ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, November 25, 1996 TAG: 9611260006
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN GRIESSMAYER STAFF WRITER
Are you a real animal lover?
When you see a stray dog or cat, do you beg your mom and dad to let you keep it? Do you wish your house looked more like Ace Ventura's, with cats in the kitchen, birds in the bathroom and dogs in the den?
If so, you should check out your local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or SPCA. They've got wall-to-wall dogs and cats that need homes.
At the Roanoke Valley SPCA shelter, excited animals show off for potential owners. Cats strut back and forth in their cages and grab the shoe laces of anyone close enough to play with. Dogs lovingly lick at fingers stuck through their pen doors.
And every time someone new enters the room, the barks and meows become almost deafening, as if the animals think whoever makes the loudest sound gets adopted first.
More than one person, when faced with the sad eyes and needy expressions of these pets, has said, "I wish I could adopt each and every one of them."
John Piedmont, an SPCA worker, said he wished all the animals at the shelter would get adopted, but unfortunately that just doesn't happen.
"Last year we took in almost 9,000 animals," he said. "But, sadly, we only found homes for about half of them." Unfortunately, when animals aren't adopted quick enough and there's no more room at the shelter, some animals have to be put to sleep.
SPCA workers hate to do it, but it's part of their job.
It sure sounds like there's a lot of animals out there that need someone's help. But before you go running to the SPCA to pick up a new pet, ask yourself if you've got what it takes to be a responsible pet owner.
According to Piedmont and the SPCA, pet owners should be ready for a big commitment. You have to feed the animal, and make sure it always has water. You need to take it to the vet regularly to keep it healthy. Taking your pet on walks is good, too.
Most importantly, you must show your cat or dog (or rabbit or bird or turtle) lots of love. They need love as much as they need all those other things.
But the great thing about pets is, when you work hard to take care of them, they return the favor by showing you love, too.
Lindsay Weaver, a fifth-grader from Maryland, knows all about that kind of relationship. She had a cocker spaniel named Lady for many years, but Lady died. So when Lindsay visited Roanoke last week, she stopped by the SPCA to pick out a new pet.
"This one is named Fifi," she said as she scratched a cocker spaniel behind the ears. "When I walked in the shelter, she was the first one I liked. She looks like my old dog, Lady, but Lady was a little darker."
After playing with Fifi for a while and talking with her parents, Lindsay decided to try to adopt Fifi. "It's not easy taking care of a dog," she said. "But it's worth it."
If you decide to adopt a pet at the SPCA, the first thing you'll have to do is fill out a form and talk with a counselor to help decide what type of pet would be best for you. The counselor will ask your parents and you lots of questions about your house and your family, and how you'd treat a dog or a cat.
Once you've figured out what you want, it's time to go "shopping" at the shelter. You can look at the different dogs and cats and play with them. When you find the perfect one for you, just tell the counselor which one you want and pay the $50 adoption fee.
Before you take your new dog or cat home, you'll be required to sign a contract promising to take good care of your pet. If the SPCA finds out you broke the contract by mistreating the animal, they'll come and take it back. You also have to promise to get it spayed or neutered, to help control pet overpopulation.
"After that," Piedmont said. "Everything else is up to you to take good care of it."
Even if you can't have any pets, or your house is already full, the SPCA still needs your help. You can make its job easier by making sure your pets are taken care of correctly, and also by reporting any cases of animals being mistreated.
Piedmont said the SPCA relies on people who volunteer to take care of or play with the animals in the shelter. You can help by spending some time there, giving attention to the dogs and cats who really need it. And don't think because you're young you can't do anything to help.
"As long as their parents are with them," Piedmont said. "We love having kids volunteer here."
And the animals love it, too.
If you want to adopt a pet or volunteer, call the SPCA at 344-4840.
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: CINDY PINKSTON. 1. An 8-week-old mixed calico kittenby CNB(above) awaits adoption at the Roanoke Valley SPCA. 2. Kathy Rhodes
(left) and sons Brian, 9, and Joshua, 11, talk with Pam Moore, an
SPCA adoption counselor, about adopting a puppy. color. KEYWORDS: 2DA