Cara Achterberg (Cofounder and Board President)

Cara is the author of two memoirs, four novels, and one book about living organically. She is an incorrigible blogger, a creative writing teacher, and an eager dog wrangler who is learning not to trip over herself as she follows her talented dogs Fanny Wiggles, and now Otis Potus on the agility course. She lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, three rescue dogs, and a regular stream of foster dogs and cats, where she is at work on her next book. When not advocating for shelter dogs, Cara can be found hiking the mountains surrounding her beloved valley, visiting Virginia wineries, or catching up with her three grown-up kids. You can find information about all her scribblings at, CaraWrites.com.