DATE: Thursday, November 13, 1997           TAG: 9711130463

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   79 lines

BEACH SHELTER FINDS ITSELF AWASH IN UNWANTED PETS FROM ALL OVER

The SPCA shelter has been inundated with 144 castoff pets from all corners of Hampton Roads in the past six days, setting a record at the already overcrowded shelter.

The 200 cages at the shelter are full, said director Sharon Adams, prompting handlers to stack newcomers in crates atop cages.

Most of the animals, ranging from pooches to parakeets, are pets, not strays, Adams said.

They are brought into the Holland Road shelter not just from Virginia Beach, but also from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk and as far as Williamsburg.

Because the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has an ``open-door'' policy, meaning it doesn't turn away animals, the shelter has become a dumping ground for unwanted pets.

Adams thinks some owners cast off their dogs, cats or rabbits because they see them as a nuisance.

``It's become fundamental that people feel if an animal is inconvenient, get rid of it,'' she said.

Owners are under the illusion that the SPCA can find a home for their animals. But leaving them at the shelter in the past few days virtually assures their death.

``We euthanize every day - usually healthy, adoptable animals,'' Adams said. ``And, no, we do not want to do that. But I don't think turning them away solves it. It's a math problem.''

About 35,000 animals are euthanized annually in animal shelters, pounds and centers throughout Hampton Roads, she said.

The shelter has taken in animals from the following areas since Friday:

Virginia Beach: 78

Norfolk: 19

Chesapeake: 17

Suffolk: 8

Knotts Island: 4

Williamsburg: 8

Other: 10

The Norfolk SPCA shelter on Ballentine Boulevard accepts only ``owner-released'' animals, said spokeswoman Leslie Hellerman. ``Strays go to the city's Animal Control. We do take animals as long as we have space for them.''

Janis J. Dryer says she operates the 10-year-old Chesapeake Animal Assistance League shelter in the same way.

``We don't take strays,'' she said. ``We refer them to animal control bureaus in various cities.''

Dryer said the shelter is a ``low-kill facility,'' in which she and staff members make an extra effort to find homes for animals. ``We have no time frame,'' she said. ``They (animals) usually stay until they're adopted.''

Animals are euthanized on occasion at the Chesapeake shelter. The procedure usually is based on their health and their compatibility with humans.

Despite its selectivity, Dryer said, the Chesapeake shelter receives between 50 and 100 telephone calls a day from people wishing to get rid of their pets.

She thinks the abundance of cast-off animals in South Hampton Roads is caused by the transient nature of its residents.

``Tidewater has three strikes against it,'' she said. ``No. 1, it's a military place; No. 2, it's a college community; and No. 3, it's a resort area.''

``The key thing is, spay or neuter your animals, so they don't reproduce,'' Dryer said. ``That way we won't have to euthanize so many of them.''

Municipal animal control shelters, or pounds, in Hampton Roads are brimming, Adams said, leaving owners with few or no options for disposing of their pets.

While the recent six-day period set a record for animal dropoffs at the Virginia Beach shelter, Aug. 9 set a one-day high. On that day 60 animals - mostly mature dogs and cats - were left there.

``We're just going crazy,'' Adams said Wednesday. ``I don't know what we're going to do.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

CHARLIE MEADS/The Virginian-Pilot

This dog and her puppies were among the 144 animals dumped at the

Virginia Beach SPCA in the past six days. Owners who think the

crowded shelter can find a home for unwanted pets are wrong,

officials say.

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