Homeward Trails opened the Homeward Trails Adoption Center in November 2013. Located in Fairfax Station, VA, the Center can house up to 50 dogs and several litters of puppies while they wait for their foster and forever homes.
See the story in the Connection Newspapers
Before October 2013, it was legal to chain a dog in Arlington County outside for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But thanks to efforts by local animal advocates, led by HT Executive Director Sue Bell, dogs can no longer be chained for more than three hours in a 24 hour period. “This is a tremendous statement to animal owners out there that Arlington will not tolerate chaining and neglect of dogs,” says Bell. “We applaud the County for passing the measure, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington for supporting it and enforcing it and our many animal advocates who helped get this through. It’s a good day for dogs in Arlington!”
See the story on NBC 4 here: Arlington Likely to Pass Dog Tethering Ordinance
On Friday, September 13th, 2013 in Goochland County, VA, Annette Thompson was ordered to relinquish all the dogs and cats on her property. Even more importantly, she is no longer permitted to own or possess any companion animals. Thompson is also not permitted to be involved in any way with animal rescue activities. On this day Annette Thompson signed legal ownership of all the dogs on her property over to Homeward Trails.
“This is a wonderful, wonderful day for the animals on her property,” says Sue Bell, Homeward Trails Executive Director. “We have worked for almost 8 years on this case, spent hundreds of hours, thousands of dollars and continued to hit our heads against the wall seeking justice for the animals. We are so grateful to finally see the day that Annette Thompson can no longer have animals, be involved in rescue and defraud the public and authorities about her care of animals.”
Thompson was convicted of six counts of animal neglect in 2011, charges that were only successful after HT and several other local rescues pursued these charges on behalf of more than one dozen sick and injured dogs rescued from Thompson’s property over years. At the time of the charges, HT had taken more than 700 animals from Thompson over five years.
Homeward Trails, along with our wonderful friends at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Alexandria Animal Welfare League, Fairfax Animal Shelter and the Richmond SPCA, removed 35 dogs from the property on Friday. On Wednesday, September 18, reps from Homeward Trails went back to the property to remove an additional 10 dogs and 1 kitten. Two of the dogs removed were taken by the Norfolk SPCA. There now remain 6 dogs and several feral cats, for which we are looking to secure places. “We desperately need more shelters and rescues to help take dogs. We are completely overloaded here at HT. We also are desperately seeking a barn home for the 3 feral cats. We do not want to see them needlessly euthanized,” says Bell.
The dogs have not been outside of their horrible, outdoor kennels for years. They are terrified, filthy and exhausted. They need foster and forever homes, and we need volunteers to come to our office and take them outside for bathroom breaks or simply sit with them and teach them what human kindness is all about.
Finally, we need donations to help cover the very expensive vet bills. We are averaging $300/dog in vetting and that does not include those who test positive for heartworm, need x-rays, dentals or biopsies. It also does not include our boarding costs, which currently are running about $70/day. To make a donation go to Goochland Hoarding Dogs.
Read the article in Patch here: Making Up for Lost Time: Dogs From Hoarding Operation End Up at Local Rescues
I’m waiting for a word of love from Sylvia.
You think she’d never heard of love my Sylvia,
But when I’m with her Lord, I forgive her
‘Cause she’s more than the whole world to me
There’…
Effective March 18, 2020 – all animals available for adoption through Homeward Trails can be met by appointment only. Our Adoption Center public hours are suspended until further notice. Cats dwellin…
Are you a current Homeward Trails volunteer or just looking to get more involved? We are currently looking to train new Event Coordinators and would love for you to be one! Event Coordinators are…
We LOVE what we do and want to spread the word far and wide! Homeward Trails representatives are available to speak at your community group, office, school, scout troop etc. about a variety of topics…
Why become an HT Member?
Each year Homeward Trails rescues thousands of animals from euthanasia and homelessness. By becoming an HT Member you allow us to save more lives. Membership dollars are don…
Today Luke Skywalker [formerly Barrett] celebrates his first adoption anniversary! He came to us a skinny, timid young dog with no training and diagnosed with worms and heartworm. A year later, Luke is confident, playful and extremely intelligent–he loves dogs,
Scrappy Hi, I’m Scrappy! I am originally from Tazwell County. I am very fun and excitable. I love to be outside and playing. Rope toys and squeaky toys are my favorite things in the entire world. I am very excited when I meet new people and my goal is to try to jump up and kiss their face, no matter how tall they are. I am not the tallest, so trying to kiss faces is sometimes challenging, but I usually succeed. I would love a home where I can be active and go on adventures! Can you give me a forever home?
Hi, I’m Lulu! My sister Bitsy and I are looking for a home to call our very own. We came all the way from rural Va and we can’t wait to make new friends. Here’s a little about me: I’m a spunky lady and I love to talk! Chirping, trilling, you name it. What can I say, I’m always thinking about something! I’m pretty adaptable and love playing as much as sitting on your lap. Head scratches are THE BEST, but if you get out a teaser wand I might just have to pounce on it. I like to keep tabs on what you’re up to, so don’t mind me if I start sniffing around to see what’s up. I just want to be in the know!
My sister Bitsy is a real lovebug. She loves sitting on laps too and for some reason she loves getting pets on the tushy. I think it’s kind of weird but to each their own! We look out for each other, especially in the grooming department. I do her hair and she does mine, just like our mom did when we were younger! Sometimes we get a little rowdy playing with each other, but it’s all in good fun.
We would absolutely love to be adopted together to a home where we can get all the attention. In fact, we would love to live with a couple or a family because that means more laps to sit on! Please consider adopting us, I promise you won’t regret it!
