Service Dogs of Virginia

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Service Dogs of Virginia Training life-changing service dogs and placing them with those in need at no cost. Building independence, confidence, and lifelong partnerships.

www.servicedogsva.org Service Dogs of Virginia, Inc. raises, trains, and places dogs to assist people with disabilities. Highly trained dogs perform a wealth of tasks that allow greater personal freedom and independence. We place dogs for residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia and we are based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

🐾🌿 Statue Spotlight: Off LeashOne dog, two Virginias.Artist Hannah Hirschberg painted this Labrador as two complete land...
10/14/2026

🐾🌿 Statue Spotlight: Off Leash

One dog, two Virginias.

Artist Hannah Hirschberg painted this Labrador as two complete landscapes in one piece — turn him one way and you're looking at rolling green vineyard rows against distant mountains under a soft blue sky; turn him the other and it's a Blue Ridge sunset, layered peaks in deep blue silhouette under a warm orange-and-yellow sky. It's a tribute to Charlottesville, the place that shaped Hirschberg's own journey and creativity, and to the wandering, discovering, and memory-making that happen there — leash optional.

You could stand this one in a garden and get two entirely different views depending on the day, the light, or just which way you're walking.

📍 Sponsored by and located at Signature Med Spa and Albemarle Dermatology — worth seeing from every angle in person.

🔨 Bid on Off Leash during the Art Unleashed Auction, October 24, and bring home a piece that captures the best of Virginia from every side — while supporting the future of Service Dogs of Virginia. 🐾✨

10/13/2026

🎁 From unique experiences to special gifts, our Art Unleashed Silent Auction has something for everyone!

🐾 Registration and bidding open Thursday, October 15! Every bid supports our Together We Build campaign to create a new facility for Service Dogs of Virginia.

Special thanks to our silent auction sponsors: Oakencroft Farm & Winery,Linda Van Der Linde, Rhoback, Boar's Head Resort, Virginia Distillery Co., PawsitiveBarb, Animal Connection, Lindsey Benton, JOHN PAUL JONES ARENA, Virginia Donelson Studios, Tribute Coffee,
Sbrocco Donuts & Espresso, Albemarle Baking Co. , MADE.

🐾 Exciting news to start the week: Sadie is pregnant!🐶💛Sadie is expecting a litter in early November, and we couldn’t be...
10/12/2026

🐾 Exciting news to start the week: Sadie is pregnant!🐶💛

Sadie is expecting a litter in early November, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the next generation of service dogs!

These puppies are more than an adorable new litter. They’re an important part of our plans to grow our breeding program and place more service dogs with people who need them. 🐾

Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:
🏡 Preparing for puppies: Board member and longtime volunteer Polly has generously opened her home to Sadie for whelping and the puppies’ first weeks while our new facility is under construction.

🐕 Building for the future: Our new facility will include two dedicated whelping suites and two enrichment rooms, giving us the space to raise more puppies and expand our program.

💛 Growing our program:Since joining SDV in April, our Breeding Colony Manager, Jessica, has been working with Canine Genetic Services, our breeding consultant, to build a strong foundation for long-term success.

SDV will keep all but one of Sadie’s puppies for our program. One will go to Dogs Inc., which provided the sire. For the puppies staying with SDV, the journey from tiny puppy to working service dog will take about two years, including training and, eventually, placement with a client.

More puppies. More service dogs. More lives changed. ❤️

And you can help make that future possible! Our Together We Build campaign is funding the new facility that will help us grow our program and serve more people. Every gift brings us one step closer to that future. Help us build what comes next!

🐾🌿 Statue Spotlight: ShenandoahEvery inch of this one has something to discover.As Indigenous Peoples' Day approaches, a...
10/12/2026

🐾🌿 Statue Spotlight: Shenandoah

Every inch of this one has something to discover.

As Indigenous Peoples' Day approaches, artist Melanie L. Spalding 's tribute to the Shenandoah Valley feels especially fitting. She painted the head and ears a deep, starry indigo, then filled the sky-blue body with the wildlife and native flora of the region — a trout leaping through the current, an owl watching from the branches, a cardinal perched beside a coiling snake, a fox tucked low in the grass, and thistle, jack-in-the-pulpit, honeysuckle, and wild mushrooms woven between them. It rewards a slow look — something new turns up in every section.

If you love the Shenandoah Valley, this is a piece that brings a little of it home with you.

📍 Sponsored by and located at Muse Vineyards , nestled in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley — visit and discover the details woven throughout.

🔨 Bid on Shenandoah during the Art Unleashed Auction, October 24, and bring home a one-of-a-kind tribute to the Valley — while supporting the future of Service Dogs of Virginia. 🐾✨

📖 Statue Spotlight: Ms. WonderfulThis is the dog who'd rather chat than fetch.Artist Katharine B. March Paints hand-let...
10/07/2026

📖 Statue Spotlight: Ms. Wonderful

This is the dog who'd rather chat than fetch.

Artist Katharine B. March Paints hand-lettered this pink Labrador nose to tail in W-words — "woof," "wink," "watch," "wonder," "welcome," "whistle," "wag," "walkies" — flowing in curved lines across every inch of the body, with a bright green collar and a scatter of cheerful white daisies breaking up the text. It started with a single word and grew into a full celebration of language.

She'd be right at home in a library, a reading nook, a book-lined study — anywhere someone already loves words as much as they love dogs.

📍 Sponsored by and located at The Barn @678 — visit in person and see how many words you can spot.

🔨 Bid on Ms. Wonderful during the Art Unleashed Auction, October 24, and bring home a piece with real personality — while supporting the future of Service Dogs of Virginia. 🐾✨

✨ Statue Spotlight: RoccoThis Labrador has wings — and a halo to match.Artist Helen Matheson Hilliard covered the body i...
10/04/2026

✨ Statue Spotlight: Rocco

This Labrador has wings — and a halo to match.

Artist Helen Matheson Hilliard covered the body in painted stained-glass-style panels, every "pane" outlined in dark leading like a real Tiffany window, shifting through blues, greens, and teals across the frame. A single wing sweeps across the side in warm yellows, amber, and orange, feather by feather, and a slim copper halo rises above the head — a tribute to St. Rocco, healer and patron saint of dogs. Legs are left dark and grounded, a quiet contrast to the color above them.

Picture Rocco in your entryway or by a sunny window — this is the kind of detail work that gets better the longer you live with it.

📍 Sponsored by longtime SDV supporter Mary Minor Henderson and located at The Lodge at Old Trail — see the detail in person.

🔨 Bid on Rocco during the Art Unleashed Auction, October 24, and bring home a truly one-of-a-kind work of art — while supporting Service Dogs of Virginia. 🐾✨

🐾🍄 Statue Spotlight: Mushrooms at MidnightA whole forest, painted after dark.Sponsored by The Ivy Group, artist Sigrid E...
10/02/2026

🐾🍄 Statue Spotlight: Mushrooms at Midnight

A whole forest, painted after dark.

Sponsored by The Ivy Group, artist Sigrid Eilertson set this Labrador against a deep midnight-blue sky dusted with stars, a glowing full moon rising over its shoulder, and a starry, galaxy-toned face turned up to meet it. Down the body, a woodland floor unfolds in layered greenery — ferns, trailing vines, and a cluster of mushrooms in every color: scarlet toadstools with white caps, pale blue-gray clusters, golden chanterelles, and delicate purple blooms, all rendered with the kind of botanical detail you'd expect from a nature illustration, not a lawn statue. It's inspired by the artist's own woodland walks with her chihuahuas — a quiet, magical world captured mid-glow.

Picture this tucked into a garden bed or shaded corner of your own yard — it would look just as at home there as it does now at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards , where you can see it in person.

🔨 Bid on Mushrooms at Midnight during at the Art Unleashed Auction, October 24, and bring home a piece of enchanted Virginia woodland — while supporting Service Dogs of Virginia. 🐾✨

🐾 As National Service Dog Month Comes to a Close…Throughout the month, we’ve shared a glimpse into the world of service ...
09/30/2026

🐾 As National Service Dog Month Comes to a Close…

Throughout the month, we’ve shared a glimpse into the world of service dogs—from what they can do, to what it takes to train them, to the incredible partnerships they build with their people. We’ve also shared two client stories that show just how life-changing those partnerships can be. 💙

But there are still people waiting.

Right now, people are waiting 2+ years for a service dog.

Our new facility will help us train and place more service dogs each year, helping shorten that wait and create more life-changing partnerships.

And right now, you can help us build that future.

💙 Every donation to our Together We Build campaign is being matched dollar for dollar.

More service dogs. Shorter waits. More lives changed.

Help us make it possible. Give today and double your impact.

🐾🎨 Statue Spotlight: SignalStare long enough and the stripes start to move.Artist Abby Kasonik covered this Labrador in ...
09/29/2026

🐾🎨 Statue Spotlight: Signal

Stare long enough and the stripes start to move.

Artist Abby Kasonik covered this Labrador in a network of concentric black-and-white lines — bold bands that ripple out from the joints and curve around the body like a maze, no two sections quite matching up. It's a true optical illusion piece: the pattern reads differently depending on where you're standing, flattening the dog's form in some places and warping it in others. Signal explores the space between what we expect to see and what we actually discover when we slow down and look.

It's the kind of statue that photographs differently every single time — no two shots look alike.

📍 Sponsored by Rockpile Construction Company and located at Oakencroft Farm & Winery — visit in person to experience the illusion up close.

🔨 Bid on Signal during the Art Unleashed Auction, October 24, and take home a piece that never looks the same way twice — while supporting the future of Service Dogs of Virginia. 🐾✨

How much have you learned about service dogs this month? 🐾🧠It’s time to put your service dog knowledge to the test!Throu...
09/28/2026

How much have you learned about service dogs this month? 🐾🧠

It’s time to put your service dog knowledge to the test!

Throughout the month, we’ve shared information about service dogs, working teams, service dog etiquette, and what it means to be a good service dog advocate. Now, let’s see what you remember!

🐾 Take our quiz and see how much you learned during National Service Dog Month. See link in the comments!

Keep learning. Keep advocating. Help make the world a better place for service dog teams!

Address

673 Berkmar Court
Charlottesville, VA
22901

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

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