Friends of Stafford County Animal Shelter

04/12/2026

Please help Lucy and Rusty 😭

04/11/2026

The Stafford County Animal Shelter is deparate need of wet dog food. If you'd like to help support the animals in their care, these items can be purchased directly from our Chewy Wish List:
https://www.chewy.com/g/friends-of-stafford-county-animal-shelter_b107524618 -list or, you can pick some up at a local store and deliver in person (26 Frosty Lane, Stafford, VA 22554).
Thank you 🩵

03/04/2026

💕💕💕

03/02/2026

🚨 Bleach Needed 🚨

Our shelter uses bleach every day for disinfecting and keeping the animals safe. If you can donate, please drop off at:

26 Frosty Lane, Stafford, VA 22554

Thank you for helping us care for them! 🐶🐱

01/13/2026

12/11/2025

🐶💛 PUPPY FOOD NEEDED! 💛🐶

Stafford County Animal Shelter is kindly asking for canned puppy food donations. They currently have a sweet mama dog and her growing Seven Dwarfs in foster care, and these little ones are hungry!

They’re about four weeks old now, getting bigger every day, and their foster family is working hard to keep up with their growing appetites.

At this time, the pups are not up for adoption—the shelter is not yet taking applications or answering inquiries/questions about them. Right now, the focus is solely on making sure they grow into healthy, well-socialized puppies.

They are expected to be ready for adoption in about four weeks, once they are eight weeks old.

If you’re able to help by donating canned puppy food, we would be so grateful. You can drop it off at the shelter in person (26 Frosty Lane, Stafford, VA 22554), or order from the Amazon or Chewy Wish List. Every can truly makes a difference for this little family. Thank you 💕🐾

12/11/2025

Left in a crate. Abandoned in a basement. Alone. Coby our heart is beyond broken for you. You deserve so much more.

Please, please share Coby’s story.

UPDATE: COBY HAS BEEN ADOPTED 💕

🐾UPDATE: FOSTERED WITH THE INTENT TO ADOPT! 🐾

🚨 COBY’S FINAL PLEA, 156 DAYS IN THE SHELTER 🚨
💔 We are out of resources. We are out of options. Coby needs help TODAY. 💔

Coby has now spent 156 days at the Stafford County Animal Shelter. That's 156 days of hoping, waiting, watching the door… and slowly losing pieces of himself. We have reached the point where the shelter can no longer help him. We are out of options, out of resources, and out of time. Today, we are asking one last time for someone to see him.

We have consulted long and hard with our volunteer dog trainer, and we want to be completely transparent.

Coby takes treats gently.
If you toss food on the floor, bed, or ground, he does not guard it.
He shows no aggression in those situations.
His struggles are centered around his bowl, the one thing he feels he can control after everything he has survived. 🍲💔

Coby needs an experienced owner who understands trauma and will give him structure, patience, and a real chance at healing.
He must be the only dog for now, so he can decompress and get the help he needs.
No young kids, as he deserves a calm, predictable home environment.

We have reached out to multiple rescues and organizations in hopes of saving Coby.
No one has been able to take him. We understand how hard it is to take on a dog labeled “difficult,” but as a shelter, we are out of resources. Coby cannot get what he needs here. 😞

This truly is Coby’s final chance to find a loving home outside the shelter. His emotional and mental health are declining. The shelter is meant to be temporary, not forever, and Coby is now suffering because he has stayed too long. 💔

Coby’s Story 🐶💔

Coby was found abandoned in a basement, trapped inside a wire crate.
No windows.
No comfort.
No reassurance.
Just silence, fear, and waiting.

We don’t know how long he was there. Only that he survived it, alone.

When he came to us after the 4th of July, he tried so hard to believe again. He wagged his tail. He looked up at every person with those deep brown eyes, asking,
“Are you here for me?” 🥺

But 156 days is a long time to hope and be disappointed.

The shelter is now breaking him. The overstimulation, the noise, the constant rotation of people, it’s too much for a dog who has already endured trauma.

He is still goofy.
He is still affectionate.
He still wants to connect so badly.
But he cannot heal here. Not anymore.

Important Needs for Coby’s Success

• Experienced adopter who understands food-related trauma
• Only dog in the home (for now)
• No young kids
• Low-stress, predictable environment
• Someone who will give him time, structure, and unwavering commitment

Coby is neutered, microchipped, and up to date on Rabies.
There are no geographic adoption restrictions, and his adoption fee is sponsored.

He did go to a foster with intent to adopt previously but returned after a bite on the foot involving his food bowl. Since coming back, the stress of shelter life has worsened his fixation. This environment is too overwhelming for him to reset. 😢

We are not looking back, only forward. Coby deserves that.

This is Coby’s last chance. 💔

If you have ever said,
“If I had been there, I would have saved him,”
this is your moment.

Please.
Come meet him before it is too late.

Stafford County Animal Shelter
26 Frosty Lane, Stafford, VA 22554
Walk-ins welcome.
Ask for Coby.

11/19/2025

🚨 URGENT NEED AT THE SHELTER, PLEASE HELP 🚨

Many of you know that Stafford County Animal Shelter has been closed to cat adoptions recently due to several cases of Feline panleukopenia. The good news is that the staff has been doing a fantastic job of cleaning and following protocols, and almost all of the cats remain healthy.

The bad news is that they currently have 105 cats in their care, and they are washing more litter pans, bedding, and supplies than ever before. With this many animals, and with Panleuk still circulating, sanitation has become an hour-by-hour battle.

They are asking for the following items to help them keep up:

- Dryer sheets (any brand)
- Small cardboard boxes or the cardboard bottoms from cases of canned food (see photo)
- One-time-use cardboard litter pans — these would help the shelter tremendously, as they could simply toss them during cleaning instead of washing nonstop.

If you buy a case of canned cat food, dog food, or even human food, please donate the cardboard bottom to the shelter instead of throwing it away. It may seem small, but it’s a huge help; it saves time, reduces cross-contamination, and keeps vulnerable animals safer.

They are also in DESPERATE need of dry cat food to feed all these kitties. They prefer plain brown kibble as it seems to cause fewer intestinal issues in the cats. Right now, all they have is kitten kibble. [Examples: Purina ONE, Purina Cat Chow Naturals, Nutrish]

Thank you all for your continued support when we need you most. 💛

11/12/2025

Did you know that there are pet food pantries??? Well, there are, and their supplies are rapidly dwindling while the government is shut down. When people can't afford to feed their pets, they end up in the shelter, which is heartbreaking for both parties and puts a huge strain on our already full shelter.

LET'S HELP FILL THOSE SHELVES!

The neighborhood of Hampton Oaks is currently sponsoring a PET FOOD DRIVE from now until November 20th. Donations can be dropped off at the Community Center (80 Northampton Blvd - brown box to the left of the front door) or directly at SERVE. See the flyer for more info, and please reach out with any questions!

11/07/2025

Oh boy. Our heart is breaking. Please share and let’s find Coby a home ASAP 🙏🏻❤️

‼️URGENT ‼️

COBY NEEDS SOMEONE. NOW.
Day 123 in the shelter.

Coby’s story isn’t just sad, it’s the kind of story that changes a dog.

Coby was found abandoned in a basement, trapped inside a wire crate. No windows. No company. No walks. No reassurance. Just silence, fear, and waiting. We don’t know how long he was there, how many days he spent wondering why no one was coming back for him.

We just know he was alone.
And he was scared.
And it marked him.

When he first came to us in July, after the 4th, he was confused. Imagine stepping out of a crate you’ve lived in… straight into a shelter full of barking, doors slamming, unfamiliar hands, unfamiliar smells. Imagine trying to trust again with a heart that has already been broken.

And Coby tried.

He wagged his tail at strangers.
He looked up at every passerby with those deep brown eyes that ask without words:
“Are you here for me?”

But 123 days is a long time to hope and be disappointed.

We are starting to see it, the light in him is fading.
The shelter is no longer helping him. It’s slowly breaking him.

Coby has begun to cling to the only thing in his world he can control now, his food bowl. It is his one certainty. His one piece of security. There has been no aggression, just a dog trying to hold onto the last thing that makes him feel safe.

Can we blame him?

We don’t know how often he was fed before.
We don’t know how long he sat hungry in that crate.
We don’t know how many days he cried to be let out.
But we do know that he has not had stability in a very, very long time.

Here at the shelter, he is loved by staff and volunteers. Truly loved. He is goofy. He is affectionate. He wants to connect, so badly. But this is not a place where a heart like his can heal. And every day that passes, he slips a little further away.

He tolerates other dogs and co-exists with them but would likely be best an only dog at this stage and would be best with older kids.

We are begging — begging — for someone to see him.
Not just the outside. Not just the label.
But the soul inside a dog who has survived heartbreak.

Coby needs:

• A secure home
• A human who understands trauma
• Someone who will not give up on him, ever

Coby is neutered, microchipped, and up to date on Rabies.
There are NO geographic adoption restrictions.
He can go home today.

If you have ever looked at a dog and said,
“If I had been there, I would have saved you.”
This is your chance to be that person.

Please.
Before he stops hoping.

Stafford County Animal Shelter
26 Frosty Lane, Stafford, VA 22554
Mon–Fri 11:00 AM–5:30 PM
Saturday 9:30 AM–4:00 PM
(Closed Sundays & Holidays)

Walk-ins welcome.

Ask for COBY

10/30/2025

♥️💕❣️