09/26/2026
We at Kamp Kritter are especially saddened by Heidi’s passing. She and Sue were great friends and we often partnered with DARE in our local Jacksonville rescue mission. Heidi even did all the Kamp Kritter t-shirts. She was an amazing person taken too soon. The rescue community lost a good one.
It is with a very heavy heart that we share that Heidi Devlin, the founder of DARE, passed away yesterday.
Heidi started DARE in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2003. She spent her life helping animals in need, but dachshunds were always her favorite. She had a dream to save them, and because she acted on that dream, thousands of dogs across Florida have and continue to be given another chance.
I joined DARE in 2009, and became president in 2014, and Heidi has been my mentor and friend.
There will never be another presence like hers. To know Heidi was to truly know a rescuer’s heart. When I think about all the dogs who were held, cared for, and loved because of her vision, it is hard to put into words what we have lost.
I cannot help imagining all the dogs she helped over the years waiting to greet her at the Rainbow Bridge….
What a homecoming that must have been. ❤️🐾🌈
If you ever met Heidi or adopted a DARE dog from her, please share your memories in the comments. I would love for her family and our DARE family to see how many lives she touched.
If you would like to honor Heidi, please consider making a donation to DARE in her memory. Helping the next dog in need is a beautiful way to carry forward the work she started.
Rest in peace, Heidi. We will carry your love for these dogs with us always.
— Alicia Duval, DARE President
Https://daretorescue.org/donation/
