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Jennette Skinner came to the animal shelter Wednesday in search of a new friend.
She adopted her pit bull from a shelter in Maryland, but he’s now passed on. She now hopes to rescue a small dog and a cat.
“We’ve always had big dogs, and now we want a small one because they’re easier to take care of,” said Skinner, of Manassas.
She was one of the several people lined up outside the door at the Prince William County Animal Shelter just before it opened at 11 a.m. There are about 200 animals inside the 40-year-old shelter to choose from, from dogs and cats to birds, and guinea pigs.
Summer is a busy time for the shelter, as the staff usually sees an influx of cats and other animals during the warmer months. Space here is at a premium, as the shelter wasn’t built to house as many animals as it does today.
About 2,000 animals per year came through the shelter when it opened in 1975. Today it sees about 6,000. Animals here are no longer euthanized due to space constraints.
“The way that sheltering has changed has created some problems with us,” said Suzette Kapp, head caretaker the shelter. “We don’t have enough space; we don’t have air circulation in some rooms,
and we’re understaffed.”
The shelter operates with about 40% fewer staff members than needed. Volunteers who filled out an online application and were later picked to work here help fill the void.
Dogs are usually adopted from shelters sooner than cats. But it was a cat Allison Wishon, of Purcellville, was searching for when she came to the Prince William shelter.
“We have two rescue cats at home, and we know there are so many more animals out there that don’t have homes,” said Wishon.
The shelter, and an animal shelter in Manassas, will participate in the “clear the shelters” adoption event on Saturday. It’s an event sponsored by NBC, and Kapp says she hopes national attention brought by the TV network will help to increase the number adoptions at the shelter.
The adoption event on Saturday is just one of several the shelter does over the course of the year. It also brings animals to festivals and fairs in the community, and posts photos of them on social media to get them adopted.
The shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Those who wish to adopt should bring ID with their address printed on it. Animals that are not spayed or neutered will be sent to an area veterinarian where the animal will undergo the procedure. Those who adopt will need to pay the shelter adoption fee of $45, and a $140 spay or neuter fee for dogs or $100 for cats.
Next month, the shelter will celebrate its 40th anniversary on September 27. Rescue groups, children’s activities, and raffles will be featured during the event that is aimed at bringing more people inside the shelter.
The Prince William County Animal Shelter is located at 14807 Bristow Road near Manassas, just off Route 234 across from the county’s animal shelter.
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