Volunteer Pet Recovery

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.

07/31/2025

Castalia, OH — This past weekend, VPR volunteer Bethanne Lawrence met and joined forces with Tom and Megan Baskin to successfully capture the second of two elusive Chihuahuas that had been roaming the area.

On July 17th, Bethanne came across a post in a Sandusky County lost dog Facebook group about two small dogs spotted in Resthaven Wildlife Area. The following day, she arrived at the site and met Tom and Megan, who had just set traps. Within minutes, they caught the female—but the male proved far more challenging.

Day after day, the team tried various baits, including the captured female, who ultimately played a key role in luring her companion to safety. Their reunion marked a joyful end to a determined rescue mission.

We suspect the dogs may have been abandoned. They’re now safe and receiving care. If you have any information regarding their owner, please get in touch.

07/26/2025

🎉🎉🎉

🙏🏻 THANK YOU 🙏🏻

So many thanks to Steve Kuklica with Volunteer Pet Recovery!

A new foster dug under the fence and made “the great escape”. Being new to his foster family & generally skiddish caused for difficulties in catching him, though he was staying right around where he escaped from. Thanks to Steve’s skills & equipment, the pup was trapped within hours and has been reunited with his foster family! 🎉

06/30/2025

Good reminder for everyone. 👇

The countdown to the 4th of July has begun! ❤️🤍💙 Now’s the perfect time to plan ahead and make sure your pets stay safe and comfortable through the holiday.

Planning ahead can help keep your furry family members safe at home this year!

- Keep dogs indoors during fireworks and celebrations.
- If your dog must go outside, use a leash.
- Make sure ID tags and microchip info are up to date.
- Take a current photo of your dog.
- Talk to your vet about calming options.
- Skip the table scraps.

☀️ Hot weather safety matters too! Dogs can overheat quickly. Plan any outdoor time wisely, check the forecast and avoid extended periods of time outside in extreme heat.

If your dog goes missing, please come to the shelter as soon as possible!

We are here to help and are currently waiving all lost dog reclaim fees + offering free microchips for dogs picked up by their owners during the stray hold period.

**Please note, the shelter will be closed on Friday, July 4th in observance of the Holiday.**

06/21/2025

In April, we received a report regarding a stray dog that had been frequenting Rhodes Park on the west side, where a rugby team was holding practice. Although he would approach team members, he refused to be secured.

The following day, volunteers located him sleeping near a pond, where he willingly accepted treats but displayed aversion to slip leads, prompting the use of a trap, which he entered readily. After conducting a thorough search for lost dog signs, scouring PetFBI and local Facebook groups for relevant posts, and yielding no results, we transported him to FCDS, in the event that his owner was searching for him there.

A short time later we noticed that he was in a Foster to Adopt home. Looks like they made it offical. ❤️

06/15/2025