Shelter and Rescue Partners Collaborating to Save Lives

Homeward Trails rescues animals from under-resourced shelters in Virginia and beyond. These animal shelters are located in areas where pet overpopulation is a tremendous problem and adoptions are low. Many of these areas lack leash laws and so animals roam freely. Many dogs live on chains and many cats live outdoors. Spay and neuter is not readily available or affordable, so there are thousands of puppies and kittens born each year who are not wanted.

Thus, the transport of animals from these areas is lifesaving.

Our History

Our Mission

Our Principles

Regional Shelter Partners

Saving Lives Close to Home

These are some of the many shelters Homeward Trails partners with to save lives.

Amelia County Animal Shelter – Amelia, VA
Amherst County Humane Society – Amherst, VA
Asheville Humane Society – Asheville, VA
Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter- Baltimore, MD
Baltimore County Animal Control – Baltimore MD
Charles County Humane Society – Waldorf, MD
Dog Deserve Better Blue Ridge – Charlottesville, VA
Fayette County Animal Control Center (FCACC) – Fayetteville, WV
Floyd County Animal Control – Floyd County, VA
Galax Carroll Grayson Animal Shelter – Galax, VA
Greenville County Animal Service and Shelter – Greenville, SC
Hampshire County Animal Control – Slanesville, WV
Howard County Animal Control and Adoption Center – Howard County, MD
Humane Society for Campbell County – Rustburg, VA
Humane Society of Carroll County – Carroll County, MD
Humane Society of Catawba County – Catawba County, NC
Kanawha/Charleston Animal Shelter – Kanawha, WV
King George Animal Control – King George, VA

Lenoir County SPCA – Kinston, NC
Lewis Upshur – Buckhannon, WV
Louisa County Animal Shelter – Louisa, VA
Marion County Animal Shelter – Mullins, SC
Maryland SPCA – Baltimore, MD
Montgomery County Humane Society – Rockville, MD
Page County Animal Shelter – Luray, VA
Pittsylvania Pet Center – Chatham, VA
Prince Georges County Animal Shelter -Upper Marlboro, MD
Prince William County Animal Shelter – Manassas, VA
Raleigh County Humane Society – Beckley, WV
Regional Animal Shelter – King William, VA
Ritchie County Humane Society – Harrisville, WV
Russell County Animal Shelter – Lebanon, VA
Tucker County Animal Shelter – Parsons, WV
Vance County Animal Shelter – Henderson, NC
Wetzel County Animal Shelter – New Martinsville, WV
Wise County Animal Shelter – Norton, VA

Our Work in Puerto Rico

GuaniCARES

Homeward Trails has been working in Puerto Rico since 2016 to provide rescue, spay and neuter and animal supplies for homeless animals. Puerto Rico remains overrun with street dogs and cats, many of whom suffer tremendously. As we primarily focus on the Guanica region of Puerto Rico, our GuaniCARES (Guanica Companion Animal Rescue Education and Sterilization) has saved thousands of lives.

Individuals traveling to Puerto Rico can assist us by being flight volunteers. As a flight volunteer you bring a puppy or kitten back with you on the plane. It is super easy and costs you nothing. We make it seamless and you save a life.

International Rescue Partners

Saving Lives Abroad

We are occasionally asked why HT would spend time and resources to help dogs from so far away when there are still dogs here in the US needing us, the answer is simple: A dog in need is a dog in need no matter the geography.

Homeward Trails is proud to work with dedicated organizations and individuals around the world to help animals. The suffering, abuse and negelct of animals in many countries is tremendous and truly hard to imagine. We provide lifesaving rescue, rehabilitation and medical care for these animals.

Some of our animals were destined for meat markets. Some are victims of war-torn conflicts. Others were destined to be killed for their fur or for sport. And others have been kept in facilities for research.

Animals connect those of us across oceans, continents and cultural barriers. We are proud share our commitment to animals across the globe.

Placement Partners

Saving Lives Together in Times of Need

Homeward Trails is committed to helping animals rescued from the most desperate situations across the country and the world.

Whether displaced by wildfires, evacuated from the paths of hurricanes, seized from hoarding cases or removed from dog meat farms, Homeward Trails is a proud placement partner for the following organizations working on the ground.

Shameless... we know. But there are tons of ways you can help!

Donate Today!

Saving 200 Lives – Our Biggest Event Ever!

We are SAVING 200 LIVES THIS WEEK!! Our biggest event ever! This time next week we have TWO Trails UP teams hitting the roads to save lives in this unprecedented effort! And we need your support to make it happen. We are sooo excited!! And to make it more fun for everyone, this effort is part of our Quarterly Raffle. For each $100 donor, we pick one winner at random to win a $350 Amazon gift card, a custom dog or cat goody basket and 2 free tickets to our Chili Bingo event in the fall – winner to be chosen as soon as we meet our $ goal. 120 DOGS WILL BE STERILIZED….. “I love this dog that wandered up to my house. But I’ve got a female dog inside and this dog is not neutered. The cost of getting him neutered is more than I can afford. But I hate to take him to the shelter. So for now I have to keep him chained up. If I can get him neutered and vaccinated then he can live indoors with us. I would love for him to be a real part of our family.” – Mr. Jenkell For the first time ever, Homeward Trails has organized a 120-dog spay/neuter event in Galax, VA, one of our most favorite Trails UP communities. We will be traveling to Galax where we have been working for months to secure 120 dogs who desperately need neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. These animals are loved but have owners who simply cannot afford their surgery. Without this event many would face becoming pregnant and ending up in the local shelter with puppies. Or possibly facing a life on a chain. This is no way for a family to live. As much of our Trails UP spay/neuter efforts have focused on cats due transport options and surgical availability, our hearts have been hurting as we see the shelters filling up with dogs & puppies and so many people desperately wanting to get their dogs neutered. And so we have been working overtime to put together this major event. We will be partnering with several groups to bring a mobile unit to Galax and bring these lifesaving and lifechanging services to these dogs. We cannot WAIT. Every dog will be neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. And we hope to send all home with dog food, flea/tick meds and for those who need it – a dog house! The cost to us for this event comes to $120/dog – as we are providing these services totally free to the community. PLEASE consider sponsoring a dog for this event and allowing us to truly change the life of a dog and the people who love him/her. A donation of any amount will truly make a difference! 80 CATS WILL BE STERILIZED The second half of our Trails UP team will be heading to Buchanan County to do free spay/neuter and Trap-Neuter-Return for 80 cats. The number of cat lives that will be saved from preventing unwanted kittens is often totally hard to digest. It’s HUGE. Just last month, we spayed almost 25 early pregnant cats – you can see how many lives that saved through prevention. It also means the world to the human caretakers of these kitties who so often struggle to feed their own families let alone the dozens of cats they care for. We will spend 5 days in the field working with community members in this very under-resourced communities. We will set traps in trailer parks, in yards and barns, on decks and in gardens – wherever we can – to get 80 cats sterilized, vaccinated and microchipped. This will require not only 36 hours of trapping but more than 10 additional hours of driving to and from our surgical clinic. Our van will be loaded up with 80 cats (the very most we can fit) to make the 3.5 hour one-way trip to the surgical center. This is a huge undertaking each time we do it. But with no affordable large-scale spay/neuter clinics close by, we take what we can get. Our team is so dedicated! And so over a short period of just 5 days, we will sterilize, vaccinate and microchip 200 animals in two separate but equally under-resourced communities. And we are SO EXCITED. Please sponsor a dog or cat at just $100 and you can be a winner of a $350 Amazon gift card, a custom dog or cat goody basket and 2 free tickets to our Chili Bingo event in the fall – winner to be chosen as soon as we meet our $ goal.
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Up Close and PAWSonal Photo Contest Winners
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Helping Happy Hounds – Fee Waived Adoptions for All Hounds

As you may or may not know, Virginia animal shelters are filled with Hounds. These amazing dogs are most often discarded by callous hunters, found starving wandering the countryside. Many never make it as hunters and are then tied up to chains or left along the side of the road like old furniture. A good number of them do not make it out of shelters alive.But these dogs – like all dogs – are amazing and worthy of families. We just cannot get them families fast enough to stop them from dying in our shelters when there is no more space.And so we are trying something new here. ALL HOUND DOGS ADOPTED FROM HOMEWARD TRAILS WILL BE FREE. Yes, we are WAIVING ADOPTION FEES for Hounds for the foreseeable future.We hope that will entice well-matched applicants to consider a Hound now. Use the money you save on training, treats, toys.We think all dogs are worthy. But the reality is that some take extra incentives. Some have more barriers to getting adopted. And the result is well, more end up dying. And no – this does NOT mean we are just giving dogs away. All applicants will still go through our application/screening process to ensure good homes. This is just us trying to save more dogs by eliminating one more barrier to adoption. And hey, Hound lovers can use all the extra money they can get to buy treats, right?Help us help these Hounds. Our program Helping Happy Hounds is live NOW. Let’s save some lives!
Learn More

Saving 200 Lives – Our Biggest Event Ever!

We are SAVING 200 LIVES THIS WEEK!! Our biggest event ever! This time next week we have TWO Trails UP teams hitting the roads to save lives in this unprecedented effort! And we need your support to make it happen. We are sooo excited!! And to make it more fun for everyone, this effort is part of our Quarterly Raffle. For each $100 donor, we pick one winner at random to win a $350 Amazon gift card, a custom dog or cat goody basket and 2 free tickets to our Chili Bingo event in the fall – winner to be chosen as soon as we meet our $ goal. 120 DOGS WILL BE STERILIZED….. “I love this dog that wandered up to my house. But I’ve got a female dog inside and this dog is not neutered. The cost of getting him neutered is more than I can afford. But I hate to take him to the shelter. So for now I have to keep him chained up. If I can get him neutered and vaccinated then he can live indoors with us. I would love for him to be a real part of our family.” – Mr. Jenkell For the first time ever, Homeward Trails has organized a 120-dog spay/neuter event in Galax, VA, one of our most favorite Trails UP communities. We will be traveling to Galax where we have been working for months to secure 120 dogs who desperately need neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. These animals are loved but have owners who simply cannot afford their surgery. Without this event many would face becoming pregnant and ending up in the local shelter with puppies. Or possibly facing a life on a chain. This is no way for a family to live. As much of our Trails UP spay/neuter efforts have focused on cats due transport options and surgical availability, our hearts have been hurting as we see the shelters filling up with dogs & puppies and so many people desperately wanting to get their dogs neutered. And so we have been working overtime to put together this major event. We will be partnering with several groups to bring a mobile unit to Galax and bring these lifesaving and lifechanging services to these dogs. We cannot WAIT. Every dog will be neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. And we hope to send all home with dog food, flea/tick meds and for those who need it – a dog house! The cost to us for this event comes to $120/dog – as we are providing these services totally free to the community. PLEASE consider sponsoring a dog for this event and allowing us to truly change the life of a dog and the people who love him/her. A donation of any amount will truly make a difference! 80 CATS WILL BE STERILIZED The second half of our Trails UP team will be heading to Buchanan County to do free spay/neuter and Trap-Neuter-Return for 80 cats. The number of cat lives that will be saved from preventing unwanted kittens is often totally hard to digest. It’s HUGE. Just last month, we spayed almost 25 early pregnant cats – you can see how many lives that saved through prevention. It also means the world to the human caretakers of these kitties who so often struggle to feed their own families let alone the dozens of cats they care for. We will spend 5 days in the field working with community members in this very under-resourced communities. We will set traps in trailer parks, in yards and barns, on decks and in gardens – wherever we can – to get 80 cats sterilized, vaccinated and microchipped. This will require not only 36 hours of trapping but more than 10 additional hours of driving to and from our surgical clinic. Our van will be loaded up with 80 cats (the very most we can fit) to make the 3.5 hour one-way trip to the surgical center. This is a huge undertaking each time we do it. But with no affordable large-scale spay/neuter clinics close by, we take what we can get. Our team is so dedicated! And so over a short period of just 5 days, we will sterilize, vaccinate and microchip 200 animals in two separate but equally under-resourced communities. And we are SO EXCITED. Please sponsor a dog or cat at just $100 and you can be a winner of a $350 Amazon gift card, a custom dog or cat goody basket and 2 free tickets to our Chili Bingo event in the fall – winner to be chosen as soon as we meet our $ goal.
Learn More