U.S. Army National Guard member Tracy Roberg began volunteering at Old Dominion Humane Society (ODHS) a dozen years ago and loves the rescue dogs and organization today as much as when she first started. As one of only a few volunteers when ODHS began, she’s tackled every job there is, from off-site adoption events and intake coordination for the new dogs to veterinary appointment scheduling and mentoring new foster families. Roberg enjoys helping Founder Chrissy Blake manage the “big picture” now.
Since its beginnings, ODHS has continued its goal to rescue dogs from mistreatment, hoarding situations and high-kill shelters and more than doubled the size of its Fredericksburg facility two years ago. Roberg has been there to see the organization grow in the number of rescues it takes in and the volunteers it now has—approximately 300. ODHS is entirely run by volunteers, helping in the many areas needed to make the dogs safe, comfortable and healthy until they’re joined with their forever families.
A long-time resident of the Fredericksburg area, Roberg, 40, now lives in Quinton, Va., and travels to ODHS for many events. She’s mainly focused on fostering pregnant and nursing mom dogs, which means lots of puppies in the house. Roberg keeps the mom rescues and their pups for six weeks at a time. There’s help, though, because when Roberg began volunteering she didn’t have husband, Brent, and toddlers, Vivian, 4, and Elijah, 2.
“My daughter loves sitting with the babies,” she said. “My husband gets in and helps me clean the kennels. We have a wonderful set-up with kennels in our climate-controlled garage. ODHS is great, because it gives you all kinds of tips to make fostering work for your home.
”The long-time foster has expanded her love of rescue dogs to the entire family and teachers her children how to care for and love the pups.
Roberg served in the U.S. Army National Guard for 21 years, which included 12 years of active duty. The decision to retire in 2023 was based on her two children and the thought of deploying away from them. With two Virginia units currently overseas, she very well could have been separated from her family.
A recipient of the William A. Harrison Jr. Foundation Vet Technician Grant, she’s currently pursuing an associate’s degree to become a Licensed Vet Technician. The William A. Harrison Jr. Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit with a mission to identify unaddressed needs and support solutions to contribute to the betterment of the community. Its first major project supports animal welfare and offers the grants.
Roberg currently manages the Kincheloe South Spay and Neuter Clinic in Ashland. She said the field has a huge shortage of vet technicians.
It’s no coincidence that the girl who grew up on a dairy farm in North Dakota and has always loved animals now works and volunteers daily with the rescue dogs. While attending Ohio University, she served as vice president of the Athens County Humane Society. Revealing a secret from that time, Roberg said she used to sneak overnight fosters into the dorm rooms in her efforts to help. After moving to Virginia, she found it harder to find a rescue group that she liked and trusted her to do more than the laundry.
“What I like about ODHS so much is if you want to get involved or have an idea, they say to do it,” said Roberg. “If you want to just come in and walk dogs, that’s needed, too. There’s a spot for everyone and always so much that’s needed to be done. I love manual labor, so I can clean there all day long."
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