Danville Police Seek Help Finding Escaped Dog

A female black lab-pit mix escaped from the Danville Area Humane Society shortly after midnight and remains at large.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Dogs

A chain-link dog run with its gate swung open beside a brick wall, with a wooded hillside and bare shrubs in soft overcast light. — Danville police are asking residents to help locate a female black lab-pit mix that escaped from the Danville Area Humane Society shortly after midnight. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

A female black lab-pit mix escaped from the Danville Area Humane Society shortly after midnight, and the Danville Police Department is asking the public for help locating the dog. The dog had been impounded on October 27 after a bite.

Why it matters

The escape puts a dog that was impounded after a bite back into the community while it remains unaccounted for. Residents who spot the animal are being asked to report it to police rather than approach it.

The dog is a female black lab-pit mix impounded October 27 after a bite and escaped shortly after midnight on November 12. A hearing to determine whether the dog falls under Virginia's dangerous dog statute is scheduled for November 17, though the source does not say how the escape happened.

The players

Danville Area Humane Society

The Danville Area Humane Society is a local animal shelter that took in the dog after its impoundment and from which the dog escaped.

Danville Police Department

The Danville Police Department is the local law enforcement agency leading the public appeal to locate the escaped dog in Danville, Virginia.

The details

The dog escaped from the Danville Area Humane Society shortly after midnight, and police are asking the public for help locating it. The animal is subject to a pending hearing under Code of Virginia § 3.2-6540 to determine whether it is a dangerous dog.

October 27: The dog was impounded after a bite.
November 12, just after midnight: The dog escaped from the Danville Area Humane Society.
November 17: A hearing on the dangerous dog statute is scheduled.

Legal Context

The dog's case proceeds under Virginia's dangerous dog statute, Code of Virginia § 3.2-6540, which governs how localities classify animals that have bitten people. The escape occurs before the statute's November 17 determination hearing, leaving the dog's classification unresolved.

Residents who see a female black lab-pit mix should not approach it and should instead report the sighting to the Danville Police Department. The public can submit tips through the Danville Police CARE crime tips app.

The takeaway

Reporting sightings promptly to police gives the best chance of safely recovering an animal that is still under a pending legal proceeding. Readers should avoid approaching the dog and call authorities instead.