Pet-themed home tour to benefit Lynchburg Humane Society

The Lynchburg Humane Society’s latest fundraiser grew out of a pet owner’s grief and a desire to turn her pain into something positive.

Last May, Dede Buhler’s beloved Italian greyhound, Georgie, died, something she says hit her hard.

“I was just so sad. Just so, so sad,” she says. “He was almost 17 when he died. He was my baby. I was having a really hard time getting over the sadness of it. I was crying everywhere I went. One day, I was on the Blackwater Creek Trail, crying my way down the trail, and this thought just came to me: How can I transform this grief into something positive?”

That idea becomes a reality this weekend with a home tour to benefit the Lynchburg Humane Society (LHS).

“They’re probably my favorite nonprofit to support,” Buhler says. “I’m just an animal nut.”

Running from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, the tour has been cheekily titled the Lifestyles of the Rescued & Furry Home Tour. Part of the promotional efforts have included a series of videos, posted to Facebook, featuring local actor Bill Bodine as Robin Leash, a play on Robin Leach and his “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” which ran in syndication during the 1980s and 1990s.

Beyond channeling her grief, the event also is way for Buhler to combine her affection for LHS with her love of Lynchburg’s historic homes.

“Ever since I’ve fallen in love with Lynchburg and moved here, I’ve been fascinated by all the beautiful homes that are available,” she says. “I particularly love old homes. In future tours, we’ll include all different ages and styles of homes. This tour just happened to have older homes. I think the newest one on the tour is 1924 and that’s my next door neighbor’s house, followed by mine in 1920. The oldest one is 1888.”

Buhler and her daughter, local realtor Victoria Bartholomew, are both opening their homes for the tour and approached others about doing the same.

Most are in historic Diamond Hill, where Bartholomew lives, along with two on Boonsboro Road, which belong to Buhler and her neighbor.

Buhler says all the homeowners are animal lovers, too, which made the tour an easy sell.

Julie Barger, development director for the Lynchburg Humane Society, says they’re always game for new fundraising ideas, especially ones that have the potential to draw in different segments of the community.

“There are a lot of home tours but I thought we could put a unique twist on it, and we’re really focusing on the pets, like you’re touring the pets’ homes,” she says. “When you’re going through the home, we’re going to be talking about the pets who live there and their favorite spots to lay and lounge around. … You can show that you can still have a beautiful home and have six cats living there, or multiple dogs. It is possible.”

The event description on the ticketing website identifies several of the homes not by their human owners but by the animals who live there: “A $20 ticket will allow you to tour Chloe Tomato and Zoe Potato Bartholomew’s beautifully restored home on Washington Street, Momo and Lulu’s gorgeous Queen Anne style mansion on Harrison Street, and several other stunning homes occupied by fluffy felines on Boonsboro Road.”

“There’s little, neat pet-friendly parts of everyone’s home,” Barger says, like Bartholomew’s entryway wallpaper, where you can make out cats in the design if you look closely.

Barger says she also loves how modern the homes are on the inside, a contrast to their stately exteriors.

“You think historic homes have to be kind of stuffy and formal but everyone has really put some modern twists on them,” she says. “They’re comfortable too. [It’s] not like you feel like you can’t touch anything. They’re livable.”

Adoptable pets from the Humane Society will be at each home, either in the front or back yard or on the porch, Barger says. At Buhler’s house, a retro 1970s camper will have kittens inside.

The tour itself is self-guided, so attendees can view the homes in any order they want between noon and 5 p.m.

The event will be followed by what they’re calling the Top Dog After-Party, at 500 Washington St. The $75 ticket includes entry to all of the homes, as well as the party, which will feature live music by pianist Isaac Williams, heavy hors d’oeuvres catered by local restaurant dish and an open bar.

Buhler says most of the residences haven’t been featured before on past home tours.

“I was on Garden Tour 10 years ago, but we’ve made a lot of changes since then,” she says. “I think the only other one that’s ever been on a tour, and I think it was a historic home tour, was 505 Washington Street. But that’s been many, many years ago. All of it will look new.”