UPDATE: Sampson the dog was adopted! Bella is still available at the Virginia Beach SPCA.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY)– There are so many cute fuzzy faces waiting for you at the Virginia Beach SPCA.
“People think that there are only certain types of animals in shelters and that’s not true. We have all sorts of breeds, ages, looks. So, whatever you’re looking for we might not have it right this second but take a look at the shelters around [the area] because chances are you’re going to find it pretty soon,” said Kowaleski.
Mandi Kowaleski with the VBSPCA says it’s been a busy year with a lot of animals coming in, but not a lot of space.
She says financial challenges are a huge reason behind a spike in owner surrenders and they’ve taken in a ton of transfers from other local shelters, so she’s excited to be a part of Clear the Shelters to have the animals’ stories told.
“Clear the shelters is just another great collaboration for us all to really spotlight animal adoption and really try to get as many animals into homes as possible,” said Kowaleski.
Animals like 3-year old Bella.
“Bella came to us when her family was moving, and they couldn’t take her with them. So, she’s been here since February waiting for her new home. She would prefer to be an only animal. She wants to be the star of your show. And she would do better with older kids,” explained Kowaleski.
Just a few cages down, perspective adopters can find 13-year-old Sampson who just wants to live out his final days in a soft bed.
“He has kind of a sad story. His family had a health crisis going on where they couldn’t take care of him any longer. So, they were forced to surrender him to us. He’s done really well. He’s got some small dog friends he’s done really well with,” said
But for now, Sampson will go back to looking at people through cage panels, hoping the next one picks him.
Kowaleski says if you can’t adopt, consider fostering, donating, or even volunteering.
