Dogs Deserve Better (2026)

01/09/2026

🐾 Another successful Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge FREE spay & neuter clinic! 🐾
Our monthly clinic was held today at Pro Re Nata Brewpub & Music Hall, and what a great day it was! ❤️

Today, we spayed, neutered, and vaccinated 21 dogs and 16 cats from our community.

We also had a few special cases that needed additional care. Once an animal is safely under anesthesia, the vet team sometimes discovers medical issues that need to be addressed right away. We made sure these animals received the care they needed and covered the additional costs.

Today, they treated:
🐶 One case of pyometra
🐶 One hernia
🐶 One dog who needed several painful, damaged teeth removed because they were barely attached by their roots

Our total bill today was $5,958, which also included three additional community cats we recently took to the Staunton clinic.

It was such a wonderful day meeting so many loving members of our community and their beloved animals. Days like today remind us just how important this program is. ❤️

And, as always, we have a HUGE thank-you to everyone who helped make today possible!

🍻 Thank you, Pro Re Nata Brewery, for allowing us to use your parking lot today.

🐾 Thank you to our DDBBR volunteers — Christopher, Donna, and George — for helping with registration and traffic flow this morning. We couldn't do it without you!

🩺 Thank you, as always, to the amazing team at Mobile Vet Solutions . The service you are providing to communities all across Virginia is a game changer. Your work is making an incredible difference in reducing the overpopulation of domestic animals throughout our state.

💙 And thank you to our generous donors who make this important program possible. Every monetary contribution helps us say “yes” when an animal needs care.

It takes a village — and we have a pretty great one. Much love to everyone who continues to support our mission.

25/08/2026

🚨 BREAKING NEWS FROM DDBBR 🚨

DUKE. IS. ADOPTED. 🎉🐾

We repeat: Duke has left the program — not for a walk, not for a foster sleepover — for GOOD. He has a home. He has a person. He has a couch to claim as his own. This is not a drill.

Duke came into Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge’s program on 12/09/25, and if you've been following his journey, you know this wasn't a quick swipe-right situation. This was a long stay. A "we're not giving up on this guy" situation. The kind of case that tests your patience and then reminds you exactly why you do this work in the first place.

Enter his now-adopter: a woman who walked in wanting one simple thing — a companion. Not a specific breed, not a certain look, not a dog off a checklist. Just the right fit. So we did what we do best: we played matchmaker. We introduced her to a few of our dogs, took our time, paid attention to the details, and waited for the click.

And then — Duke happened. 🐕‍🦺💛

One of our foster and adoption coordinators brought Duke to his new home, and she can testify: he KNEW he was home as soon as he walked in — he immediately laid down on his dog bed, HIS dog bed.

This is exactly why we never give up on our long-stay dogs. Every single one of them is somebody's Duke — they just haven't met their person yet. So next time you're scrolling, maybe give the "unconventional" ones a second look. You might just find your favorite. Or, submit an application, and we will help you find the perfect fit. It's what we are here for!

Welcome to your forever home, Duke. We are SO unbelievably happy for you. 🥹🎊

21/08/2026

A Different Kind of Happy Ending: Leah's Story
When the Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge team was called to assist with a large-scale cat hoarding case in Rockbridge County, we never imagined we'd leave with a tiny senior Yorkie named Leah.

As we met with the property owners alongside Rockbridge County Animal Control to discuss the upcoming trapping operation, a neighbor approached us carrying Leah. She explained that she was facing eviction and could no longer afford the medical care Leah desperately needed. One look told us this little dog needed help.

At 13 years old, Leah was severely matted, suffering from a painful flea infestation and advanced dental disease. Most concerning were the large mammary tumors along both sides of her body, some so large they nearly reached the ground. We immediately brought Leah to the veterinarian, where we received difficult news. She was diagnosed with mammary chain cancer, and because the tumors had grown so extensively, surgery was no longer an option.

Despite everything her body had endured, Leah's spirit remained remarkably bright. She greeted everyone with a wagging tail, happily accepted every cuddle, and wasn't shy about sharing her opinion with a little Yorkshire Terrier sass.

Rather than letting her story end there, we chose to focus on giving Leah the very best quality of life possible.

Today, Leah is living with a loving hospice adopter who has given her exactly what every dog deserves—comfort, safety, and a family to call her own. Her pain is being managed, the fleas are gone, and her new family says she's still as sassy as ever, insisting on being involved in everything they do.

We don't know how much time Leah has left, but we do know this: every day she has will be filled with love instead of neglect, soft beds instead of discomfort, and the security of knowing she's finally home.

Sometimes rescue isn't measured by how many years we can give a dog. Sometimes it's measured by how much life we can give to the time they have left.

14/08/2026

🐾❤️ A HAPPY DAY OF HELPING OUR COMMUNITY! ❤️🐾

DDBBR had very positive day visiting our friends in Augusta and Rockbridge Counties today!

We delivered lots of pet food, flea and tick preventative, and pine bedding to families and their pets. But the BEST news of the day is that we now have six cats from this community scheduled to go to the Mobile Vet Solutions clinic next Thursday!

We will be covering the cost for all six cats to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated. These are beloved pets who will be going back home to owners who love them and take care of them — they simply don't have the financial resources to afford spay and neuter surgery.

This is exactly why we do what we do. ❤️ Helping families keep the pets they love while preventing unwanted litters and keeping animals healthier is such an important part of our mission.

It was a GREAT day! Thank you all so much for continuing to support our mission. We truly could not do this without you! 🐾

06/08/2026

🎉 ADOPTED 🎉

Our sweet boy, Fred, is officially home. 💛

Fred came into Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge after spending the first few months of his life confined to a small outdoor pen with many other dogs. He was often the target of bullying from the other dogs and never really had the chance to just be a puppy.

When Fred arrived, he was a little hesitant but incredibly sweet. It didn't take long for him to blossom.

In his foster home, Fred learned what it meant to be part of a family. He discovered cozy beds, life indoors, and, maybe best of all, what it was like to have dog friends who wanted to play instead of pick on him. We watched him grow from a gangly little puppy into the handsome, confident dog he is today.

Now, Fred's next chapter has officially begun.

He has two canine siblings in his forever home, including his new best friend, Popcorn, a big, goofy Golden Retriever. He also has two human siblings who absolutely adore him, and a mom who just so happens to be a veterinarian. We know Fred is going to be loved, spoiled, and exceptionally well cared for for the rest of his life.

Happy forever, Fred. We always knew your people were out there—they were just worth the wait. 💛🐾

04/08/2026

What a busy morning at Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge’s No Empty Bowls event at Waynesboro Mennonite Church last Saturday! We served 89 households, helping care for 188 dogs and 323 cats (including five community cat colonies).

A huge thank you to our friends at the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies and Gleaning For The World for providing us with two heavily discounted pallets of pet food this past month. We paid only about $200 for both pallets, saving our nonprofit thousands of dollars while helping us feed more community animals.

We're also incredibly grateful to Puppy Food Bank, who generously donates a large shipment of Purina ONE dog food every month. Their ongoing support makes a tremendous difference for the pets and families we serve.

And, as always, none of this would be possible without our amazing volunteers! Thank you to Deb, Carol, Jim, Anita, Rachel, and Maliah for giving up your Saturday morning to help serve your neighbors and their pets. We appreciate each and every one of you!
Together, we're making sure that no pet has to go hungry. ❤️🐾

28/07/2026

Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge teamed up once again with Mobile Vet Solutions for our monthly FREE Spay/Neuter & Rabies Clinic!

Today we provided veterinary care for 18 dogs and 23 cats—a total of 41 animals. Our invoice for today's clinic was $5,960, and thanks to all of you who have donated and continue to support this important community outreach program, we are able to keep making these clinics possible.

We were also thrilled to have all three Buckingham County VA Animal Control Officers with us this morning! They are a fantastic group of Animal Control Officers, and we have truly enjoyed working alongside them over the years. They do an outstanding job serving the animals and residents of Buckingham County. We were especially excited to hear that they will soon be getting a much larger new shelter—great news for the community and the animals they serve!

A huge thank you goes out to our volunteer, Diane Dublin, who helped with a very busy registration this morning. She worked incredibly hard, kept everything moving smoothly, and was a tremendous help. We are so grateful for her dedication.

And of course, we can't thank the amazing team at Mobile Vet Solutions enough for their tireless work. They travel all across Virginia providing affordable veterinary care to pets who might not otherwise have access to these essential services. Their partnership has made an incredible impact on our mission and the communities we serve.

Today's clinic prevented countless future unwanted litters, helped keep pets healthier, and eased the financial burden for dozens of families.
Today was a very good day. ❤️

24/07/2026

This evening I finished entering all of the animals registered for Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge’s upcoming FREE Spay & Neuter Clinic in Dillwyn into the Mobile Vet Solutions Pet Portal.

Before we started offering these clinics, we thought maybe some people just didn't want to have their pets spayed or neutered. What we’ve learned is the exact opposite.

Almost everyone wants to do the right thing—they simply can't afford it, especially when they have multiple pets. The more clinics we do, the more convinced we become that the only way we're ever going to make a real difference in pet overpopulation is by expanding access to free or low-cost spay and neuter services. We simply cannot rescue our way out of Virginia's pet overpopulation crisis.

Because of that, DDBBR has made this mission a priority. We budgeted $65,000 in 2026 to provide these free clinics. We'll likely go over that budget a little, but it's worth every penny.

The heartbreaking part is that every time we open registration, we now receive around 300 emails for only 40–45 available appointments.
We wish we had unlimited funds like every other nonprofit... 😁
In all seriousness, it's become one of the hardest parts of what we do. Going through hundreds of emails knowing we can't help everyone is painful.

Large dogs are the most difficult to fit into the schedule because they require more space and larger recovery crates. We have to stop the bleeding. Every day, more litters are being born than there are homes available for them across Virginia.

To everyone who has donated and supported this spay and neuter mission—thank you. Your generosity is creating lasting change, one surgery at a time.
We are doing this one dog and one cat at a time, and we couldn't do it without you. ❤️

21/07/2026

Yesterday, Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge received a call about a litter of 8 week old puppies and one seven-month-old puppy who were extremely sick and lethargic. The puppies mom passed away the day before. Our volunteer, Gina Troyer, went to the home to assess the situation and determine whether our rescue needed to step in.

Once she saw the puppies, we immediately suspected parvovirus, though we desperately hoped we were wrong. Sadly, our fears were confirmed. All seven puppies had been exposed to the deadly parvovirus.

Their owner made the decision to surrender all of them to us so we could rush them to the veterinarian. They were tested this morning, and are positive for parvo. A huge THANK YOU to Animal Health Care Center P.C. for allowing us to bring them in first thing this morning. They are now receiving treatment, and we are hoping they all pull through.

We also want to give an enormous shout-out to our rescue partners at SFC Virginia: The Squishy Face Crew! When we called Ryan and explained the situation, he immediately told us that their Parvo Unit was currently empty and that they would gladly take over their treatment beginning tomorrow.

This is an incredible blessing. While DDBBR will still have a significant veterinary bill from their emergency care and diagnostics, transferring them to SFC Virginia's specialized Parvo Unit will greatly reduce the cost of treating seven puppies over the coming days.

These pups have a long road ahead, but they now have a fighting chance because so many people stepped up to help. If you would like to help give these puppies every opportunity to survive, please consider making a donation to Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge, SFC Virginia, or both. Every dollar will go directly toward their lifesaving medical care. The donation links here:

https://www.sfcva.org/donate

https://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/donate

Thank you for keeping these sweet puppies in your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to share updates as they fight this terrible disease. ❤️🐾

21/07/2026

🎉 ADOPTED: Nella! 🎉

Nella, proof that the right home can change everything.

This senior chug came to Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge as a total "Nervous Nelly." She was adopted and spent a while in her home before being returned to us, we learned it just wasn't the right fit. She needed a home all to herself, with no other dogs to compete with for attention or space.

Once we found her the right fit, everything clicked.

Nella isn't just settled in, she's running the roost. 👑 This sweet girl is now fully in charge of her own home, living her best senior life with someone who understands her completely.

This is exactly why we take the time to find the right match, not just a match. Every dog deserves a home that fits who they really are. Sometimes it just takes a little trial and error to get there.

Congratulations to Nella and her forever mom! We couldn't be happier for you. 🥰

Dogs Deserve Better

01/09/2026

25/08/2026

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14/08/2026

06/08/2026

04/08/2026

28/07/2026

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