VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - For four years, Virginia Beach resident Sarah Mitchell and her boyfriend have been fostering dogs.
They're described as "very compassionate people."
They work with the K9 Justice League.
“We pull dogs from local shelters who don’t have a chance or are in really bad shape and nurse them back to health, and Sarah is one of the ones who takes the hard cases," said Deb Coon from the K9 Justice League.
The group uses Facebook to post pictures of the pooches so potential fur parents can look for their next family member.
Sarah was at home, so all of her friends and family gathered in the Food Lion parking lot so we could caravan over and surprise her with a People Taking Action award, along with a $300 gift card from our community partner, Southern Bank.
And when she opened the door, she was definitely surprised!
“I was so taken by surprise. You guys really did it; thank you guys!" she exclaimed.
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Not only did her friends and family show up to honor Sarah; some of the pups she’s rehabilitated were there, too.
Many of these pups come to Sarah with skin issues, behavior problems or they just don’t show well in a shelter.
“They need to be in a home and learn how to be a dog - like what Sarah does. She’s got some dogs in her house that show them the ropes.”
Dogs like Hank, one of three of Sarah’s own pooches.
“He’s just really intuitive. It's like his intelligence is different than other dogs in the house," Sarah told us. "He knows what they need and he conforms each time a dog comes in to what they need."
And maybe that’s because Hank was one of Sarah’s foster fur kids who decided he’d be far more helpful helping her train other dogs to be their adoptable best.
Do you know someone who's worthy of a People Taking Action award? Click here to nominate them!
