So many Charlottesville-area residents want to adopt pets that the animal shelter there regularly brings cats and dogs in from other shelters. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Last year, the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA brought in more than 2,000 animals from other shelters in the state and from as far away as Houston, Texas, where they partner with the Rescued Pets Movement.
ANGIE GUNTER: Honestly, we typically have a wait list for the dogs that they send us … it's really, really wonderful.
They do currently have a wait list for certain types of dogs, but CEO Angie Gunter said that being short-staffed is limiting how many animals they can take in and care for. Still though, they've adopted out 2,609 animals so far this year, just 5% down from the same time last year.
GUNTER: So the want is still there, and we've just not been able to do quite as much because of some short staffing.
The shelter has been able to ramp up their veterinary clinics this year, which provide wellness checkups, vaccinations, flea and tick preventatives, and other services at highly discounted rates.
GUNTER: We're actually going to increase our Compassionate Care Clinics next year to 36. This year we're holding 24. What we do see is there's more of a need in our community for low-cost veterinary services. So we are thrilled to be able to offer this to those folks who may not be able to afford to take their pet to the regular veterinary office … we're impacting hundreds of animals every year, and their people, because they get to stay with their families, and the animals get the care that they need.
Locals with proof of some form of public assistance, like an EBT card, can sign up for a clinic by calling 434-973-5959 extension 206 or by emailing clinic@caspca.org. For WMRA News, I'm Randi B. Hagi.
