Our pet for this week is Frosted Flakes.
Frosted Flakes was transferred to us from Sweet Virginia Barn Cats in June of last year, along with her three other siblings. One by one all of her siblings have gone home, leaving her as the only cereal kitten left. We can’t understand why she hasn’t been able to find a furever home. She is a spunky, adventurous kitten full of energy. Frosted spends most of her days greeting our visitors at her door, laying in the sun or playing with her roommates.
Frosted Flakes is about a year old, spayed, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations.
If you are interested in applying or learning about Frosted Flakes, go to staffordspca.org. You can also call (540)-242-0607, or email [email protected].
Stafford SPCA is a registered 501(C)3 Non-Profit that receives zero funding from the government. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
Animal shelters and non-profits should email us a description and photo to be featured on our “Take Me Home Tuesday” post.
Our pet for this week is Sir Loin.
Sir Loin came into our care when he was transferred to us from a local shelter that was overflowing with cats. While we are still learning about him, he seems to be a fairly laid-back kinda guy! Sir Loin does enjoy pets from staff/volunteers, but he can also entertain himself if he has a window to look out of or some catnip to munch on. We are hoping we can find an awesome home for this groovy guy!
Sir Loin is 2 years old, neutered and up to date on vaccinations.
If you are interested in applying or learning about Sir Loin, go to staffordspca.org. You can also call (540)-242-0607, or email [email protected].
Stafford SPCA is a registered 501(C)3 Non-Profit that receives zero funding from the government. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
Animal shelters and non-profits should email us a description and photo to be featured on our “Take Me Home Tuesday” post.
Mac N’ Cheese is an outgoing and affectionate girl! She loves to be around humans and will cheerfully meow when she runs up to greet you. Mac n’ Cheese gets along with kids but can be a bit bossy with other cats. If you are looking for a cat that loves attention, then look no further!
She is 2 years old, spayed, up to date on vaccines/preventatives, and microchipped!
If you are interested in applying or learning about Mac N’ Cheese, go to staffordspca.org. You can also call (540)-242-0607, or email [email protected].
Stafford SPCA is a registered 501(C)3 Non-Profit that receives zero funding from the government. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
Animal shelters and non-profits should email us a description and photo to be featured on our “Take Me Home Tuesday” post.
Luna is a spayed female German Shepherd estimated to be about 1 year and 3 months old. She came into our care through no fault of her own by having an accidental litter. Now that her pups are full-grown, she is ready to find her own home!
Luna would thrive in a home where someone is around most of the day and can give her all the attention she craves. She appears to be housebroken and loves to go for long walks. Luna weighs 72 lbs. and is fully vaccinated, microchipped, and up to date on preventatives.
If you are interested in applying or learning about Luna, go to staffordspca.org. You can also call (540)-242-0607, or email [email protected].
Stafford SPCA is a registered 501(C)3 Non-Profit that receives zero funding from the government. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated.
Animal shelters and non-profits should email us a description and photo to be featured on our”Take Me Home Tuesday” post.
On December 18, the children of the Linden family let out Samus, an 11 year-old, female German Shepherd, and forgot to put on the electric fence collar. The family noticed she had gone missing and assumed she would return home.
That night, a bystander found Samus and shortly she was brought over to the Prince William County Animal Shelter. The shelter staff kept Samus overnight, and in the morning called the family after scanning for a microchip. On the afternoon of December 19, she was picked up and brought home.
At the time of pickup, shelter staff informed Sarah Linden that Samus had been given several treatments as recommended by the shelter’s veterinarians, including a vaccine for canine distemper, canine bordetella and deworming treatment. Sarah found this concerning and questioned whether or not it was appropriate to administer the vaccine prior to contacting the family via microchip.
On December 31st, Samus started showing symptoms of a potential illness, including a cough. Within 24 hours, the family discovered Samus had passed away.
The sudden loss of Samus sparked an investigation into Samus’ death. The family called the shelter to request information on their vaccine policy and were told it would require an FOIA request to obtain it.
There is no evidence to suggest the shelter is directly responsible for the death of Samus. However, the situation has raised questions on best practices administered by the county’s animal shelter.
“The vaccines administered at our shelter are recommended by our trained veterinarian staff and not known to have significant adverse reactions. While we understand not all animals are the same, the shelter would never administer a vaccine to an animal that is known to cause serious illness or death,” said Prince William police 1st Sgt. Jonathan Perok.
In 2022, a $16.7 million dollar project replaced the old animal shelter on Bristow Road, upgrading the 6,646 square feet facility to a 25,000-square-foot facility. The year prior, the shelter administered 2,049 adoptions, reunited 531 animals with their owners, and included 150 volunteers.
After five years of construction, Prince William County residents will get to tour their new animal shelter.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors and the Prince William County Police Department will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the building’s grand opening. The center, called the new Animal Services Center, sits at 14807 Bristow Road near Manassas.
The ribbon cutting will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at 11 a.m. with guest speakers and informational tables featuring our community groups and partners, including the Prince William SPCA and Prince William Humane Society, who were instrumental in supporting and advocating for the new center.
Tours of the new facility will take place all weekend and will also feature free animal adoptions.
The center will have special opening day hours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday (the last tour begins at 4 p.m.) and normal operating hours Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
Residents headed to the event should park nearby Prince William County Public Schools Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center, 14715 Bristow Road, and then catch a free shuttle service to the shelter.
The new $17 million Animal Services Center replaces the previous 45-year-old shelter, which initially opened in 1975. The old shelter was riddled with issues and posed ongoing concerns regarding adequate housing space for animals, medical care limitations, and the necessary storage for materials needed for the care of animals.
In 2017, the Board of County Supervisors approved the construction of the new facility as a priority to meet the needs of the growing county.
“As Prince William County continues to welcome more residents, community services like the Animal Services Center will provide the necessary support for all types of animals,” said Ann Wheeler, Chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, in a press release. “The board recognized the value of providing an upgraded facility to ensure the well-being and health of animals that come through the Center’s doors and grounds.”
The Animal Services Center is a more than 27,000 square foot facility featuring a two-stall, medical-grade barn on the complex grounds, four outdoor play yards for dogs, multiple smaller outdoor play areas, a community cat room, individually ventilated cat condos, and separate housing areas for all species ranging from dogs and cats to livestock and our small, furry, feathered, and scaley animals.
The new center features an upgraded HVAC system to reduce airborne diseases and a veterinarian suite on site capable of surgeries and advanced medical care for animals.
“We are excited to finally open this new, much-needed facility here in Prince William County dedicated to the care of all animals,” said Peter Newsham, Chief of the Prince William County Police Department, in a press release. “It is clear the county saw a great necessity to update this facility to meet our growing needs, and we were very appreciative of the support from the Board of County Supervisors in its funding. This new center will serve the residents of Prince William County for many years to come.”
In 2021, the Animal Services Center processed more than 2,000 adoptions and boasted a 91% save rate with over 150 animal transfers to area rescues and wildlife facilities. Approximately 150 volunteers working more than 18,000 hours added to the center’s success resulting in 528 animal fosters and 531 lost animal reunifications with their families last year.
“The opening of the Animal Services Center presents a leap forward in the level of care that Prince William County can offer for its animal residents in need and represents our county’s commitment to creating a more humane community,” said Anthony Cleveland, Division Chief of the Prince William County Police Department Animal Control Bureau in a press release. “Our staff is grateful to see this project come to fruition. Thank you to the Prince William County residents and the Board of County Supervisors for their support of this project and the future of animal care in our community.”
The new shelter partially opened in November 2021. As construction progressed on the new Animal Services Center, the former animal shelter was demolished in January 2022.
The staff at the shelter is interested in speaking with those who would like to volunteer and those who wish to foster animals.
The staff at the Stafford County Animal Shelter issued a plea for help: The shelter is full of animals surrendered by their owners, so please consider adopting.
The shelter posted to Facebook:
With a very heavy heart we have to say that our last adoptable dog kennel was just taken by another owner surrender. We have no more room ? We are the only open admissions Animal Shelter in the area and we are running out of resources.
Unfortunately, we have not had one serious inquiry about anyone even wanting to foster any of our adult dogs either.
We are asking everyone to please exhaust all your options before surrendering your dog to us. Can you hold onto it a little while longer? Do you have a friend or a family member who could take the dog? Have you reached out to rescues?
We are also asking you to be responsible pet owners. Please spay and neuter your pets. Not only does it help with overpopulation, it also has many other benefits.
We are looking for adopters and fosters (at this time you have to be a Stafford County resident to foster from us). There are reasons for this so please no negative comments, we would like to concentrate on finding some homes for these babies. We need help. We are desperate. Please link on the link below to see all the adoptable dogs in our shelter. Please call us at 540-658-7387.
When the ribbon was cut for the new $5 million animal shelter on June 19, 2018, we learned there are 38 dog kennels for adoption and stray hold; there are 12 kennels for observation and six kennels for isolation. There are also 12 small breed/puppy kennels.
For cats, there are 44 stray hold cages, six for observation and six for isolation. Five cat apartments can house a varied number of cats depending on temperament, but an average of five in the smaller apartments and up to 10 in the larger apartment. The condo area has six towers that can house multiple cats each.
There is medical space that is unoccupied at this time with plans for the future. There are separate isolation areas for cats and dogs.
In 2017, there were 183 dogs euthanized at the shelter. The shelter averages ten dogs per month which are owners who request euthanasia (the majority), and the remainder are either court-ordered, temperamentally or sick/injured beyond treatment. A total of 284 cats were euthanized in 2017 and were, again, owner’s request, sick or injured beyond treatment or feral and unadoptable.
The Animal Shelter is located past the Rowser Building and Rappahannock Regional Jail at 26 Frosty Lane.
The Prince William Humane Society is celebrating after it received a $20,000 grant to help homeless animals in our community.
The non-profit organization reports:
Prince William Humane Society today announced that it has awarded $20,350 to five Homeless Animals Support Network (HASN) Affiliate Partners, extending their efforts to help people and pets in the State of Virginia live their best lives. The theme of this grant cycle is Preserving the Human/Animal Bond and Keeping Pets in their Home and Out of Shelters.Â
“We are delighted that each of the Affiliate Partners that applied was awarded a grant for their program and we hope to continue helping small rescue organizations through this program”, said Lori Leary, President of Prince William Humane Society. “Each of these programs will make a difference in their community and help to reduce pet homelessness and euthanasia.”Â
Other grant winners include Appalachian Great Pyrenees Rescue, Squishy Face Crew, Friends of Russell County Animals, and Furever Friends Lodge.
