The Humane Society of Shenandoah County has been a proud member organization of the VFHS for numerous years! Their wonderful benefits include spay/neuter grants and Gleaning for the World Partnership for much needed supplies and food! HSSC has met so many wonderful organizations and attended countless learning sessions at the annual conference! VFHS just keeps growing and getting better - we look forward to the 2025 conference.
My name is James McLaughlin, and I have worked with the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies for years now. I have seen firsthand how VFHS's leadership is leading the way to Virginia achieving a 90% save rate as a state. VFHS's programs and assistance are impactful and making a difference for its ever-growing membership. VFHS continues to fight for improved animal related laws to make the Commonwealth a safe place for animals. Gleaning For The World is proud to have partnered with VFHS in providing its member organizations additional discounts on pet food and supplies from our program, at an even greater discount. These savings are translating to more animals being helped throughout the Commonwealth.
The work of VFHS is vital to animal welfare in Virginia. In additional to providing incredible support, guidance, and training for shelters and rescues across the state, VFHS programs help get animals from under-resourced shelters to areas of the state where they have a greater chance of adoption and remove barriers to adoption through funding for things like transport and medical needs. VFHS also helps address one of the root causes of animal overpopulation by investing tens of thousands of dollars in funding for spay/neuter.
We are proud to be active members of VFHS!
Smyth Animal Rescue is a member of the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies. We are proud to work with such a great organization that helps its members financially, educationally & politically. VFHS is easy to work with through their various grant programs which help us to continue to offer life-saving care to the animals in our county. They offer a variety of educational opportunities both virtually & in person. Furthermore, they have dedicated board members & a legislative team who work tirelessly to give a voice to the animals of our state in the law-making process. VFHS is a great organization that does fantastic work!
The VFHS has been a lifesaving resource for our shelter and rural community. The free online resources from learnings to lectures to being a platform to help connect public shelters to private rescues for transfer has been a game changer in our ability to provide positive outcomes.
I am so fortunate to the relationships and bonds that have been formed personally and professionally over the years as they have also helped mold me into the Animal Welfare Professional that I am today.
If only every state could have an organization like VFHS to support and connect their animal rescue and shelter groups! VFHS is a game changer in the state of Virginia. They provide a way for animal welfare groups to organize and collaborate in a manner that builds both community and consensus, tapping into the expertise in the various groups to work to strengthen and improve animal laws in Virginia.
They also provide immeasurable support to the smaller, less-resourced rescue groups and shelters in Virginia, including ours, the Twin County Humane Society, located in Southwest Virginia. They provide financial support for spay and neuter and subsidies to assist with transport of shelter and rescue animals to better-resourced areas. They also provide educational support through their annual conference as well as monthly webinars.
We are grateful for everything VFHS does for animals in shelters and rescues throughout Virginia. They are literally saving lives every single day.
The VFHS has made a huge impact on animal shelters and rescues in Virginia. They are the reason K9 Freedom Rides is a 501c3 today helping the animals in Tazewell County Virginia. Their many programs offered including spay/neuter funds, food programs, fuel assistance, sponsorship, etc is the reason Tazewell County has reached no kill status. The annual VFHS conference is truly amazing and informative and I look forward to these and have never been disappointed and I highly recommend everyone to become a member. The wealth of knowledge and resources is incredible and I applaud this group for making this possible. Thank you VFHS for everything you do!!
I serve as Vice-President of PAWS of Southwest Virginia. We have been a member of VFHS for several years. In addition to my office within the rescue, I also serve as Volunteer Rescue Coordinator for the Lee County Va Animal Shelter. We have been the recipient of spay/neuter assistance, transport assistance and so much more. Their FB page, High Five Virginia, makes it possible for us to network shelter animals increasing the chances of moving them to rescues in northern Virginia. Alice O'Connor has been a tremendous help whenever I have questions or need assistance.
VFHS leadership advocate for tougher and better laws to protect the animals in our Commonwealth. The organization has played a major role in making a difference in animal welfare. These actions do not go unnoticed, and I am proud to be associated with this great organization.
The Scott County Humane Society in Gate City, VA is proud to be a member of the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies. Scott County is one of the southern most counties in Virginia and borders the state of Tennessee. We are a poor county and very rural but the VFHS supports us in so many ways that I often refer to them as our Guardian Angel. They have helped us obtain grant funding, they have connected us to other rescues, they have help list our dogs, they have listened as we ranted and raved and provided a shoulder to cry on when needed. But most importantly, is that they let us know that we are not alone down here and Virginia does not stop at Roanoke.
Most Southwest Virginia counties are poor and rural like Scott and there is never very much money allotted for the animal shelters in the county budgets. It is not a priority with the local governments. That is one of the reasons why a lot of the shelters down here are located next to landfills.
However, with the help of VFHS, the few volunteers in these Southwest countries have been able to get the shelter kill numbers into single digits. When my wife and I joined the Scott County Humane Society in January of 2015, the previous years kill rate was 76%. Our main goal when we joined was to save shelter animal. In 2015, the kill rate dropped to 19%. With the help of VFHS, the kill rate for the Scott County Animal Shelter has averaged 3.2% for the last 7 years. This incredible turn around was made possible because of the support given to us by the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies. We have the passion and love to save the animals, but as Folk Souk Revival stated in one of their songs, "Love don't pay the rent."
Thank you so much to the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies and to the special individuals there that have become our friends, and as I said before, "Our Guardian Angels"
VFHS has provided our staff with educational opportunities to help with animal welfare and challenges we all face.
They’ve also given us the opportunity to save more pets by providing grants to enable us to transfer pets at risk of euthanasia and provide more spay/neuter services.
The annual conference is the best in the state, providing members with education, networking and ability to meet others in the field going through the same challenges and sharing successes.
The VA Federation of Humane Societies is an exemplary animal welfare organization that works tirelessly for progress for animals in the Commonwealth. I have been a member for 2 years and am continually impressed by the professional advocacy and leadership provided by VFHS on behalf of our homeless animals. The Federation provides expert testimony and a steadfast professional presence during VA state legislative sessions. They communicate legislative updates to their members in real time so I always know that as a member, I am informed and that our concerns are well represented in the VA House of Delegates.
The VFHS annual conference is an excellent opportunity for folks concerned about animal welfare to attend invaluable workshops presented by national and regional animal welfare leaders. The conference offers an impressive selection of presentations and workshops that offer state of the industry training and dialogue with other professionals. Multiple workshops are offered so attendees have a selection of topics and the training sessions meet professional training requirements for animal control professionals in our state. VFHS is THE resource for the very best in animal welfare in our state!
Melinda See, Advocates for Valley Animals
The Virginia Federation of Humane Societies is an amazing organization who awarded the Humane Society of Shenandoah County $2,000 in spay/neuter funding. HSSC was able to use this funding to fix three cat colonies this past spring and into summer. HSSC is proud to be a long standing member of the Federation!
Animal Resources of Tidewater (ART) has been the fortunate recipient of several spay/neuter grant awards from VFHS. Their exciting annual conference has afforded us the opportunity to keep up to date about the newest ideas and practices in animal welfare . VFHS keeps us informed about problems/issues in VA as well as shares the successes of the many lifesaving animal welfare agencies throughout Virginia and the country.