Melissa grew up in Arlington, Virginia. She moved to Fredericksburg soon after graduating with a BA from Mary Washington College.  From there, she went in to retail, managing a fabric store for nearly 20 years.  She has been active in the animal rescue world since 2004.  She was the trainer and behaviorist at the local SPCA from 2004-2008.  Then she was a professional pet sitter for several years.  Then she went back to her retail roots, and opened a thrift store for a local animal sanctuary.  When Covid caused it to close temporarily, she wanted to continue to help animals in need and found a training course online for rescuing lost pets being offered by MARN – Missing Animal Resource Network.

Laura grew up in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  She served in the Air Force before coming  to Fredericksburg as a Federal Employee.  Laura has always had a deep passion for animals in need.   A former volunteer with the local SPCA and rescue transporter, Laura began trapping when she noticed that dogs would, occasionally, escape from their foster homes and transports.  Wanting to help, she purchased a humane box trap and started her research, leading her to the online course offered by MARN.

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When another dog escaped from it’s foster home, Laura called Melissa and asked if she would like to help.  Laura mentored Melissa, teaching her how to apply what was learned in class to each rescue case they took on.  Soon, a partnership was formed, and their reputation grew. Animal Control began calling them for assistance with hard to trap dogs.  In November of 2021, they formed a non-profit organization, R2H – Return 2 Home Lost Pet Resources.