About Us · Who We Support —
The Local Rescues Behind So Many of Our Favorite Clients
Some of the best dogs and cats we've ever walked, fed and fussed over started their story at a Fairfax animal rescue or shelter. This page is our thank-you to the people who got them home.
Why a Pet Care Company Keeps a Favorite List of Rescues
Here's something you learn fast after more than a decade of letting yourself into other people's homes: an awful lot of the pets waiting on the other side of the door were somebody's second chance. The shy beagle who now greets us at the gate like we're the mail carrier and Santa rolled into one. The senior cat who needed three visits to come out from under the bed and now personally supervises every litter scoop. (She has notes. We take them seriously.)
None of those happy endings happened by accident. Behind each one is a rescue or shelter that pulled an animal out of a hard situation, paid the vet bills, found a foster home, and screened a family carefully enough that the match actually stuck.
Walking Wet Noses Dog Walking & Pet Sitting has cared for pets in Fairfax, Oakton, Vienna, Chantilly, Centreville, Clifton and Burke since 2015, and we've always believed the community that sends us these wonderful animals deserves something back. Supporting Fairfax animal rescue groups, plus a senior dog sanctuary close to our Front Royal home, is how we say thank you.
Adopting a pet changes that pet's whole world. Supporting the rescue that made it possible changes the next one's, too.
The Rescues —
From Fairfax Animal Rescue Groups to a Front Royal Sanctuary
Six local groups, six very different ways of getting animals from "nobody's" to "somebody's."
Front Royal
Little Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary
A sanctuary devoted entirely to senior dogs — the grey muzzles, the cloudy eyes, the ones who've earned a soft bed and a slow, sunny afternoon. Plenty of people walk right past the oldest dog in a kennel. Little Friends walks straight toward him.
Personal to us: senior dogs hold a very special place in Kim's heart, and this sanctuary is close to home, just down the road from our Front Royal boarding.
Follow Little Friends on Facebook →Fairfax Station · Since 1990
HART — Homeless Animals Rescue Team
A no-kill rescue that works with local vets, foster homes and trainers to get every dog and cat healthy before matching it with a carefully screened family. HART takes in the older, sick and injured animals right alongside the easy adoptions, and never takes the puppies while leaving mom behind.
Personal to us: Kim's own dogs came home through HART.
Visit HART →Fairfax Station · Since 2001
Homeward Trails Animal Rescue
Homeward Trails pulls dogs and cats from rural, under-resourced shelters where the odds are slim, then finds them families here through a big network of foster homes. More than 30,000 animals later, their adoption center on a quiet stretch of Fairfax Station Road still looks more like a house than a shelter. We think that's exactly right.
Visit Homeward Trails →Aldie · Since the early 1970s
Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA)
One of the area's longest-running no-kill shelters, offering rescue, medical care, rehabilitation and adoption for homeless dogs and cats. Their motto, "Home with us until they're home with you," says it all, and their soft spot for senior dogs is one we share.
Visit FOHA →Fairfax & Lorton campuses
Fairfax County Animal Shelter
The county's open-access shelter, which means it never turns an animal away — and that's roughly 4,000 to 5,000 of them a year. Beyond same-day adoptions, it runs low-cost vaccine clinics, a pet food pantry and spay/neuter support. If you've ever found a lost dog wandering your street, there's a good chance this is where his happy ending started.
Visit the Shelter →Centreville · Since 2005
Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter
The shelter's nonprofit fundraising partner, covering what a county budget can't: emergency surgeries, dental care, and the toys, bedding and harnesses that make a kennel feel a little less like one. Since they started, the shelter's live release rate has climbed from 46% to over 90% — a number we'd happily frame.
Visit FFCAS →For New Adopters —
Just Adopted? Here's What the First Few Weeks Really Look Like
Congratulations — you've got a new roommate who doesn't pay rent and may or may not understand what a door is. Whether your new pet came from a Fairfax animal rescue, the county shelter or a sanctuary down the road, rescue folks often describe the adjustment with the "3-3-3" rule, and it's a genuinely useful way to keep your expectations kind.
Two things help more than anything else: a steady routine and familiar faces. It's also why we keep new rescues on quiet residential streets instead of busy parks. A nervous dog doesn't need to meet forty strangers in week two.
The first three days
Your new pet is overwhelmed. Hiding, skipping a meal or sleeping a lot is normal. Keep things quiet and skip the welcome party.
The first three weeks
They're learning how your house works: when breakfast happens, where the leash lives. Keep meals, walks and bedtime on a steady rhythm.
The first three months
Most rescues finally exhale, and you meet the real personality. (Sometimes it's a couch hog. You'll love him anyway.)
Closer to Home —
Cheering On Our Two-Legged Neighbors, Too
Giving back isn't only about four-legged neighbors. We're proud sponsors of the Mosby Woods Mustangs youth swim team in Fairfax, which means our banners get to watch a lot of very fast kids, and we get to feel very proud of them. Same idea, different species.
Let's Talk —
Your Rescue Deserves a Sitter Who Gets It
Every pet from a Fairfax animal rescue comes with a history, and sometimes a few quirks to match. We take the time to learn both: the dog who needs a minute before the leash goes on, the cat who only eats if nobody's watching. Same familiar faces, visit notes after every stop, and plenty of patience.
They've already had one big change in their life. Let's make the next chapter an easy one.