Causes: Animal Protection & Welfare, Animals, Veterinary Services

Mission: It is the mission of the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (VBSPCA) to create a more humane and responsible community by eliminating animal suffering while increasing human compassion.

Results: Our Vision: We connect people and pets. As a trusted resource for our community, we create lasting adoptions, provide quality veterinary care, and inspire compassionate action through education and awareness. We are innovative, we are passionate, and we are committed. In partnership with our community, we end animal homelessness.

Target demographics: to create a more humane and responsible community by eliminating animal suffering while increasing human compassion.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 3,276 animals through our shelter and nearly 10,000 patients through our clinic services.

Geographic areas served: The Hampton Roads region

Programs: We provide shelter and care to approximately 3000 homeless companion animals each year. We implement every available option to increase the adoption rates of the healthy and treatable animals in our care, and we provide resources to ensure the successful outcome of adoptions:Adoption packages are designed to be extremely affordable and include vaccinations, microchip, and spay/neuter. Our foster network cares for orphans too young to survive on their own or thrive in a shelter environment. Over 1200 animals a year enter our foster program. In partnership with PetSmart, our cats are available at the PetSmart Landstown location. Adult volunteers come in to the shelter to walk dogs and socialize animals, improving their adoptability. Available animals can be seen on our website, Petfinder. com, and several other national adoption sites. The Virginia Beach SPCA Low Cost Medical Clinic provides affordable spay/neuter services as well as routine veterinary care to households earning less than $65,000 per year. The “Neuter Scooter” provides mobile, low-cost spays and neuters to neighboring communities that would otherwise not have access to affordable veterinary services. Our education program reaches over 8,000 local students annually through its Compassion Classroom, Camps, Workshops, and Listening Ears program, which received the Virginia Reading Association 2006 Literacy Award for its innovative approach of using companion animals to serve as listeners for reluctant readers at local schools. The Pet Pantry Program provides pet food to qualifying pet owners who risk losing their pets due to recent economic circumstances. The Miracle Medical Fund was established so that we could provide specialized medical treatment for animals who would have once been considered untreatable by many shelters. Our Disaster Response program and fully equipped disaster trailer allows us to respond and participate in rescue situations, whether it be a hurricane or puppy mill raid. Read about VBSPCA Shelter Operation Philosophy. We also support wildlife conservation and provide wildlife triage services to the public:We are one of a handful of shelters in the nation equipped to care for injured wildlife onsite. Our Wildlife Program includes a network of licensed wildlife rehabilitators and wildlife transporters.