DATE: Saturday, November 15, 1997           TAG: 9711150340

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   65 lines

DONATIONS, ADOPTIONS EASE BEACH SPCA OVERCROWDING

Since word hit the street this week that the Virginia Beach SPCA shelter was inundated by castoff pets, the office has been mobbed by residents seeking to adopt the animals.

In the past two days, the shelter has ``adopted out,'' or found homes for, 25 of the orphaned animals, Executive Director Sharon Adams said.

``Yesterday was a zoo,'' she said. ``The good news is that we had tons of people coming in here to adopt - lots of people bringing in (pet) litter and food.''

The bad news is, 13 more unwanted pets were dropped off at the Holland Road facility in the same period, including a pooch named Lucky.

The German shepherd mixed breed was dumped into the SPCA's fenced compound at night, Adams said, along with a handwritten note that read:

``My name is Lucky! I have all my shots and I'm neutered.

``My owners couldn't keep me because they don't have any money and time for me! I'm really good with children and well trained.

``Please find me a good family! I'm only a year old! I'm a German shepherd (mix) . . . ! Please help me!''

Adams said she and other shelter staff members were in the office at the time but were unaware of the dog's presence.

``It had been out in the rain for at least an hour before we found it,'' she said.

There was more good news for the Virginia Beach shelter. The Norfolk SPCA, which is an independent agency that shares the same name, has offered to take overflow puppies and kittens from Virginia Beach.

``Our large dog cages are full, but we'll let them know when there's space available here,'' said Leslie Hellerman, spokeswoman for the Norfolk shelter. ``It's a standing offer for them.''

Norfolk SPCA volunteers will help the Virginia Beach agency find homes for the animals as well, Hellerman added.

Last weekend, the Virginia Beach shelter found itself inundated with 144 unwanted animals, ranging from puppies to parakeets, over a six-day period. They were brought in from as far away as Suffolk and Williamsburg.

The 200 cages at the shelter were full, and Adams and her staff were forced to stack some of the new arrivals on top of cages in crates and boxes.

Adams explained that most of the newcomers were pets, not strays, and that most owners dumped them off largely because they had become an inconvenience.

Unless the animals are adopted, they will be ``euthanized,'' or put to death, Adams said, noting that more than 35,000 such creatures are put to death in Hampton Roads each year by the Humane Society and municipal animal control units.

The eventual answer to the problem, which is national in scope, is spaying or neutering, insists Connie Wallaert, director of Tidewater Humane Inc. The Virginia Beach agency offers a low-cost program for spaying and neutering animals with the help of a network of 35 local veterinarians.

``We've done almost 7,000 spayings or neuterings this year,'' she said. ``By the end of the year, we will have done 1,000 to 1,500 more than last year.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

WANT TO HELP?

For more information about adopting pets, making contributions or

spaying or neutering animals, call the Virginia Beach SPCA at

427-0737, the Norfolk SPCA at 622-3319, or Tidewater Humane Inc. at

497-SPAY.

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