Dogs Deserve Better

13/02/2025

Every dog deserves a chance at freedom, love, and joy. Let’s make it happen together this "Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week" ❤️

https://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/donate

11/02/2025

Some love stories are meant to be—and Coco’s is one of them.

Born in August alongside her siblings, Coco (formerly Martha) entered the world under less-than-ideal circumstances. At just a few days old, she and her littermates arrived at DDBBR with their devoted mama, Mabel. The early days weren’t easy, but thanks to the dedication and care of some incredible fosters, this little fighter pulled through.

One very special foster fell in love with Coco right from the start. And as soon as she was old enough to leave mama, she went right back to the place where she felt safest—her future forever home.

Fast forward to January, and Coco reached another milestone: her spay surgery. And with that, it was official—she was finally, officially, part of the family that had loved her all along.

Just look at her now! She’s grown, she’s thriving, and she’s living the happy, love-filled life she so deserves. 🥰

Congratulations, Coco and family! 💕

08/02/2025

UPDATE LITTLE GIRL!

A few months ago Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge launched a fundraiser to provide orthopedic surgery at Virginia Veterinary Specialists to a dog who was reported to us as having a gunshot wound. THANK YOU to everyone who donated. We ended up raising enough money to pay for Little Girls medical care AND another dog who needed surgery for a tumor removal. We recently received this update and photo from Little Girls family 💙……

“Just wanted to let you know that little girl's cast came off last week.. Her bone had healed up nicely and The orthopedic doctor said that he doesn't feel no need in another surgery unless The pins in her legs start to irritate her skin. So for the next several weeks we will be watching Her to make sure she's able to Apply weight to her leg Without pain or discomfort..
Again, I want to thank you all for your help. You don't know what it meant to us to have someone fighting for us and helping us out the way you all helped us.. we r truly blessed to have crossed paths with people like yall..
I'll keep u posted on the pins.”

It takes a village and we appreciate each of you who donated to help 2 pups in need!!!

07/02/2025

This is Bo. Bo spent the first thirteen years of his life chained outside, longing for love. Now, he’s living his very best life with a cozy bed, lots of toys, a comfy couch and an amazing forever family. 💕 No dog deserves to live on a chain. Let’s work together to make a difference during Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week.

Interested in learning more about the VA laws governing chained and outdoor dogs? Visit this link: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/.../chapter65/section3.2-6500/

07/02/2025

We do not often take cats into our rescue but a few months ago we went out in the field and found a situation where we could not leave without taking the mama cat and her kittens! We received this photo from our Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge adopter ❤️. It warms our heart to see these kittens living thier best lives.

02/02/2025

Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge serviced 86 families with 184 dogs & 279 cats at our No Empty Bowls food drive yesterday!
Shout out to our friends at AugustaDog Adoptions for donating a van full of food and supplies! 💙💙💙.
Next month we will be in Craigsville, Virginia… Saturday, March 1st.

30/01/2025

Shout out and a big THANK YOU to Ryan K Barker of SFC Virginia for taking in a litter of very young puppies from Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge a week ago when they broke for parvo. They saved us thousands of dollars by doing the treatment at their facility!

What a transformation in a week! After lots of dewormer and undergoing their parvovirus protocol, they are now doing so much better. These pups posed for their mug shots during their intake exams yesterday, and will be looking for foster homes who can love and house them til they’re ready for adoption.

DDBBR paid for the dad to be neutered last week and we are getting the mom to the vet next week so no more litters at this property 💙🙌

29/01/2025

Shout out to our friends at Almost Home: Nelson Co SPCA! They found a foster home for these 3 scruffy puppies who were surrendered to Dogs Deserve Better today!

The DDB team had a long day today and it made our day so much easier once they let us know they found foster! A photo of the mom is below…she is the white/black terrier. This pups are around 8 weeks old..all males and super sweet.

29/01/2025

Hey - it’s me, Diesel, your DDB Dog of the Month. Sorry it’s been a bit since you last heard from me but I’ve been busy GETTING ADOPTED! Amazing, right? And you know what’s even better? I’m getting adopted by my FOSTER FAMILY! That’s right - I get to spend the rest of my life with my amazing FOREVER moms and fabulous FUREVER siblings. I literally couldn’t dreamed up a better next chapter for myself!

I want to thank all the people who shared my story and my pics. I feel lucky to have had so much support! Do me a favor and keep sharing and spreading the news for the next Dog of the Month, please. (I hear she’s pretty fantastic!).

❤️🐾❤️🐾 - Diesel

29/01/2025

Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge was recently contacted by one of our animal control officer friends, asking for help to improve the living conditions for Ozzy, a young Great Pyrenees pup. He was chained inside an enclosure, and we knew we had to step in.

With the help of our amazing team, we unchained Ozzy and built a large, secure pen where he can move freely and enjoy being his sweet and playful self. 🐾

It was a challenging but rewarding day! Between walking and skating across icy snow, 4 out of our 6 volunteers (myself included!) took a tumble on the ice—but thankfully, no injuries were reported. 😁💪🏽

Our incredible Doghouse Building Director, Julie, is already working on a custom XL insulated doghouse for Ozzy since he’s outgrown our standard large size. We can’t wait to deliver it to him in the next few weeks!

Ozzy’s future is looking brighter, and it’s all thanks to the power of community and teamwork. ❤️
***** see Ozzy’s video in the comments below****

29/01/2025

Today was a good day volunteering for Dogs Deserve Better….solid field team, amazing animals, great company, and some sunshine at the end of the day 🌞🐾💙💪🏽

25/01/2025

We are 10 signatures away from hitting 500!! Please share. This is a petition for justice for the dogs who suffered at the puppy mill.

https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-dogs-maximum-sentence-for-animal-cruelty-defendants-pending-conviction?recruiter=1146792479&recruited_by_id=b2940cf0-eee5-11ea-9b12-510fada50bf8&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR26z1s3ogFm3ZMaiGp0UK0x1UGOWCWddNhlWgy-LnOUCaqOUalAvfCuJ0c_aem_fcU9rGIChKUppw5SG3Q0Tw

Justice for Dogs: Maximum Sentence for Animal Cruelty Defendants, Pending Conviction

24/01/2025

GREENE COUNTY PUPPY MILL PETITION!!
PLEASE READ & SIGN & SHARE… It’s so important that we all make the effort to stand up for dogs. They can’t exactly do it for themselves❣️🐾💜Thank you for your consideration of our request… lots of pictures-take a look!

Justice for Dogs: Maximum Sentence for Animal Cruelty Defendants, Pending Conviction
Click on the photo below to sign!

Justice for Dogs: Maximum Sentence for Animal Cruelty Defendants, Pending Conviction

22/01/2025

Community-Owned Pets Spay/Neuter/Medical Fund in Action Today!

Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge had a busy and rewarding day helping our furry friends through our community medical fund!

First up, Bat Dad, a stunning black pittie mix, visited our vet partners at Woodworth Animal Hospital. He had a big day: he was neutered, vaccinated, and tested for heartworms! But that’s not all—when we picked him up for his appointment, we learned that one of his family’s cats, Tails, was struggling with an upper respiratory condition. We made sure Tails got the care he needed too!

Tails was combo tested (great news—he’s negative!) and, since he’s already neutered, we focused on treating his infection. Thanks to the antibiotics he received today, he’s well on his way to feeling better.

A huge thank you to everyone who donates to our community medical fund! This vital program allows us to provide essential care to pets in need, and it’s all possible because of your support. You’re making a real difference in their lives! 🐾💙

22/01/2025

Puppy Update: Fighting for Their Lives with Your Help

Last week, Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge welcomed a litter of puppies from a local family we work with. The family reached out when the mama dog refused to nurse her pups and started getting nippy with them. Thanks to our amazing puppy foster, Marie Ziccardy McCauley, these little ones began to thrive under her loving care.

Unfortunately, one of the pups fell very ill yesterday. Marie rushed him to Augusta Valley Animal Hospital, where he tested positive for parvo. DDBBR covered his treatment, which included sub-q fluids and a monoclonal antibody injection.

To ensure the best chance for the whole litter—nine puppies in total—we reached out to Ryan K Barker at SFC Virginia. Ryan specializes in treating parvo cases, and we’re incredibly grateful for his expertise and partnership. These precious pups are now under SFC VA’s medical care, and we’re holding onto hope that they can pull through.

Please keep these sweet babies in your thoughts and send them positive energy! If you’re not familiar with SFC VA, we highly encourage you to check out thier website: https://www.sfcva.org and consider making a donation. Treating parvo is expensive, but every dollar makes a difference in saving lives.
You can donate to this incredible rescue here:
👉 https://www.sfcva.org/donate.html

Thank you for supporting us, SFC VA, and helping these pups get the care they need! ❤️

18/01/2025

Sashi Update

Yesterday at 12:20 PM, Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge received confirmation that Albemarle County Animal Control had finally picked up Sashi. After being transported to a veterinarian for evaluation, the officers returned to Sashi’s owner’s home at 5:12 PM to finalize paperwork. It turns out that no official seizure ever occurred. Instead, the owner agreed to surrender Sashi.

While we are overjoyed and relieved that Sashi is now safe and no longer living under the care of his abuser, critical questions remain unanswered.

When the officer arrived at the property on January 6th and reviewed the same horrifying video we all saw, they chose to leave Sashi with the man who, just an hour earlier, had savagely beaten him and thrown him through the air. Why was Sashi left in that dangerous environment instead of being seized immediately? Why did it take eleven days to remove Sashi and take him to a veterinarian? To help uncover the reasoning behind these decisions, we recently submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the officer’s body cam footage from January 6th.

According to Albemarle County’s report, “the evaluation determined that the dog is in good health and has no significant or life-threatening injuries.” While we are relieved to hear this, the outcome might have been drastically different if Sashi had been examined immediately after the beating, rather than nearly two weeks later.

Sashi is now believed to be at the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA, though we have not yet confirmed this. Our greatest hope is for Sashi to find a loving home where he can finally experience the care and comfort he has always deserved—a safe place where he can sleep on a soft bed instead of being left outside, chained up, and neglected.

Let’s continue to push for answers and accountability. Sashi deserves better, and so do all animals subjected to cruelty and neglect.

17/01/2025

Update on Sashi’s Case ‼️‼️‼️

Many of you have seen the disturbing video of Sashi, a senior dog, being brutally beaten with a pole or whip by his owner in Keswick, Virginia, on January 6, 2025. This act of cruelty was captured on surveillance footage and has sparked outrage among our community.

Since receiving this video on Tuesday evening, January 14, we at DDBBR have been tirelessly advocating for Sashi's safety. Below is a detailed timeline of events:

Timeline:

January 6: Sashi was viciously beaten by his owner. The incident was recorded on surveillance cameras. The video was shared with Albemarle County Animal Control. Officers visited the abuser but left Sashi in his care.

January 8: Neighbors reported seeing Sashi outside the property. After that day, he was not seen again until today, January 16

January 14: DDBBR received the video and immediately contacted Animal Control and the local shelter (CASPCA) to check if Sashi had been seized and placed on court hold. This is the protocol in cases of abuse. Screenshots of our messages are included below.

January 15: After pressing Animal Control for updates, we learned that Sashi had not been removed from the abuser's home or taken for a veterinary examination.

Today, we received confirmation that Animal Control visited the property again. The abuser brought Sashi outside to show them, confirming that Sashi was still in his possession. Shockingly, Sashi has not been seized or medically examined, even though his body is evidence of the abuse.

Why Immediate Action is Critical
Sashi’s condition should have been assessed immediately after the beating to check for internal injuries, fractures, or internal bleeding. Though there may be no visible wounds, the trauma inflicted on him could have caused significant harm. Ten days have now passed, making it much harder to gather accurate medical evidence for the court case.

The video itself is gut-wrenching, even without sound. However, the audio reveals the deafening blows and the abuser's uncontrollable rage—details that make this abuse even more horrifying.

Our Concerns
Sashi has spent the past ten days inside his abuser’s home, a place of danger. As a senior dog, he is vulnerable and unable to advocate for himself. We fear that any barking, accidents in the house, or other behaviors may have led to further abuse during this time.

Call to Action
It is our collective responsibility—rescue organizations, Animal Control, neighbors, and citizens—to protect those who cannot speak for themselves. We must hold animal abusers accountable for their actions.

We are urgently hoping for news that Sashi will soon be removed from his abuser’s home and placed on court hold in the safety of our local shelter. DDBBR is fully prepared to step in, providing Sashi with a loving foster environment and ensuring he receives thorough medical care and any treatment he may need.

Please continue to advocate for Sashi and share his story. Together, we can demand justice for him and ensure he gets the protection he deserves.

16/01/2025

Your Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge donations at work today!

We took community owned pet, Scout, to Woodworth Animal Hospital to be nuetered and vacinnated! He did great and according to vet tech, Bo, was a very good boy ♥️. We will be providing spay/neuter to the other 3 dogs here over the next few weeks. Next Wednesday we scheduled Bat Dad for his neuter.