Founded in 2012 by Tom and Deanna Cosby, Homes Fur Hounds has flourished thanks to its committed volunteers and fosters taking in surrendered dogs from all around the Williamsburg area. Deanna shares the mission she and her husband have been pursuing, even since before the official formation of the nonprofit: to do their part in giving dogs a chance to live happily, away from overcrowded shelters, with loving fosters.
“Thousands of animals are euthanized every day. So, we try to educate the public on spaying and neutering, heartworm prevention and general health care,” Cosby says. “We also try to help owners who are experiencing difficulty with purchasing pet food or have behavioral problems with their dog or medical issues they can’t afford.”
When asked about how Homes Fur Hounds came to be, Deanna explains that her passion for dogs has been lifelong. “I grew up with my grandparents owning beagles,” she says. “My first dog my husband and I got was a beagle. We moved here 23 years ago, into the historic area, right near Colonial Williamsburg. Most people had small dogs; we were the only ones in town, at the time, who had beagles. So we were known for years as the people from Florida with the beagles.”
With this reputation, when there was an influx of stray and surrendered beagles during the hunting off-season, people would contact the couple to see if they were willing to take in foster dogs. “If we couldn’t find the owner, we would get each dog to the vet, get it taken care of medically and then we would post it on social media, or back then, in newspapers or flyers to try to find a home for the dog,” Deanna says. “And this is how we started. I think I even tagged it on my car, ‘saving dogs one at a time.’”
The hardest part of the job, according to Deanna, is the overwhelming number of dogs they are contacted about each day. “The requests usually include pictures of the dogs scheduled to be euthanized if a rescue group is not found to take them. It is very difficult looking at all of those pictures knowing that if I don’t have a foster available, the animal may not make it out of the shelter alive,” she says. “Even if I have one foster home available, I get at least 10-20 requests a day, so I have to choose the one dog to save. That decision is very stressful and sad.”
Homes Fur Hounds takes in between 175 and 200 dogs a year, all 25 pounds and under. “If anyone wants to help their local shelter or rescue group, fostering is the one thing that can save lives,” Deanna says.
The best part of her work, Deanna shares, are the little miracles that can happen through their fosters, volunteers and partnerships with local organizations. One such miracle is the story of a small chihuahua the Homes Fur Hounds team was able to reunite with his original owner after being missing for three years. “The doggie’s mom was so excited and could not believe her pup had been found. She said she had kept his microchip tag on her key chain since he was missing with the hopes that one day she would get a call telling her he was alive,” Deanna recounts.
Homes Fur Hounds was also integral in saving a group of nine dogs that were recovered and lived with fosters from September 2024 through January of 2026, awaiting a court ruling that cleared them to be adopted. What was expected to be a 30-day hold turned into a far longer endeavor, with four of the nine pups becoming “foster fails,” meaning their fosters decided to adopt the pooches they had fallen in love with after their year-and-a-half stays.
Partnering with local vendors and suppliers for adoption events, Homes Fur Hounds is reliant on the people who share their passion for dogs to continue pursuing their mission. Local groomers do all of the foster dogs’ grooming for free. The dedicated fosters open their homes and hearts to new dogs all the time.
Deanna and Tom work tirelessly at the helm, filling out paperwork, organizing vet visits, and ensuring every donated penny, or chew toy, is going toward the health and happiness of those sweet animals they care for so deeply.
TO THE POINT:
Homes Fur Hounds, Inc.
Address: P.O. Box 1904, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Contact: Deanna Cosby, president
Phone: 757-229-6015
Website: homesfurhounds.org
