Welcome to the site for information on adopting Virginia Beach city shelter animals, volunteering and more! We have so much going on – and so many wonderful animals hoping for good homes – please take some time to explore the website and learn more about our new animal shelter and all of the opportunities for helping homeless pets.
Please click any of the menu links to your left to meet some of the animals we have available for adoption, get shelter info or learn about our volunteer programs.
Make a resolution to save lives in 2014! There is so much you can do and every bit helps so much!
- Share your home and heart – adopt a rescued animal!
- Foster a rescued animal – give a dog or cat more time to find a family.
- Volunteer your time and kindness to help animals waiting in the shelter.
- Donate to help support animal rescue efforts in your community.
- Ready to get involved? Become a Volunteer!
How We Help
Since Virginia Beach Animal Control is a part of the municipal government, their jobs and duties are clearly defined.
Unfortunately, when an animal arrives in a municipal shelter, there is little in the way of proactive adoption advocacy that these kinds of shelters can offer.
Many times when ACO’s or shelter staff have a great idea that might help the animals, the resources just aren’t provided by the city budget or as is often the case, the numbers of animals coming into the shelters is overwhelming..
That is where Friends of Virginia Beach Animal Control can help!
Our group is dedicated to finding those extra resources or volunteers to help as many animals find good homes as possible.
We take the animals to public events and volunteer our time in the Virginia Beach Animal Control shelter, spending time with these, often lonely and frightened animals, greeting members of the public who might be interested in a certain pet, exercising dogs and bringing material donation to the shelter.
Our group is small, but our goals are big and we need the help of dedicated animal lovers who want to make a difference in the life of a shelter pet!
Who We Are
The Friends of Virginia Beach Animal Control was founded by caring and concerned citizens of Virginia Beach who wanted to help the animals in our municipal shelter.
Each year, the City of Virginia Beach takes thousands of unwanted, stray, surrendered or animals seized in enforcement actions into the municipal animal shelter.
Many of these animals are healthy and highly adoptable!
Our goal is to help the Officers and Staff of Virginia Beach Animal Control in their difficult job by:
- Promoting pet adoption from Va. Beach Animal Control
- Encouraging and educating the public about proper animal care
- Reducing the numbers of animals euthanized
- Promoting spaying and neutering of pets to prevent overpopulation
- Providing companionship and exercise to the animals
Many of these animals face a very uncertain future and adoption into a new home might be their only chance.
Why Our Group Was Started
It is a sad fact that many wonderful animals arrive in animal shelters across our country each and every day. Some of these animals are lost, stray, abandoned or simply unwanted by their owners.
In Virginia Beach as well as many other cities around the country, thousands of animals that arrive at municipal animal shelters must be euthanized by shelter staff to make room for the animals that will be arriving tomorrow.
Our group has been founded to help give these pets a second chance in a new home, saving taxpayer dollars, reducing the stress on shelter workers by helping lower euthanasia rates and saving these animals lives before their time runs out.
Those who have joined our efforts have made a decision that these animals are not disposable, we have chosen to act. We will dedicate ourselves to assisting the Virginia Beach Animal Control Officers and staff by promoting shelter adoption, responsible pet care and advocating on behalf of the animals in need and the people who care for them.
Our mission is to promote the animals available for adoption in one of the greatest, and yet most overlooked places for great pets-your local shelter.
Patented Chewproof Kuranda Dog Beds for Homes, Kennels, and Dog Breeders
Hello Donate-a-Bed members!
Congratulations to all of the dogs who received a donated Kuranda Dog Bed for the Holidays! Your hard work in letting your supporters know what a big difference beds make for the dogs resulted in hundreds of beds going out to shelters and rescue organizations over the last month.
Kuranda’s “Donate A Bed” program enables individuals to donate beds to the shelter of their choice at discounted prices. Just select the shelter or rescue below and follow the instructions.
The donation will be sent directly to the shelter in your name. Your donation is 30% to 35% off of our retail prices.
Don’t have a specific shelter in mind? Select the Petfinder.com Foundation in AZ and they will send your bed donation to a very needy shelter pet in your name!
“Our local animal control center is having a “Kuranda Dog Bed Drive.” I’ve been associated with this animal control center for many years and didn’t really know if the dogs would actually use the beds, I thought maybe it would just “look good” for the public. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In both of my visits there this week the dogs were all using their new beds! I signed up to donate one right away.