08/31/2026
I’m far too sensitive to ever work in animal rescue full-time.
Over the years, I built a successful dog boarding business. It’s a happy place filled with happy dogs and kind owners. I’m fortunate that so much of my life is spent surrounded by that.
But of course, I want to give back to my community. I want to help where I can, and I try to advocate for what I believe is right—even when not everyone agrees with me.
Through networking and animal advocacy, though, my social media feed has become filled with the other side of the animal world.
I see abused animals. Abandoned animals. Animals forgotten by the people they trusted.
I see countless animals suffering, and it hurts my heart more than I can explain.
I see pet owners desperately searching for solutions during some of the hardest moments of their lives. They can’t find pet-friendly housing. They can’t afford basic veterinary care. They’re facing illness, financial hardship, eviction or sudden homelessness—and sometimes they simply have nowhere for their pet to go.
I see military families facing deployments and circumstances that leave them believing surrendering a beloved dog is their only option. Even though I can offer long-term boarding at just $22 a day, over months that can still become a tremendous financial strain for a family.
I spend so much time trying to fundraise, hoping I can find a way to lessen that burden and make keeping these families and their dogs together possible.
And my dream is much bigger than that.
I dream of the day Dancing Creek Farm can become entirely nonprofit—a place where we can help families based on need rather than their ability to pay.
Not just military families.
People facing sudden homelessness.
Someone entering drug or alcohol rehabilitation.
A person trying to escape domestic violence.
Someone hospitalized or facing a serious family emergency.
There are people who delay getting help—or don’t seek it at all—because they have nowhere safe for their pets.
Can you imagine going through one of the most difficult times of your life and, on top of everything else, facing the possibility of being separated from or permanently losing your beloved pet?
Sometimes that pet may be the one thing holding you together.
That is something I desperately want to change.
I try so hard to find a grant writer who understands this mission and can help me turn this vision into something sustainable. I’ve tried. I’ve spent far too much money only to end up with excuses, disappointment and very little to show for it.
But I’m not giving up on this.
At the same time, I see the criticism and hate directed toward pet owners, shelters, rescues and even the people trying to help.
It never seems to end.
I see a community that, in many ways, is failing its animals. Sometimes because people make irresponsible choices—absolutely. But sometimes people truly have no good choices left.
Lately, I find myself spending less time here.
Days will pass before I approve posts in my All Virginia Pet Adoptions group. And when I finally sit down to go through them, there it is again:
“The shelter can’t take them.”
Another dog. Another cat. Another family with nowhere to turn.
I grow weary.
Not because I’ve stopped caring.
Because I care too much.
There are days when I want to fix every situation I see. Help every animal. Help every person who is genuinely trying. Find the money, find the foster, find the home, find the solution.
But every bit of help we provide comes at a cost—financially, emotionally and personally.
For now, I’ll keep doing what I can.
I’ll keep asking for donations. I’ll keep looking for grants. I’ll keep knocking on doors. I’ll keep trying to find people who believe in this mission as much as I do.
Because somewhere there is another deployed service member who needs someone to keep their dog safe.
Another person who needs to enter treatment.
Another family suddenly without a home.
Another person trying to escape an unsafe situation.
And another beloved pet who shouldn’t have to be permanently separated from their person simply because life fell apart.
Maybe I can’t fix everything I see.
But I’m not giving up on this dream.
And I hope, before my last breath, I get to see this mission become everything I know it can be.
❤️ IF YOU’D LIKE TO HELP US GET THERE
Haven Mia Bella is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Every donation—whether it’s $5, $25, $100 or a monthly gift—helps us provide assistance to families who desperately want to keep their pets but are facing circumstances beyond their control.
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havenmiabella.org
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And if you can’t donate, sharing our mission may help us reach someone who can. ❤️