
A Publication of the Lucky Star Spay Neuter Program
12 Birch Lane Morristown, NJ 07960 Email: luckystarprogram@att.net
Volume 135 August 2026 |
 | |
| Our Mission: To gather, recognize and celebrate the continuing annual commitment of each of our member veterinarians to provide some level of absolutely free spay neuter services to the needy animals of their choice, along with any other free services they choose to provide. |
PROUD TO PRESENT OUR LUCKY STARS!
We are proud to present this 2026 roster of Lucky Star Veterinarians. Together these professionals have generously pledged 394 absolutely free spay neuter surgeries & other free or discounted services for needy animals of their choice in 2026, for which they have our utmost admiration and thanks:
Dr. Erno Hollo & Dr. Melissa Rotella, Basking Ridge Animal Hospital
Dr. Danci Mock, West Caldwell Animal Hospital
Dr. Maritza Perez, West Orange Animal Hospital
Dr. P. Picone, Audubon Veterinary Associates
Dr. Sandra Stalder-Frey, Alpha Veterinary Care
Dr. Carolyn Wooley, MCSNIP, Pennington
Dr. David Croman, Medical Director, People for Animals,Inc., (PFA)Hillside, Robbinsville & Millville
DR. MOCK RETIRES
We offer thanks and congratulations to Dr. Danci Mock, now exiting Lucky Star & enjoying her recent retirement after 42 years in practice. We are grateful for her 22 years of pledges since her 1st in 2004! May they be her "Lucky Star!" Having her with us certainly has been ours!
HELP GROW OUR LUCKY STAR ROSTER
Have U told a veterinarian about Lucky Star? Know a veterinarian U would like us to contact on your behalf? R U w/a shelter already receiving help from a Vet? Or, R you a Vet who worries a pledge of any # of free S/N’s will cause U 2 B swamped w/such requests? (FACT: We ‘ve NEVER had a Lucky Star Vet leave 4 that reason or even report being swamped w/such requests.) Not practicing in NJ? No problem! Lucky Star has no borders. Happy to address any ?s or concerns. Drop us an email & let us explain how Lucky Star works! We LOVE our Lucky Stars!! But needy animals need even more Lucky Star Vets!
https://luckystarprogram.org/luckystarprogram.nsf/Index/Home
LONG VIEW ON ANIMAL WELFARE CHANGE
Aug Retirement News got me thinking of the valuable perspective those long in this work can offer! Right on cue, The Animal Welfare Assoc. ran their interview w/Shelly Simmons, in this work for 30 yrs. Read all her thoughts @ https://theaawa.org/member-spotlight-get-to-know-shelly-simmons-cawa/ Here R some:…(a)“One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen in this field is realizing that shelters aren’t the solution to pet over-population. The real work happens in the community. For yrs, success was measured by how efficiently we processed animals once they arrived @ the shelter. Today, the focus is on keeping them from entering the shelter in the 1st place—through spay/neuter access, comm-unity cat programs, & pet support services that help people keep their pets. As a municipal shelter director, that shift has been incredibly meaningful.”…(b)”… If anything, what I’m most proud of is simply staying in this work continuing to show up, adapt, & lead through constant change, high stakes, & hard decisions. Animal welfare isn’t a career w/clear finish lines or easy wins, & longevity itself takes resilience, perspective, & commitment. Being able to look back & say I’m still here, still learning, & still pushing for better outcomes 4 animals & people alike feels like an accomplishment in its own right.”
(c)… ”One thing I’ve been reminded of lately is how powerful collaboration can B when everyone is actually pulling in the same direction. We recently partnered w/ R local humane society, R clinic, & several regional groups for a 2-day TNR event w/ a goal of fixing 500 community cats for free. Veterinary faculty, non-profits, & a whole lot of volunteers showed up & got it done. It was a good reminder that the problems in this field get a lot more manageable when people stop working in silos & start working together.”
WORLD SPOTLIGHT ON LARRY THE CAT
15 years & still on the job & in charge!
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/article/larry-the-cat-welcomes-andy-burnham-his-7th-british-prime-minister-to-downing-street-a-look-back-at-the-felines-15-years-of-service-in-photos-174304019.html
NEXT ISSUE: OCTOBER 1ST 2026
 August 2026 Lucky Star News Vol 135with link replaced re Larry the cat.pdf |
|