DANVILLE, Va. (rbs news now) — The euthanasia of a 12-year-old dog named Eve has sparked widespread criticism, emotional social media reactions and calls for change at the Danville Area Humane Society, after the Lynchburg Humane Society said it was not contacted before the dog was euthanized.

The controversy began Monday when the Lynchburg Humane Society shared a lengthy statement about Eve, a dog the organization said had been in its care “on and off since 2021” before being adopted into what it described as a loving home in November 2025.

According to Lynchburg Humane Society, Eve was surrendered to the Danville Area Humane Society, commonly known as DAHS, due to what the adopters described as a family matter unrelated to the dog.

The organization said it learned April 28 that Eve had been at DAHS for approximately two weeks and immediately attempted to bring her back into its care.

However, the shelter said Eve had already been euthanized earlier that same day.

“We asked why, but we have still not received a straight answer,” the Lynchburg Humane Society said in its statement.

The organization also questioned whether DAHS properly scanned Eve’s microchip, saying all pets adopted through Lynchburg Humane Society are microchipped specifically so they can be traced back to the organization if surrendered elsewhere.

“A simple microchip scan would have shown that Eve came from the Lynchburg Humane Society, and we would have done what we always do: bring her back to our Center for Pets,” the organization said.

The Lynchburg Humane Society went on to criticize DAHS’s euthanasia practices, claiming the Danville shelter euthanized more than 9,000 animals over the past four years and reported a 37% save rate in 2025.

“Eve represents the thousands of pets that don’t make it out of the DAHS shelter alive,” the organization said.

The Danville Area Humane Society responded publicly later Monday, disputing some of the claims and defending its actions.

DAHS said Eve was surrendered as an owner release and described her as a 12-year-old dog who had been repeatedly posted for adoption and rescue placement opportunities during her stay.

“Unfortunately, despite those efforts, she did not receive interest,” the shelter said.

DAHS also stated that staff scanned Eve’s microchip and contacted the microchip company, but said the chip was unregistered and contained no owner information.

The shelter added that it later learned the person who surrendered Eve claimed they had attempted to contact the original adopting organization before bringing the dog to DAHS, but did not receive a response.

“However, no verified owner or reclaim request was made directly through our shelter during the time she was in our care,” DAHS said.

The shelter said that it is an open-admission facility, meaning it accepts all animals regardless of age, health or adoptability.

“That responsibility means we are sometimes faced with incredibly difficult decisions due to space, resources, and the needs of all animals in our care,” the organization said.

On Wednesday, DAHS released another statement saying staff members had received hateful and, in some cases, threatening messages and phone calls following the backlash.

The shelter announced increased security measures, including locking its front doors, limiting staff interactions with abusive callers, filing police reports regarding threatening communications and requiring staff to leave the building together after hours.

“Our staff members should not have to be subjected to such vile treatment and the safety of the staff and shelter is of paramount priority,” DAHS said.

Virginia State Sen. Bill Stanley also weighed in publicly Wednesday, sharply criticizing the Danville shelter and calling for changes.

“The unwarranted euthanasia of Eve should have never happened,” Stanley wrote in a social media post. “Their lack of both effort and compassion for companion animals like Eve is quite simply, appalling.”

Stanley compared the situation to the widely publicized shutdown of the Envigo beagle breeding facility in Cumberland County and said he plans to lead an effort seeking “drastic change” at the Danville shelter.

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