Danville Area Humane Society rebrands, invigorates efforts to engage residents

Now called "No Birth, No Stray, No Neglect," Paulette Dean, the executive director of the shelter, hopes the new name engages more residents in the work of the organization.

She said the efforts have been the "center of our work" since 1984.

"This comes as a result of the work of the strategic planning committee that was formed in 2025, the work of the Board of Directors, and the daily work of the shelter staff," Dean said in a statement last week. "It is much more than reducing euthanasia numbers.”

The humane society has come under fire in recent years for high euthanasia rates. A local group — Danville Deserved Better — formed from the national Best Friends Animal Society to bring the numbers.

In 2024, Danville Area Humane Society lowered its yearly euthanasia rate to 65%, which was down from nearly 80% in 2023. The numbers for 2025 must be uploaded to a state database by Jan. 31.

As of Friday, the 2025 data wasn't available.

In a statement, Dean acknowledged that "no-kill" is an effective slogan, but pointed to "real-life" consequences, "from animals being abused or even killed by people who don’t or won’t care for them to hoarder rescues being raided by law-enforcement authorities."

She said the Danville shelter will never turn away an animal in need or "prioritize statistics over the welfare of individual animals."

"Until there are fewer dogs and cats being born, fewer stray animals, and fewer cases of neglect, the work of open-admission shelters must continue," Dean explained.

"We encourage citizens to thoughtfully consider our program and join us in our long-term commitment to help the animals," Dean said.

For the "No Birth" aspect, the shelter helps residents of Danville and Pittsylvania County offset the costs to spay and neuter animals. More than $1 million has been spent from the E. Stuart James Grant Charitable Trust, which was established by a former publisher of the Danville Register & Bee.

"We provide assistance through rebates and funds given to veterinary clinics, as well as offers to pay for the complete cost of sterilizing owned outside cats and certain larger breed dogs," Dean explained in the statement. "People who relinquish litters of puppies and kittens are also offered our assistance to spay the mother dogs."

The Danville Area Humane Society is looking to increase its free microchip clinics throughout the year for the "No Stray" portion. Microchips help to reunite a lost pet with it owner via a national database.

"We will also post lost animals for their owners on our social media pages, as well as providing assistance in offering rewards through our Chewie Louie Fund," Dean explained.

The shelter is looking for new partners with its transfer programs that will help to find homes for the animals. 

"Our promotion of shelter animals has increased through our social media sites and we pledge to continue that important work," she said. "We hope to highlight our shelter animals through more tours and events held at the shelter."

Dean said the shelter will continue to educate the public on state and local laws in place to protect animals as part of the "No Neglect" part of the campaign.

"We will continue to provide dog lots to remove dogs from being tethered," she said.

"We will seek new ways to educate children and teenagers about the humane treatment of animals," she continued. "We will also continue to work with animal control officers to intervene, investigate, and prosecute complaints of neglect and cruelty."

To learn more, visit dahsinc.com or find the organization on Facebook and Instagram.