The Best Virginia Dog Rescues & Shelters in 2025

Lu's labs

Lu's Labs is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit, foster-based rescue for labrador retrievers and lab mixes. Our mission is to assist dogs who are in need of shelter, food, and medical care with the ultimate goal of finding them permanent, loving homes. We primarily intake from high-kill shelters throughout the southeast and rehome within 300 miles of Alexandria, Virginia. Since our founding in 2015, Lu's Labs has matched more than 1,600 dogs with their forever families.

Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

To inspire compassion for all, to provide shelter to animals in need, and to promote adoptions, animal welfare and responsible animal guardianship in our community.

Vindicated Pit Bull Rescue

Vindicate Pit Bull Rescue was founded in 2014 by a group of volunteers with one goal in mind: restore the reputation of the misrepresented and misunderstood "pit bull". VPBR pulls pit bull type dogs from the shelter which are often ill from an unforgiving environment. From freedom ride to adoption, our dogs are in a foster home where they receive full vet care, nutrition, basic training and sometimes even care from a veterinary behaviorist. Our Animal Placement team matches each dog to a home where they will thrive.

Green Dogs Unleashed

At GDU, we are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and re-homing of special needs and exceptional animals. We believe that every animal deserves a chance at a happy and fulfilling life, and we work tirelessly to ensure that they get just that. Our rescues come from all over the country, primarily from rural and high-volume shelters. These animals often have special needs or require exceptional care, and they come to us when there is no other hope for them. We arrange their transport and ensure they receive necessary medical care from a licensed veterinarian. Upon arrival, our animals find refuge in caring foster homes as they await their forever families. Our fostering application process mirrors the same meticulous approval standards as our adoption procedure, guaranteeing the best possible homes. This fostering period provides invaluable insights into our animals' personalities, enabling us to make ideal matches with their perfect forever homes. During this time, we seek to enrich their lives through positive enrichment activities and training. This helps our animals learn essential skills and build their confidence, making them more adoptable and increasing their chances of finding their forever homes. Our approach combines scientifically proven positive behavior modification methods and time-tested best practices from our amazing foster families. We pride ourselves on matching animals with families on an individual basis, considering factors like temperament, lifestyle, physical and mental needs, and emotional and social well-being. This personalized approach ensures an unparalleled adoption match success rate.

Margaret's SAving Grace Bully Rescue

Moving dogs to better places through caring arms & hearts. One rescue at a time. MSGBR was established in 2019 and has since gone on to assist the rescue of over 1700 dogs. 90% of what we rescue is a pitbull mix. 75% of the adults we rescue are heartworm +. MSGBR is passionate about the most medically in need.

Richmond SPCA

The Richmond SPCA, founded in 1891, is central Virginia's oldest full-service humane society. Each year the organization serves more than 18,000 pets across the community in its shelter, veterinary hospital, spay and neuter clinic, training programs and pet retention services. Since becoming no-kill in 2022, the Richmond SPCA has found loving adoptive homes for more than 71,800 dogs and cats.

Friends of Homeless Animals

Friends of Homeless Animals is located on a 40-acre campus in Loudoun County. We work with partner shelters to rescue and save at-risk dogs and cats to include FIV+ cats, senior dogs, and heart worm positive dogs.

Aussie Rescue of the Mid-Atlantic

Aussie Rescue of the Mid-Atlantic (ARMA) is a foster-based rescue for Australian Shepherds. Our mission is to provide permanent loving homes for Aussies in need. We work collaboratively with shelters and individuals who are no longer able to care for their Aussies.

Animal Welfare League of Arlington

Here at AWLA, we're all in for animals. For more than 75 years, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) has served the Arlington community with animal sheltering and control services to help pet owners keep their animals healthy, happy, and home.

Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue

Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue (SSR) was founded in January 2017 and is a 501c3 Animal Welfare rescue focused primarily on the rescue of German Shepherd Dogs (GSD) & GSD mixes. Based out of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, we expand our reach & work to save German Shepherd Dogs in heavily populated, high kill areas in south Texas. SSR pulls the dogs that most other rescues can't or won't take. Most have medical issues, aren't vaccinated, are heartworm positive, pregnant, needing costly surgery, etc. Once they are vetted in Texas and healthy enough for transport, they are brought to Virginia to meet their foster. SSR is not a brick and mortar facility. Rather, we are foster-based, meaning that every dog that comes into our care goes into a home environment, where they can be readied for their forever home. about shenandoah shepherd rescue

For the love of poodles

For the Love of Poodles and Pooches Rescue of Richmond, Virginia was founded in 2013 in memory of Callie and O'Brien, our founder's beloved toy poodles. Our goal is to provide compassionate care for our dogs while they are with us and to find them loving, forever homes. We were founded with the belief that each one of us can make a difference in the world, one rescued dog at a time. Our rescue has grown and now helps small to mid-sized dog of all breeds and mixes. Most of our dogs have had a rough start in life and we do everything we can to make sure they have a wonderful life. We start by making sure all of our rescues have whatever medical attention they need. We make sure every dog is spayed or neutered prior to adoption in order to ensure we are doing our part to reduce unwanted litters.

Lucky Dog Animal Rescue

Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is a volunteer-powered nonprofit dedicated to rescuing homeless, neglected, and abandoned animals from certain euthanasia and finding them loving forever homes. We educate the community and all pet parents on responsible pet parenting, including the importance of spay/neuter, obedience training, and good nutrition.

Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter

Peninsula Regional Animal Shelter; A New Vision for a Community Dedicated to the Well-being of Animals. Being Virginia's largest open admission shelter, taking in over 7,000 animals a year, we see a lot! Our staff is dedicated to bettering the lives of every animal that passes through our facility; one fur-friend at a time.

Richmond Animal Care and Control

Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC) was established as the first city pound on June 5, 1902. Since then, it has served as the only open-admission public animal shelter in the City of Richmond. We provide humane care for more than 3,000 stray, sick, injured, and relinquished pets per year. Our focus is on keeping owned animals out of the shelter environment and instead offering pet owners a variety of rehoming options and resources to find placement for their pet(s). With such a great need for immediate intervention with stray, sick, and injured animals in our area, our ability to take in surrendered animals is limited, and we operate on a case-by-case basis when the space and resources are available in this regard. While we seek to help every pet that comes into our care, there are instances where humane euthanasia is the only option. When an animal is considered a danger to the community or is suffering due to a severe medical condition, we believe the most responsible and compassionate option is humane euthanasia. First and foremost, our commitment is to public safety and ending unnecessary suffering. RACC is not considered a "no-kill" animal shelter and does not subscribe to this label. However, we never humanely euthanize animals due to space or length of stay. Our Animal Control unit investigates animal cruelty, enforces humane laws, and issues pet licenses/permits. These services include the enforcement of City ordinances related to animals, removal of killed or injured animals/wildlife, impoundment of stray pets, and investigation of animal-related neglect, cruelty, nuisance, and bite cases. The RACC Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is committed to championing the success of our agency. The Foundation works hand in hand with RACC, diligently contributing to the expenses of vital emergency care, while simultaneously elevating marketing and outreach initiatives through strategic fundraising and volunteer coordination. United in their passion for saving lives, RACC and The Foundation are thrilled to unveil a tapestry of heartwarming stories, showcasing unwavering compassion for our City's most vulnerable animals.

Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC) Foundation

The Richmond Animal Care & Control (RACC) Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is committed to championing the success of the agency. As the sole open-admission animal shelter in the City, RACC tirelessly tends to the needs of over 3,000 animals annually, requiring urgent care. The Foundation works hand in hand with RACC, diligently contributing to the expenses of vital emergency care, while simultaneously elevating marketing and outreach initiatives through strategic fundraising and volunteer coordination. United in their passion for saving lives, RACC and The Foundation are thrilled to unveil a tapestry of heartwarming stories, showcasing unwavering compassion for our City's most vulnerable animals.

Village Dog Resource

We are here to help our communities Dogs in Need!! We are a very unique version of a dog rescue but prefer to be a RESOURCE to the community on multiple levels rather than a regular rescue. We help Families Rehoming Pets, Adopters looking to find a Pet, Owners in need of guidance to keep their current pets, Education to the community to cut down on pets ending up in shelters, and much more.

Save Our Herders Outreach

We are a committed, highly experienced group of herding dog rescuers operating to save herding dogs in Virginia and the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. We have taken in many herding dogs into our foster homes and paired them with wonderful adoptive homes. Our dogs come primarily from shelters, though we do occasionally take in owner surrenders based on evaluation and circumstance. We are foster-based and do not have a main facility, as we believe that all dogs should have a home - even if it's temporary and while they are in search for their forever home.

Roanoke Valley SPCA

Since 1916, the Roanoke Valley SPCA has made the welfare of homeless and unwanted animals a priority and in 1958 the RVSPCA became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to be a community resource that provides pet adoption, retention, and education services in Virginia's Blue Ridge. By implementing resources and programs that support our mission, we hope to have a community where animal welfare is valued and demonstrated that leads to positive outcomes for both animals and people.

Loudoun County Animal Services

At Loudoun County Animal Services (LCAS), we work each day to ensure a compassionate, humane community for animals and people. LCAS operates an animal shelter, which provides for companion animals who have been surrendered by their owners or found stray in the county. The shelter also has pets for adoption. Humane Law Enforcement Officers enforce local and state animal laws and investigate reports of animal cruelty. Additionally, LCAS maintains a lost and found animal directory, issues dog licenses and assists citizens with a variety of animal issues.

The Furever Project

We are a nonprofit, 501(c)(3). We are not selective about the breed of dog we help. We consider the lives of all breeds to be equal. The labor force behind our mission is 100% volunteer staffed. We save dogs from shelters as well as from owners who cannot care for their dogs any longer. The dogs we take in are placed in loving foster homes until they find their forever home. We do not have a brick and mortar facility; we are 100% foster-based including loving fospice for terminally ill dogs. We work to support the local community by providing education on care and treatment of dogs, promoting safe handling, the importance of vaccinations, heartworm prevention, advocating and providing financial assistance to those in need for spay and neutering. We arrange for community outreach by building kennels and outdoor shelters to get dogs off chains.

Richmond animal league

Richmond Animal League (RAL) has been committed to saving the lives of animals and finding loving homes for pets for over 45 years. Since 1979, we've worked with area shelters to provide temporary housing, medical treatment, vaccinations, spay/neuter, and loving care to tens of thousands of pets who were then adopted into new homes.

Homeward Trails Animal Rescue

Homeward Trails Animal Rescue is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Founded in 2002, we secure temporary and permanent homes for thousands of dogs and cats annually who are rescued from under-resourced communities and shelters or whose owners can no longer care for them. While most of our animals come from the mid-Atlantic region, we also rescue animals internationally and have partners in numerous countries including Thailand, Kuwait, Peru, Russia, Ukraine and more. We also provide spay/neuter for hundreds of street dogs and cats annually in Puerto Rico through our GuaniCARES program. In 2020, Homeward Trails created our Trails UP program which brings lifesaving resources, training, education, outreach and funding to Virginia's most under-resourced communities. Trails UP provides Trap-Neuter-Return and spay/neuter programs, vaccine clinics and sustainable solutions and programs to address the root causes of animal homelessness.

Southern Paws Virginia Animal Rescue

Southern Paws VA Animal Rescue was established in 2016 with a focus on accepting owner surrenders. In 2017, we obtained legal non-profit status as a 501(c)3 organization, broadening our mission to caring for a variety of species, including domesticated and non-licensed exotic animals. Our dedicated team of volunteers primarily operates in the Winchester and Louisa VA area, but we have recently extended our reach to assist in neighboring states.

Virginia Beach Animal Care & Adoption Center

Our mission is accomplished by working with our citizens and other animal welfare organizations; by enforcing the domestic animals laws of our Commonwealth and our City, providing educational programs and humanely providing care, nourishment and a safe environment for the unwanted, stray, abused and abandoned animals in our City. We will educate the public about responsible companion animal ownership, aggressively investigate animal cruelty cases, find homes for the homeless animals and humanely euthanize the unwanted animals in our community.

Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF)

The Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation (LDCRF) was incorporated as a 501c3 not-for-profit organization in 2001 when restaurant owners, Pam McAlwee and Ross Underwood,of Arlington, VA decided to formalize their efforts to save homeless pets in their community. They purchased 63 acres of land in Sumerduck VA and began building The Lost Dog Ranch, a kennel facility for homeless pets with plenty of outdoor space for dogs to run and a cage-free building for cats. In 2018 LDCRF embarked on a new chapter of its mission and purchased a facility in the heart of Falls Church, Virginia. The facility today is now know as the Lost Dog & Cat 'Rescue Care Center' Since 2001, LDCRF has saved the lives of more than 45,000 homeless pets, most of whom were facing the threat of euthanasia at over-crowded municipal shelters. Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation is overwhelmingly a volunteer-run organization with a small paid staff providing direct care to animals at the Lost Dog & Cat 'Rescue Care Center'. Many other animals are cared for in our network of volunteer foster homes and some cats are housed at Petsmart Cat Adoption Centers. Every weekend, LDCRF holds off-site adoption events at local PetSmart and PetCo stores and places more than 2,000 dogs and cats per year for adoption. In addition to weekly adoption events, LDCRF is very active within the local community and partners with local businesses and community members to hold 'Special Adoption' events through the year.

Ring Dog Rescue

Ring Dog Rescue is a rescue group dedicated to 'Pit Bull type dogs', which are defined as any dog having bulldog lineage. We are a 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization and are currently listing adoptable pit bulls from, not only Ring Dog Rescue, but our other rescue friends and those who have opened their door to an orphaned pit bull in private rescue. We at Ring Dog Rescue all own a pit bull type dog and would like to answer all your questions and help guide you to a happy life for you and your companion, as well as to aid you in finding the perfect one for you.

Shadows Sanctuary

Shadows sanctuary is a 501(c)3 nonprofit Rescue, Foster and Sanctuary. We specialize in severely abused, neglected, and special needs dogs. The primary purpose and goal is to provide lifetime care and sheltering to dogs who, are unable to find homes due to age, chronic illnesses, and behavioral issues as a result of extreme abuse. We also rescue otherwise healthy dogs that find themselves in dire circumstances: such as scheduled for Euthanasia in high kill shelters. We rescue from all States in the USA and Internationally.

SFC Virginia Animal Rescue

When our six founders met a few years ago, they discovered they shared a passion for rescuing animals. Then they were fosters, case managers, event coordinators, matchmakers, shelter volunteers, and foster and intake coordinators. They became fast friends and started us on our passion project. We are the Squishy Face Crew! The SFC is organized around connecting foster families and adopters in the Fredericksburg area and beyond with dogs and cats who have found themselves in a shelter. Virginia is a regional leader in the no-kill movement, with a live release rate of 78%, but we have a long way to go to reach the state goal of 'No-Kill 2020' and the national goal of 'No-Kill 2025.' We hope to play a role in helping the state achieve a 90% live release rate by transferring in animals from under served county shelters and other rescues that work directly with these shelters and finding them homes in our area. We are a foster-based rescue, which means that we do not maintain a physical shelter and all animals in our care remain in foster homes until they are adopted. The SFC is committed to open, low-barrier adoptions, which means that in most cases, our pets can be adopted directly from the foster parent or at an adoption event after a meet-and-greet to ensure they are a good fit for your family. We believe that removing barriers to adoption is truly lifesaving and enables us to help more animals that have found themselves without a home. We are a 501c3 organization as of July 2019.

Old Dominion Humane Society

Operation Paws for Homes

Operation Paws for Homes is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization devoted to the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of dogs and cats who have overcome great odds and deserve wonderful, caring forever homes. These dogs and cats are rescued from overcrowded shelters in the southern region of the United States, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Virginia. We partner with local shelters as needed. We also rescue a few international dogs by partnering with shelters and rescues in India and Kosovo who rescue dogs from dangerous and deplorable conditions . Our organization is volunteer-powered by a dedicated group of animal lovers who have seen the horrors and sad fate of animals who find themselves abandoned and left to fend for themselves in the world. At the rural shelters, the staff faces everyday challenges of few adopters, underdeveloped spay/neuter programs in their counties, and (in many instances) local residents who do not understand the need to spay/neuter or engage in rescue activities. With limited resources and few adoptions locally, the shelters are forced to put down a significant percentage of their animals.