Blind Husky Gets Rescued — and Goes Home to a Husky and Five Cats
The blind Husky with a “let’s play!” expression kept drawing Eryka Hackett’s attention to Middleburg Humane Foundation’s adoption page, even though she had five rescue cats and a Husky from an abusive home living with her in the townhouse she shares with her mom.
Still, Hackett could see the shelter from the back window of CJ’s Custom Cuts, where she styles hair. On a lunch break one day, she volunteered to walk him in the fields.
Guinness had been a stray with severe glaucoma. Once a vet removed his eyes, he was pain-free, playful and confident — nosing his way along the walls of a room or scanning the outdoor terrain with his paws during walks.
But as the months ticked by, MHF staffers grew anxious Guinness would never find a home. “He received no interest,” said placement coordinator Delaney Disque. Though Hackett and Guinness had instantly bonded, she didn’t commit, but promised to think about it on her upcoming vacation. Then Hackett began to worry: “What if he goes to another family? Oh no! He’s my boy!” She reached Disque. She and her mom were in!
At home in Warrenton, the dogs quickly became loyal friends. The cats, not so much. The older female Husky corrects Guinness when he jumps up, leans into him to guide him places, and blocks him from the cats when he’s too pushy.
His expressions — lifting an eyebrow, cocking his head, moving an ear — are so animated that some visitors don’t notice his handicap, says Hackett, who can’t get over how “super-cute” and “very smart” and “so fearless” he is. He’s learned voice and touch commands and nuzzles with a visitor on the back porch until he tires and plops down for a rest.
“The blindness didn’t faze him,” she says. “It just wasn’t a crazy big deal.”
Mars to Run a Local News Experiment in Hunt Country
When we heard that the candy and pet food company — which makes Milky Ways and Mars bars for us, IAMS and Pedigree for our dogs, and Temptations for our cats — wanted to make everyone aware of how local it was, we thought: what better way than through the local press?
So we asked the company — yes, with a little help from our friends — if it would run a year-long test to see if we local news editors could share its message widely enough throughout Hunt Country to be a serious complement to its own social media efforts.
In addition to the “Mars Is Closer Than You Think” campaign, the Mars communications folks told us about the Mars Global Adoption Weekend starting October 2. This is when Mars helps combat pet homelessness and celebrate the bond between people and pets by paying the adoption fees for its partner animal shelters across the country — including the Middleburg Humane Foundation here in Fauquier.
Together, we decided to bring you two sets of stories over the next year: the first about rescues through our colleagues at MHF; the second describing how Mars is a thought leader in responsible pet ownership and animal adoption, as well as the science behind how it makes its pet food.
Can local news organizations help drive national brands and recapture a piece of the advertising that kept community newspapers alive for decades? That’s what we’re trying to find out.
If this is the first you’ve heard of the “Mars Is Closer Than You Think” campaign, and if this has made you think about adopting a pet, then we’re definitely onto something.
“Mars Is Closer Than You Think”: A Message From Mars
When people hear the name Mars, they often think of iconic brands like PEDIGREE®, M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, and Ben’s Original®. But what many residents of Northern Virginia may not realize is that the global petcare, snacking, and food leader — which has operated in the U.S. for 115 years — has deep roots in the region.
Mars’s global headquarters is based in McLean, and the company’s mission — the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today — extends far beyond its products and services.
That story is the inspiration behind a new 12-part content series with The Middleburg Page, titled “Mars Is Closer Than You Think.” Over the coming months, the series will introduce readers to the Associates, programs, and partnerships that help bring Mars’s purpose to life every day. From supporting pet adoption and advancing animal welfare to investing in community initiatives and sustainability efforts, the stories will showcase how Mars is working to create positive change for both people and pets.
A key focus of the series will be Mars Petcare and the company’s ambition to create A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. Through initiatives that support pet adoption, improve access to pet-inclusive housing, advance veterinary care, and strengthen the bond between people and their pets, Mars is helping improve the lives of pets every day.
At its heart, “Mars Is Closer Than You Think” is about highlighting the local connections behind a global company and sharing stories that demonstrate how purpose-driven companies can make a meaningful difference. For many readers, they may discover that Mars has been part of their community all along.
Clearing the Path to Pet Adoption in Middleburg
Finding a loving home for a shelter pet can change a life — both for the pet and the family who welcomes them. That was the goal behind the Mars Global Adoption Weekend, held Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4, in partnership with the Middleburg Humane Foundation.
The company is helping to address common barriers that can prevent prospective pet parents from adopting, as part of its ongoing commitment to its purpose: a better world for pets. This year’s campaign is focused on “Clearing the Path” — making pet adoption more accessible and encouraging more families to consider opening their homes to animals in need. The campaign supports 17 shelters across 16 cities in the United States.
Throughout the weekend, Mars covered adoption fees for qualifying dogs and cats at the Middleburg Humane Foundation, helping reduce the financial hurdle that can sometimes stand in the way of adoption. In addition, every adopter received a complimentary adoption kit filled with helpful pet-care products and resources from Mars Petcare brands, including PEDIGREE® and IAMS™.
Mars also launched the Mars Adoption Hub, a free online resource designed to support new pet parents with expert advice from Mars veterinarians on nutrition, behavior, and other helpful information to help pets and their families thrive together.
Animal shelters across the country continue to face challenges related to capacity and resource constraints, making community support more important than ever. By helping to address barriers to adoption, Mars hopes to make it easier for more pets to find permanent, loving homes while also supporting the dedicated work of local shelters and rescue organizations.
The Middleburg Humane Foundation has long served as a vital resource for animal welfare in the region, caring for pets while they await adoption and connecting them with families ready to welcome a new companion.
“We know that saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever,” MHF Acting Director Amrit Daryanani says.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The rescued dogs and cats pictured in the printed edition are just a few of the pets at the Middleburg Humane Foundation looking for a home. Come visit them: https://www.middleburghumane.org/
