Volunteer Pet Recovery

04/01/2026

Vermillion, OH - Another shoutout to VPR volunteer Bethanne Lawrence! Monday night she was able to secure Toby who escaped from an unfamiliar place and had been missing for a few days.

Thank you to everyone who assisted in the search over the weekend and as always, we're so glad that everyone can finally relax and get some rest tonight knowing that he's home safe. ❤️

03/26/2026

Congrats to VPR volunteer Bethanne Lawrence for successfully securing this absolute cutie in Bellevue, OH! Ralphie managed to escape from his new home and found refuge at a nearby residence. We’re so happy that all involved can now rest easy after a week of worrying about Ralphie’s safety.

03/13/2026

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02/16/2026

Last month, our VPR volunteers secured a very elusive little shaggy brown dog who had been darting around the Sharon Woods Blvd and Beechcroft High School area for several days.

This girl had zero fear of being seen—she was fully confident in her ability to outsmart and allude every single person trying to help her. On two different afternoons, she even trotted right up to the front of the high school as students were being dismissed. She stayed on the move nonstop, so sightings were plentiful but catching her was another story.

She eventually discovered the feeding station we set out for her, and shortly after that we were able to safely trap her. At the time, she was considered a stray, but we were ultimately able to locate her owners.

While making plans to return her to her family, we learned that the family had only had her for a week and wasn't feeling confident that they were a great fit for her. We offered to try to find placement for her with a local rescue. The family accepted our offer and we were lucky to be able to find placement for her right away.

Despite being on the streets for about two and a half weeks, she was in good health and quickly found a great new home. 😍

Also thank you to Keri Henry and Pat from Church of the Good Shepherd for helping secure this little girl

02/16/2026

Watch Lucy's happy reunion with Dad 😍😍😍😍

09/20/2025

One of our favorite events of the year. 😍😍

Meet Jersey, a 10-month-old puppy who arrived at Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center with bilateral luxating patellas, which means her knee caps are moving. She needs orthopedic surgery at COVE to stabilize her knees & allow her to walk pain-free. Friends of the Shelter will pay for her surgery, thanks to your support. Jersey will need a foster to help her recover from her surgery for a few weeks. If you'd like to learn more about fostering Jersey, please reach out the shelter team at the email in the comments.

You can help us continue to save dogs like Jersey by registering for our upcoming 5K for K9s 2025 on Sat., 9/27, at 9 am at Alum Creek State Park Beach area. Jersey says thank you!

09/14/2025

A couple of the best pictures our cell cameras have ever taken were after this reunion. ❤️

This is Knight. She got loose from her people on 09/03 and found the trap we set for her early Thursday morning.

Check the comments for the pics we mentioned. 👀

09/13/2025

Monroeville, OH - Erie County

Early this morning, VPR volunteer Bethanne was able to trap this little guy and get him to safety at the Erie County Dog Pound.

He was wearing a collar with a broken leash attached. He is not microchipped.

If you recognize him, please share this with his people. ❤️❤️

09/06/2025

Port Clinton, Ohio - Oreo was caught!

Sometimes good things happen when we put a sign in the right spot. Sometimes good things happen when we put a trap in the right spot. This time it happened when we put an RV in the right spot!

Oreo was caught, but not the usual way. He was traveling in an RV when he escaped during a stop. VPR volunteer Bethanne Lawrence reached out and volunteered to help.

Sightings started to come in around a cemetery and from an adjacent residence. After setting up a bait station and confirming that Oreo was still around, the resident allowed Oreo's people to park their RV on their property. They tucked it in back into a quiet place close to the cemetery and that night, a week after he escaped and during a storm, Oreo found her way to the RV and scratched at the door to come in.

So happy that Oreo is safe and her people can finally relax. And everyone involved has a great story to tell! Great job Bethanne!

08/03/2025

On July 4, this big boy got spooked by some fireworks and busted out the screen door of his home in Whitehall. There were a few sightings of him around home but then he ghosted everyone.

A couple of weeks later, people were reporting sightings of a stray dog in Gahanna community Facebook groups. We didn't have a great picture of Diesel so never even thought that maybe. . .

The Gahanna stray was seen around Morse and Cherry Bottom, walking along Stygler and then was trapped near McCutcheon and Hines. When we got him home we found out that he was microchipped!

Be sure to check out the video where you will see the moment Diesel recognizes Mom and Dad who he hadn't seen in a month!

08/01/2025

In June, while assisting with a lost dog case, VPR volunteers began receiving calls about a stray in the area. That dog was Gabby—now safe and available for adoption at Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center.

Gabby had been roaming the streets of Groveport, often spotted along Main Street, scavenging behind Dairy Queen, and spending time in the schoolyard at Glendening Elementary. Once volunteers mapped out her travel pattern, they were able to safely trap her.

Sadly, Gabby wasn’t microchipped, and no one came forward during her stray hold. With no signs of an owner searching for her, she’s now looking for a new beginning.
If you're considering adoption, take a look at Gabby’s profile—we’ll include the link in the comments.