Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Birkholz.
Hi Mary, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Looking back, it is clear that my love of animals was hardwired from the beginning, especially for dogs and cats who had been abandoned or neglected. They had no one to rely on and had experienced pain or trauma at the hands of a human. I could “feel” them and was drawn to them. I didn’t seem to have any control over it. The interesting part was that I didn’t grow up in a home with lots of animals. I grew up in a small town in northern Illinois with three awesome siblings and the best parents. My mom was ambivalent about animals, and my dad was highly allergic to cats. As a kid, I remember my sister and I used to walk to town, and we’d always stop at the dog pound to see what dogs were “in prison.” Back then, the dog catcher (now an animal control officer) would collect the troublemakers and take them to the pound. You couldn’t go inside the building, but in the alley behind it, you could catch a glimpse of the dogs whose kennels were about 5’ off the ground. My heart would ache for them.
A number of our neighbors had dogs, and I would make the rounds to their homes, knock on their doors, and ask if I could play with their dog! I was filled with joy anytime I could spend time with them. When I took one of the dogs for a leash walk around the neighborhood, I felt like I was in heaven, and I couldn’t have been happier.
I remember my high school guidance counselor asking what my plans were after graduation. What did I want to do? I told her I wanted to work with animals. She looked at me as though I had two heads and quickly recommended that I become a teacher. To me, working with animals seemed like a logical and important goal, and when she disapproved, I felt dejected. I remember thinking she had no clue where my heart wanted to lead me. But I did.
After two years of business classes at a community college, I was ready to get out into the world. My working life took me to Milwaukee, then to a Chicago suburb, and back to Milwaukee. I worked for a partner at a law firm, spent time in securities and real estate investments, managed a large apartment complex west of Chicago, and then returned to Milwaukee. Wherever I lived, I always volunteered at a local shelter or SPCA. In one volunteer role, I matched requests from potential adopters seeking specific dog breeds with dogs currently at the shelter. On a regular basis, I found that dogs matching incoming requests had been euthanized a week or two before the request came in – their holding time was up, and space was at a premium. If only these dogs had had a little more time, they would have been chosen for adoption. For me, this was a painfully sad reality, and I remember thinking there had to be a better way. I believe this experience was the moment I knew, on some level, that I would be working with homeless animals.
In 1982, I moved from Milwaukee to Northern Virginia. I felt compelled to make this big move based solely on faith that my instincts and intuition were correct. I found a job with a real estate developer in Old Town, Alexandria. While I didn’t know it at the time, a fellow staff person would provide the push and the support to launch me closer to my dream.
In August 1988, I moved onto the property that would become the Caring For Creatures animal sanctuary. The six years between 1982, when I arrived in Virginia, and my move to Fluvanna County, Virginia, to begin the sanctuary were spent fine-tuning my dream, visualizing what I wanted to create, and taking the steps needed to get the ball rolling.
Once I moved onto the sanctuary property, I was excited, motivated, and scared out of my mind. What was I thinking? I’d just quit my job and moved to a place I had never heard of, in the middle of 157 acres. I didn’t know anyone in the area, had never worked in a non-profit organization, and, more importantly, had never started one from the ground up. My faith was still intact, and I would need it every single day.
Finding animals in need of help was not a problem. Learning how to fundraise and create a safe, comfortable home for them was an overwhelming challenge. But step by step, it happened. Once the animals began to come, I realized I had been given an amazing support system. As I helped them, their love, wisdom, and ability to make me laugh returned the kindness tenfold. With their help, I endured whatever I encountered on the path to realizing my dream of creating a sanctuary for homeless animals. I was creating a place where no dog or cat would run out of time.
Over the years, I have often said that my chosen path has been the source of my most devastating lows, yet always the source of my most exhilarating highs.
In August 2026, Caring For Creatures began its 38th year. I can hardly believe so much time has passed. The animals (aka angels) I have been blessed to know, the humans who have chosen to support our mission, all I have learned and continue to learn, and the blessings and guidance that have always been there, even when I felt alone, have taught me that chasing my dream has been worth every moment of hardship, grief, despair, frustration, and sheer exhaustion I have faced along the way.
I’m now looking toward a shift in my role and continuing on my path to placing more focus on the mental and emotional trauma these animals endure and on how we can best help them move through it and return to mental and emotional balance. The dream continues on!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t even come close to being a smooth road! But that is part of life, I think. No matter what path I chose 38 years ago, there would always be struggles. How else do we learn? The obvious struggle was raising the dollars needed to support the sanctuary and provide high-quality care for the animals. I don’t consider myself a great fundraiser, but I do love what I do, so I had to learn how to share my love for the animals and how important it was to stop the suffering in a way that inspired other animal lovers to help with financial support as well as the gift of their time through volunteering.
There was always the physical struggle of accomplishing the day-to-day tasks, especially during extreme weather conditions. Often I was on my own for those occasions, and the job at hand seemed impossible.
I feel that more often than not, the greatest struggle was an internal one in the form of fear, frustration, stress, grief, overwhelm, fatigue, and self-pity. Over the years, I’ve had to have some pretty strong conversations with myself to just get it together and keep going. As a result, I learned just how strong and resilient I could be. I credit the animals with most of that strength and resilience, as they taught me how to do it through their example. I could not have survived without the support of the animals who came to the sanctuary for help.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Caring For Creatures?
Caring For Creatures is a non-profit, no-kill animal sanctuary located in central Virginia. For me, it is the physical manifestation of the dream I brought into this life. Caring For Creatures was the first no-kill facility to open its doors in central Virginia. We offer a safe haven for animals who have no place else to go. Often, we accept the animals with the most challenging medical or behavior issues. The first step is restoring their physical health and mental/emotional well-being. This process might take a long time depending on the animal. Once stable, our goal is to find loving, responsible homes for them. If an animal is not selected for adoption, we provide them with high-quality care and companionship for as long as needed.
Once we accept an animal into the sanctuary, we commit to them for life. That means we always welcome back animals who were adopted but whose humans can no longer provide for them. Or, if the animal develops a behavior issue that the adopter is unable or unwilling to work through, we welcome the animal back. We are their safety net. We’ve had animals in a home for over 10 years that we have accepted back because of the owner’s death or a family dynamic that can no longer include the animal.
We treat each animal as an individual. We tailor their diet, medical care, and training to fit their specific needs. In addition to high-quality veterinary care, we use natural approaches such as flower essences, essential oils, homeopathics, and music to support the animal and help bring them back into balance.
One of our goals is to encourage individuals to see their animals from a different perspective. Yes, you rescued them, love them, and take care of their needs. But the animals in your life are there for a reason. He/she is there to support you and to encourage you to live from your heart and connect with all of nature as they do. Animals bring great wisdom if we are willing and able to be open to it.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m a big sports fan. Love the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and Capitals. I’ve seen the Packers play at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and in Milwaukee. My sister and I skipped school (with our parents’ approval) to go to a Chicago Cubs opening day game – talk about a crazy experience. I’ve been to one professional hockey game back in Chicago – the Blackhawks. Haven’t made it to see the Capitals yet!
Pricing:
- We are grateful for gifts in any amount! We can stretch a dollar a long way!
- Kindness is free – give it away.
- An animal’s trust and love is priceless.
- If our Mission speaks to your heart, please support the sanctuary in whatever way you feel inspired to do so.
- Seek joy in every day and you will be rich with love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.CaringForCreatures.org
- Instagram: caringforcreaturessanctuary
- Facebook: CaringForCreaturesVA
