11/08/2026
A new chapter begins!
We’re incredibly excited to share the news that Victoria House Inn is now officially part of the Ruff Start STX family!
There’s so much possibility ahead, and we can’t wait to show you what we have planned for this very special place.
Well, we have a new thing happening and I’d like to take a minute to tell you about it….
Almost exactly one year ago, our friends (and landlords for Ruff Night Bar) let us know they had decided to sell Victoria House Inn, where our magical little bar resides.
They asked us if we wanted to buy it before they put it on the market. We didn’t have anywhere near that kind of money, or that level of donor. But man did we work our asses off trying to find a way.
We couldn’t. We had to pass. Not too long afterwards we heard an offer had been made. That’s when panic set in… it was all too real that we could very likely lose our little engine that could (Ruff Night Bar) when a sale happens.
I was already trying to think of where we could even slightly replicate the same magic that has allowed us to donate over $100k to our rescue and double our adoptions. But I was coming up empty.
When I was about ready to throw my hands up, I got a call. The owners of Victoria House realized that the legacy of the hotel was more important than the dollars in a sale. They wanted the hotel to go to Ruff Start STX.
After months of calls, ups and downs, many meetings, many attorneys, many tears and screaming fits, many moments of panic, excitement and sh*tting my pants…. It just became real. The ownership of Victoria House Inn has been transferred to Ruff Start STX.
What we have planned for this endeavor is so completely amazing and outside the box thinking for how to further, not just our mission, but animal welfare and advocacy on STX altogether. We plan to host free spay and neuter clinics, host visiting vets, bring down behavior experts, rescue partners, trainers. Book a rescue dog with your stay, hotel foster gigs, etc. And all same deal as the bar…. All profits are donated back to the rescue!!
So much we can do. But the biggest reason we were sure we wanted to do this is/was…
I’d rather count on myself and our badass little team to keep this rescue afloat than wait for government dollars that are never promised, or hope and pray donor dollars can bail us out every time we’re in a jam. We would rather work for absolute dollars to line our safety net.
Welcome Ruff Resort @ Victoria House Inn to our Ruff Start STX family.
