In Pittsylvania County, pet center faces overload of animals

There’s an overload of animals. The reasons are endless.

“There are just so many different situations,” Pittsylvania Pet Center Director Brent Weinkauf told the Register & Bee during an interview at the facility on U.S. 29 near Chatham.

“You don’t ever judge anyone, period, who walks through this door, because you don’t know what the situation is they are dealing with,” he said. “You just provide them the service we are here to provide.”

Sometimes it’s a housing situation. A person could be moving to a new place to rent that won’t allow pets.

Then there’s the economic side.

“The price of dog and cat food has doubled,” Weinkauf explained.

His dog food went from $15 a bag to $32.

“So I understand that people can’t afford it,” he said.

Beyond the normal intakes, things turn a turn about two years ago.

The swamping started April 12, 2022. That’s when the pet center took in 69 doodles, a mix of a golden retriever and poodle.

A few months later in September that year, 80 more animals were seized from a home. More cases spilled into the early part of 2023.

In all, they took in about 260 animals from six or seven homes.

“And all of those animals got adopted, but what do you think happens to the rest of them,” Weinkauf asked.

People felt sorry for the seized animals and wanted to give them a good home. The other animals there — Weinkauf calls them residents — were looked over.

The longest-staying resident is a dog who’s been there for more than 530 days.

“So, by law we have to take any stray, sick or injured animal,” Weinkauf said when explaining the overloading problem.

Owner surrenders — by Pittsylvania County residents — are by appointment only. Right now, there’s about a six week wait period for that.

Being a no-kill facility, it means they can’t openly accept any animal from anywhere.

“We don’t euthanize for space,” he explained. It only happens if a dog is aggressive, deemed dangerous by the court or has “terrible issues” that can’t be treated.

Last year alone was “extremely difficult” to transport dogs to other shelters.

“Because every body’s full,” Weinkauf said.

Foster programs save the day.

“If we didn’t have our foster program,” Weinkauf started to explain before shaking his head. “That’s a huge, huge asset for us.”

Residents who agree to foster an animal provide it with a temporary home.

“We provide everything,” he said, noting the center provides food and all of the vaccines.

“You’ll hear the term foster fails,” Weinkauf said. “We don’t want foster fails.”

While it may sound good when someone falls in love with an animal and decides to keep it, it then means the opportunity to foster other animals ceases.

“With your foster program, you get to learn so much more about that animal because they are actually in a home and not a kennel,” he said.

About 31 dogs and 56 are in foster homes.

The photos and details of the foster animals are at the pet center and available online. Arrangements are made to bring the foster animal to the shelter to meet a perspective adopter.

The pet center averages about 60 adoptions per month.

Hopefully it’s a balance, Weinkauf explained of the number of animals also coming to the cebter.

Last year there were 686 adoptions, which was down from 2022.

Still, for the area, “that’s pretty good,” he said.

For someone wanting to a adopt, the first step is to come in to see who they bond with and who makes a good match.

Next, the center will check to see if there are other animals already in the home.

For example, if a resident wants to adopt a dog and they already have two other canines, they must bring those dogs there to see how they mingle with the perspective adoptee.

“Because we aren’t sending a dog into a strange environment” with other dogs, he said. Plus, the shelter dog could be the one to cause trouble.

Staff members of the shelter will look over the memos on the animals to see if anything else jumps out. If a dog was brought it because it was chasing chickens, the shelter wants to make sure the person looking to made the adoption doesn’t keep chickens on the property.

“There’s a lot more to it than people think,” he said of the process.

They also try to do off-site adoption events.

One of the 14 staff members is at the pet center seven days a week.

Weinkauf worked on Christmas.

At home, he has two dogs.

Interestingly, he’s allergic to felines.

“There are several people who work here who are allergic to cats,” he said.

“I just have a desire to serve,” he said when asked what lead him to the job.

Previously he worked at Hargrave Military Academy. Before that he was in the Marine Corps.

“Helping people is always a great thing,” he said. “I love helping animals because they appreciate every single thing you do for them.”

Currently there’s only one consistent volunteer, but they could always use more.

For people who want to aid, but don’t have the time, financial donations are one way to make an impact.

“Our biggest need is always going to be our emergency medical fund,” he said. “You never know when you are going to get that call at 8 o’clock at night and now it has to go to the vet.”

There are no line items in the budget for emergencies, which is there biggest financial need.

That’s where 100% of monetary donations go unless someone specifies something else.

Otherwise, donations of dog or cat food helps.

Last year they gave out more than 100,000 pounds donated

“People come every single day” to donate, he said.

Anyone can come in to take the food for animals. He said they’d rather provide the free food then see an animal end up at the shelter because someone can’t afford it.

Also, things like blankets, towels, wash cloths, bleach and laundry detergent is needed.

They do about 20 loads of laundry there a day.

There’s an after-hours box for donations, but since someone is always there seven days a week, they can accommodate anyone who wants to give.

“People need to vaccinate their animals,” the director stressed to the public.

That includes rabies and initial shots for puppies.

Parvo — a contagious virus that mainly impacts dogs — is problematic and deadly.

Once it breaks it “spreads like wildfire,” he said.

“You really need to keep your animals up to date on vaccines,” he continued. “And microchip them.”

A microchip is a tiny glass cylinder implanted under a pet’s skin. If the animal runs away, anyone who finds it can have it scanned to get details about the owner.

Spaying or neutering animals is equally as critical.

They offer a voucher for the process that takes $75 off the cost for dogs and $50 for cats.

“It’s a pretty good deal,” he said.

Doing the math, they’ve given out about 2,000 vouchers equating to 18,000 animals that weren’t born here.

“It always blows my mind,” he said. “If we weren’t doing that, how many more animals would be here.”

It’s never the same day at the shelter, another reason Weinkauf likes the job.

But there are ups and downs.

“I’d say more highs than the lows,” he explained.

Overall, Weinkauf maintains a simple goal: to be the best animal shelter. Period.

“Save as many animals as we can,” he said. “Adopt out as many animals as we can.”