The Issue

The Danville Area Humane Society (DAHS) has been in the top five highest euthanizing shelters in Virginia since 2005, taking the lives of more than 55,000 dogs and cats.

It has consistently killed more than 75% of the animals it takes in while all of Virginia has collectively SAVED more than 75% of its animals.

DAHS has been offered numerous opportunities to stop the killing. Instead, it blames surrounding shelters for implementing proven, successful and progressive intake and management practices and refuses to embrace lifesaving opportunities itself.

DAHS, without proof or data, continues to tell the community that progressive sheltering programs do not work, despite evidence to the contrary at the local, regional and national levels.

The Danville City Council has paid DAHS $800,000 since FY 2016 to run its shelter while DAHS remains one of the highest euthanizing shelters in Virginia. They have taken no accountability for the dismal performance of the shelter and its many transgressions. The killing must stop.

 

Eve Was Killed For No Reason

In May 2026, Eve, a 12-year-old dog, was killed at DAHS within just two and a half weeks of intake despite having a documented pathway to safety that standard shelter intake and transfer procedures should have identified. Her death was not the result of a single mistake, but of multiple preventable failures at every stage of the shelter process - failures that reflect a shelter system in urgent need of reform.

The following failures that directly contributed to Eve’s death:

 

FAILURE #1 - INADEQUATE INTAKE & MICROCHIP PROTOCOL
Eve’s microchip directly linked her to Lynchburg Humane Society (LHS), an organization ready and willing to take her. Standard protocol requires shelters to verify microchip information and contact associated organizations before any disposition decision. That did not occur. Multiple organizations later confirmed they linked Eve’s chip to LHS in under five minutes. That failure cost Eve her life.

FAILURE #2 - INADEQUATE ADOPTION PROMOTION AND PUBLIC VISIBILITY
During her 2.5 weeks at DAHS, Eve was posted for adoption only three times, twice on Facebook and once in a local newspaper. She was never posted on the shelter website or on a public adoption platform such as Petfinder, both standard adoption marketing practices. As a result, adopters, fosters, and rescue organizations had little meaningful opportunity to see or save her.

FAILURE #3 - LACK OF RESCUE AND PARTNER NETWORKING
Despite Eve’s documented connection to LHS, no outreach was made by DAHS to LHS. We’re in contact with every major rescue partner in the area and they were also not contacted. The surrendering owner has publicly stated that she informed DAHS of Eve’s LHS history and provided original records at intake. Prior to this, Amherst County Shelter successfully identified Eve’s LHS connection within minutes and safely returned her. At DAHS, the connection was only recognized after a Homeward Trails Danville staff member noticed and traced the microchip number listed while visiting the facility, though by the time she notified the shelter, Eve had already been killed.

FAILURE #4 - FAILURE TO UTILIZE AVAILABLE INTERVENTION TIME
Eve was killed within approximately 2.5 weeks of intake despite having identifiable pathways to safety. Best practices require time for outreach, rescue coordination, and placement efforts. Those opportunities existed but were not meaningfully pursued.

Taken together, these failures reflect a shelter system that did not prioritize lifesaving. Eve’s death was preventable and the foreseeable result of a system that failed to act. How many more Eve’s have been killed?

 

Please Act Now

Eve’s story is not an isolated incident - it is a reflection of systemic failures that demand immediate attention. A public town hall is a critical first step toward restoring transparency, ensuring accountability, and rebuilding a shelter system this community can trust.

WE URGE TO ACT - urgently, transparently, and with the seriousness this situation demands.

Please add your name below to stand with Eve and help drive the changes needed to protect vulnerable animals in your community.The Danville City Council oversees the DAHS contract and has taken no steps whatsoever to hold the shelter accountable for the killing of Eve or the thousands of animals that have been needlessly killed.

FIVE MINUTES FOR EVE

1. Call the Danville City Manager NOW and demand that the shelter contract be terminated and put out for bid:

Danville City Manager, Ken Larking: (434) 799-5100  *insist that they allow you to leave a message

2. Email the Danville City Council demanding justice for Eve and that the shelter contract be terminated immediately and put out for bid:

alonzo.jones@danvilleva.gov; james.buckner@danvilleva.gov; larry.campbell@danvilleva.gov; bryant.hood@danvilleva.gov; danny.marshall@danvilleva.gov; barry.mayo@danvilleva.gov; gary.miller@danvilleva.gov; sherman.saunders@danvilleva.gov; Lee.Vogler@danvilleva.gov

3. Please also sign this petition Urgent Action to Address Systemic Failures Resulting in Eve’s Death in Danville, VA

4. SHARE THIS POST!! #NotAnotherEve

For the latest updates, follow the Danville Deserves Better Facebook Page and Lynchburg Humane Society Facebook Page

#NOTANOTHEREVE