PETERSBURG, Va. -- A citizens group is trying to change the future for Petersburg Animal Care and Control’s decades-old building starting with an aggressive adoption plan to clear the shelter.
Joann Glazier with SPCA of Petersburg & Colonial Heights said overcrowding is a constant problem for the antiquated facility she said does not meet needs for dogs and cats.
“This shelter was built in the late 1960s,” Glazier said. “It cannot accommodate the current population.”
In Fact, Glazier said the shelter’s 24 kennels are almost always full, particularly with dogs.
Deputy Chief Emanuel Chambliss with Petersburg Police said the overcrowding is tied to population growth.
“The city has grown and with growth, we’ve outgrown the building,” Chambliss said.
The long-term plan is to build a new shelter at a new location in the city.
“It could by anywhere from $300,000 to half a million dollars,” Glazier estimated.
Glazier said the new facility would have more space, better accommodations and separate meet-and-greet areas for dogs and cats.
The group’s short-term goal is to find more forever families for the homeless cats and dogs with an adoption event this Saturday from noon through 4 p.m. at the shelter on Johnson Road.
RELATED: View dogs available for adoption from Petersburg Animal Care and Control
The shelter is also in need of donations.
“We’re constantly putting out a plea for food,” Glazier said. “When you’re feeding 24 dogs, particularly large dogs, they eat a lot.”
The shelter recently postedthat their food supply was "empty" and that they "could really use some donations."
In addition to supplies, volunteers are also needed at the shelter.
“We welcome volunteers,” Chambliss said. “They help out a lot with cleaning kennels, walking the animals.”
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