Virginia shelters get a little help from their friends

There is no one way to work toward no-kill. Organizations in Virginia, such as Galax Carroll Grayson Animal Shelter and Paws for Jesus show how collaboration can work to save lives. While volunteers shine at Middleburg Humane Foundation when it comes to making a difference for homeless pets. See how both examples make a difference and work toward achieving no-kill nationwide.

At the end of September, the Galax Carroll Grayson Animal Shelter took in an unexpected and large number of dogs, quickly filling the shelter to capacity. This small shelter, where roughly 1,000 cats and dogs receive care and services each year, was already facing staffing challenges. The influx of dogs threatened their efforts to grow their save rate beyond 86%, so they got to work figuring out a plan that enabled them to care for the new dogs and host two critical adoption events as planned.

Thankfully, a local faith-based group, Paws for Jesus, volunteered to lend a hand and make sure the events happened. Made up of parishioners at Christ Church in Galax, Virginia, this group has a mission to serve animals in their community. Representatives manned the events, helped facilitate adoptions, and even brought dogs to and from the events.

The two organizations coming together proved to be the right call. Adoption interest was strong — so strong that midway through the day, more dogs were needed and additional rides for them from the shelter were arranged, resulting in 14 adoptions total.

Middleburg Humane Foundation is an organization doing great work. Serving just shy of 1,000 animals each year and saving a whopping 97% of them, lifesaving is their way of doing things. This spirit is embodied by every member of their team — especially volunteers Sharon and Terry. Volunteering can sometimes be a quiet, unnoticed job, but the contributions of these two volunteers are hard to ignore.

Sharon has been a cornerstone of Middleburg Humane Foundation for an incredible 13 years. Her commitment goes far beyond showing up. She gives her time, energy, and heart wherever it’s needed most. In addition to opening her home as a foster caregiver to kittens and cats, Sharon is a core part of the trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program and a clinic volunteer. Her knowledge, reliability, and tireless work ethic make her indispensable. “Quite simply, our organization would not function the way it does today without Sharon’s dedication,” says Melissa Hunter, Middleburg Humane director of development and social media manager.

After her retirement in 2024, Terry dove into volunteering, devoting her time to helping animals in need. Since then, Terry has racked up more than 1,750 volunteer hours — a tremendous number given her relative newness to the organization. Terry is one of those volunteers who can always be counted on to be at the shelter. Her dedication has made her a role model, not just for other volunteers but for staff, too.

Melissa emphasizes, “Both Sharon and Terry exemplify what it means to serve with compassion and purpose. Their contributions have a direct, lasting impact on the animals we care for and the community we serve.”

We often think of no-kill as shelter focused — it either happens or doesn’t depending on the goings-on inside the shelter. To an extent that’s true. But the team at Paws for Jesus and volunteers like Sharon and Terry demonstrate the huge impact that individuals play in creating no-kill organizations and communities. Today, 2 out of 3 U.S. shelters are no-kill, and that’s thanks to the individuals who decided to get involved — regular, everyday people making an extraordinary impact by simply asking “How can I help?”

Find your local shelter today and see how you can help.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.