A year after New Kensington’s Animal Protectors of the Allegheny Valley adopted out a shelter dog named Mia, who went viral online for her three-year stay there, the organization has seen a residual boost in volunteerism.
Animal Protectors took to social media with Mia’s story, and it caught widespread attention. Volunteers began showing up to spend time with Mia and acclimate her to being with people.
They took her on adventures as part of the shelter’s Doggy Day Out program, said shelter administrator Danielle Marie Baughman.
Mia was eventually adopted, but the volunteers who showed up for her stuck around to make the same efforts for other dogs.
“It wasn’t until all the exposure Mia was getting that (we) really started bringing in volunteers,” Baughman said.
The shelter, which previously had a handful of steady volunteers, now has 110 regulars.
“This group of people continued to grow,” Baughman said. “We kind of took it upon ourselves as volunteers to enrich the lives of these dogs as much as we could.”
Volunteers help out in a variety of ways, such as cleaning kennels or taking the dogs on walks.
Baughman said the Doggy Day Out program has seen the most significant boost in volunteerism.
The program is designed to get dogs out of the kennel so volunteers have a better understanding of their personalities and how they react to different situations. It helps Animal Protectors understand their needs and market them better for adoption, Baughman said.
Kelly Campbell, of Brackenridge and her 13-year-old son, Braxton, started taking dogs out for adventures on the town twice a week in May 2025 after they saw Mia’s story online.
Since then, she has stuck around to help many dogs.
A pitbull-terrier mix, Xena, that Campbell helped track down on the streets of New Kensington is close to her heart.
“We searched for this dog, a group of us for, like, seven hours, and we finally found her through some — we’ll call it some FBI-type work — we were able to locate her and rushed her to a vet down in East Liberty.”
The bill to get Xena, who Campbell said was extremely skinny, tested and treated was around $6,600.
So, once again, the shelter took to social media and was able to cover the entire cost through community donations, Campbell said.
“There’s been so many other situations that have gone beyond that where people are helping rescue dogs off the streets, getting them out of bad situations, and bringing them into the shelter,” Campbell said.
Baughman said the increase in volunteers has helped reduce the length of time that dogs spend in the shelter.
Kim Bondra, of Arnold started volunteering last summer to help process the death of her 12-year-old pitbull.
She drafted her husband, Luke, and daughter, Raegan, to volunteer as well. Her stepson, Gian, is on the shelter’s staff.
“A lot of the times we just take them on Doggy Day Outs, so we’ll take them to go get them ice cream, or go take them to the creek,” Bondra said.
Watching the dogs flourish and feel safe through continued care from shelter staff and volunteers is what’s most rewarding, Bondra said.
“I think dogs are just like humans, and sometimes they’re just misunderstood,” Bondra said. “We don’t always know the situation they come from, so it just takes a little bit more time, a little bit more patience.
“I mean, (it’s) amazing when we see them flourish and go into a home and be successful.”