Please note that this site is maintained by volunteers. For the official Norfolk Animal Care Center website, please visit www.norfolk.gov/animals.

Please remind friends and family about the dangers of pets in cars during warm weather! A closed car acts like a greenhouse. Even in the shade, a car interior heats up rapidly and your pet could be in trouble in just minutes. Every year countless dogs die in cars while their guardians run a "quick errand." Please remind friends it is best to leave their pets at home this summer. If you spot a dog or cat inside a locked car, call for help immediately, as even minutes can mean disaster. Dogs can’t perspire to cool themselves off, and instead they have to pant. If the air that they are taking in is too hot (as it is in a parked car in hot weather), then panting has little cooling effect and the dog quickly overheats.

Some tips from Best Friends include:

Never let your dog ride in an open pickup truck, which is always dangerous, but even more so in hot weather since truck beds are often dark colors, which get very hot. Please leave your pets at home during hot weather.

Over-exposure to heat causes many of the same symptoms as shock. You will see rapid, shallow breathing, weakness, and a very high body temperature. Cool the animal as quickly as possible by spraying him with cool (not cold) water or wrapping him in cool, moist towels. Because of the many problems caused by an elevated body temperature, seek professional help immediately.

If you walk your dog on lead, keep in mind that asphalt can get very hot during the summer. In fact, it can get hot enough to burn a dog’s pads, causing him pain for days. Before taking your dog for a walk, check the ground for hotness with one of your own hands or bare feet. If you can’t keep your hand (or foot) on the ground for more than three seconds, it’s probably too hot to walk your dog. Also, if you have an older dog or an overweight dog, you might want to do only short walks early in the morning or later in the evening, when the temperatures are lower.

Providing water for your dog is always important, but it’s especially critical during hot weather. If your dog is inside during the day, make sure you supply fresh, cool water that remains in a shaded spot throughout the day, since sun coming through a window can heat a bowl of water.

If your dog stays outside during the day, make sure his water bowl isn’t in a place where he will tip it over. Water bowls can be tipped over by dogs trying to make a cool spot to lay down. If necessary, buy a tip-proof water bowl. Also, make sure he has a shady place where he can get relief from the sun. Kiddie pools are a nice way to give dogs their own clean puddle in which to play.

Grooming all dogs, even dogs with short coats, helps to keep them comfortable as the seasons change. A natural coat that has been groomed offers protection from sunburn and acts as cooling insulation. Shaving your dog’s coat will take away that protection. If you give your dog a close cut for summer, she may need sunscreen.

Hours and Location

Norfolk Animal Management Center (NAMC) is located near the Janaf shopping district, and is easily accessible from Military Highway (turn at the Ruby Tuesday at Lowery Road) or Virginia Beach Blvd (turn at the Salvation Army building at Raby Road). Show me!

Shelter hours are as follows:
Monday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
Tuesday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
Wednesday - Closed
Thursday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
Saturday - 8:30am - 4:30pm
Sunday - 12:00pm - 4:30pm

Please note that with the exception of checking for a lost animal, animals may not be viewed until 11:00am (or noon on Sunday) so that our staff has time to clean the kennel areas.

About NACC

Norfolk Animal Care Center (NACC) is the City of Norfolk’s municipal animal control facility and is responsible for the care of stray, unwanted, sick, injured, and abandoned animals within the City. The shelter’s animal caretakers and volunteers are committed to adopting these animals into new permanent homes and to ending unnecessary euthanasia by ensuring that all animals are sterilized before adoption.

We need you to help stop pet overpopulation in our city! Please consider visiting the wonderful animals in our shelter before buying from a pet store or a breeder. So many great animals are in need of a second chance!

Adoption Criteria

The following documents are needed to adopt an animal:

• proof of current residence (driver's license or utility bill)
• if you rent, rental agreement showing clause allowing pets and proof that pet deposit has been paid
• if you already have dogs or cats, proof of current Rabies vaccination for each of them
• Norfolk residents must also provide proof that their pets have a current City license

Adopting Your New Best Friend

If you are looking to add a four-legged friend to your family, here are a few things to help you understand the shelter’s policies:

Animal Availability. Animals surrendered by their owner are available for adoption the day they arrive at the shelter. Stray animals found with no collar are held for 5 days before they may be adopted; stray animals found with a collar are held for 10 days before they may be adopted. During the hold period, up to three choices can be placed on the animal for adoption. On the day the animal becomes available, the adoption paperwork can be finalized. Please note that NAMC cannot put holds on animals and adoptions and choices can only be done by visiting the shelter in person.

Learning About the Animals. Most of what is known about each animal can be found on the clipboard attached to the cage. Every animal has a cage card, which displays an 8-digit code that is unique to that animal and must be referenced when inquiring about the animal, placing your name as a choice and for adopting. The cage card will also include whether the animal was surrendered by owner (RBO), found as a stray, or perhaps seized from the owner. The animal’s sex, age, breed, weight and neuter status are also listed on the card. Unless the animal was an owner-surrender, age and breed are unknown and can only be estimated by the staff. Some owner-surrendered animals also have an information sheet that was filled out by the owner. This includes whether housebroken, good with cats, other dogs or kids, why the animal was surrendered, and some information on their former care and living conditions.

Viewing the Animals. When visiting the animals, please do not put your fingers inside the cages! A nervous animal may be startled, and react by snapping or scratching and if the animal you touch is sick, and you then touch another animal, you have most likely spread the disease to the second animal. The best way to know if an animal is right for you is to spend some time with him/her...please don't judge them by how they seem in their cage. You may not take animals out yourself, but a staff member or volunteer will assist you. Remember that you cannot know an animal's personality until you have interacted with him/her. Since they do not get out of their cage very often, give them a few minutes to sniff out their new environment.

Health of Shelter Animals. The shelter environment can be very stressful for the animals who reside there. Additionally, some of the animals may not have received high quality care before coming to the shelter. At this time, NAMC does not have an on-site veterinarian. Animals needing medical attention are sent to local veterinarians for care, but most animals will not have been seen by a veterinarian until they are adopted.

Adoption Fees

The adoption fee is $75 for all cats/kittens and dogs/puppies, and includes the spay/neuter surgery, heartworm test (dogs), FIV/Leukemia test (cats), primary vaccinations, and a microchip.

NAMC accepts cash, Visa, Mastercard, cashier's checks, and money orders.

Small Animals

Volunteer

We have an on-going need for help with walking dogs, cuddling cats, assisting the public in meeting the animals, and promotion of the shelter. If you would like to help us, please complete our volunteer application, and bring it to our shelter. You will be contacted about an upcoming volunteer orientation (held roughly every four weeks), and upon your attendance of one (lasts about one hour), you will be ready to help the animals! Volunteer hours are the same as viewing hours for the animals (Monday 11a-4p, Tuesday 11a-6p, Thursday 11a-6p, Friday 11a-4p, Saturday 11a-4p, Sunday 12p-3p).

Donate

• durable dog toys (tennis balls, tug ropes, frisbees, Kong toys)
• cat toys (jingle balls, catnip toys, feather dancers)
• grooming tools (brushes, scissors, flea combs, matting rakes)
• towels and blankets, soft washable pillows
• dog and cat treats
• as an extra special treat, our dogs would be most appreciative of the donation of a . The beds provide extra comfort for the dogs during their stay with us. Because of their rugged design, they have an extremely long period of use, so this type of gift benefits a countless number of dogs. If you would like to donate a bed for one of our dogs at Kuranda's special donation price, please click here.

Happy Endings

We love hearing about the "happily ever afters" of animals you adopt from our shelter, and can never see too many "brag photos", so please take a moment to let us know how things are going! Recent happy endings are posted below, and our older updates are archived. Want to add yours? Please e-mail Karen with your animal's name at our shelter, along with his/her photo, new name, and anything else you'd like to share with us. Your updates are "testimonials" to the fantastic animals waiting in shelters for a chance to prove all they have to offer, and may very well encourage others to save a life by choosing the "adoption option"!

TORY

Hi Everyone! I wanted to let you all know that I am very happy and healthy in my new home in Chesapeake. I arrived here on July 11, after receiving a lot of tender loving care at your facility in Norfolk. My new pet parents are spoiling me rotten! I have completed healing from my spaying and have had great medical care from my veterinarian at the Chesapeake Animal Medical Clinic. I will always remember fondly the wonderful love and care you provided me, and your efforts in helping me find my new home. Lots of Love! Tory

POINDEXTER (now HANK)

My name is Brittany and my husband and I rescued a dog from the Norfolk Animal Care Center on July 24th. It has only been a week but he is doing great. His name there was Poindexter but we renamed him Hank do to how much my husband loves Hank Williams Jr. He is the most loving dog. He loves attention and actually puts up with my one year old son who is always bothering him and watching him eat. He is the best dog that I have ever come across. He is completely potty trained, loves to cuddle and loves eating his food. I just wanted to send a few pictures of him and how happy he is. Thank you so much for helping us find our new addition to our family! Brittany

KOBE

Hello to the wonderful people at the Norfolk Animal Care Center! We adopted Kobe on July 1st, and he has already become a permanent member of our family by capturing the hearts of all of us...and our beds! He is so wonderful with my 5- and 6-year old, which was my main concern. He is already housebroken, and behaves very well for a puppy of his age and size. He is silly, and throws little tantrums when he doesn't get his way, but he is wonderful! He brings our shoes to the door to go on walks, and has made tremendous progress with the leash--almost a pro now! We enrolled him in a doggy daycare and college for some training and social time, and he already has a few "girlfriends" who follow him around--but who can blame them? He's so handsome. He is amazing! Thanks so much for choosing us as his new family! I am attaching some photos, and will keep you updated, and may even stop in for a visit one day! Take care, Josh, Jessica, Joseph and Jenna and Kobe Sisson

ROMA, MUFFY, and CHLOE

We recently adopted three adult cats for NAC, and we can't begin to describe how wonderful these cats are!! We adopted Roma, Muffy and Chloe, and they WONDERFUL animals with a lot of love to give!! They have fit into our family beautifully (they even like the dog!) and have given us a lot of love and joy in the few short weeks we have had them!. It seems as though many people overlook adult cats and dogs when adopting, and they are missing SO MUCH! Not only are adult pets loving and very appreciative of having a safe, caring home, but are calm, gentle and usually adapt easily to the family environment. I know many of the pets you receive as "strays" were truly someone's pet, and through no fault of their own found themselves at the shelter. I can only hope through education and spay/neutering programs, we will see less unwanted pets at shelters. You have my kudos - you are shelter that truly cares about the well-being of animals and is dedicated to providing unwanted pets to with a new beginning.

Many thanks again,
Kim VonMosch

HERCULES (now QUEST)

I just wanted to share some info on Quest (the shelter had him named Hercules). My boyfriend Erik and I got him from you on March 13th. It hasn't even been three months yet and I can't imagine not having him in my life every day! I recently went to California for a week and actually missed him the second I landed. He is very smart, but a little stubborn. He knows all his commands (sit, down, stay, come, leave it/take it, drop it) and even several tricks (roll over, high five, shake), but he doesn't always want to do them! He loves to hang out in the yard in the afternoon to greet all the school kids. Even the bus driver brings him a treat daily! He has a girlfriend down the street, a golden lab, who he plays with on a regular basis. They wrestle in the mud, take walks, and eventually nap together. Quest is getting better about taking a "shower" and that is good, since he has tripled in weight since we got him! 36 lbs so far and about 5 months old according to the vet. He hasn't had an indoor accident in over a month, so we are starting to give him more freedom to explore different rooms of the house. He is still chewing like crazy. No piece of paper is safe, but he does leave our shoes alone. Quest is amazing with children. He doesn't jump on them or nibble them. He usually sits without being told so they can pet him and doesn't lose his cool even with a whole playground of kids. Quest LOVES animals and thinks every dog he meets is ready to play. He likes to sprint when he gets on his leash, but the vet said he shouldn't run far until he's older to he developes properly. His favorite treat is peanut butter, and he will do EVERY trick in his book to get it. Quest loves to be in the same room as everyone, and when we're alone he follows me everywhere. He has gotten to know our friends pretty well and will lay with them on the couch like he does with us. I think he likes women best as he is much sweeter with me and my friend Jessica. His eyes look so deep in real life (pictures don't show it well) and you can't help but get in a staring contest with him. I am so glad the shelter chose us as his family. We love coming home to him every day! The pictures: The brunette is me (Rebecca) The guy holding him is our best friend Rich. The dirty blonde that Quest is trying to share his ball with is Jessica. Thanks for giving us Quest! Rebecca Smith

VERA (now ISLA)

Hello! I adopted Vera (now Isla) about three months ago as a gift for my husband's 25th birthday. Although it turns out she was more a gift for me, she has been a wonderful addition to the Barbosa family. She has given new life to our five year old tabby. They play together all the time. Isla is usually sitting on the couch waiting for me to get home. It is so great to have her in our home as the welcome home committee. She is so sweet!! She has gotten so use to me picking her up and hugging her when I get home, that she has learned to "hug back." I am so glad to have her in our family. Tabitha B.

MINUET (now SHAMROCK/SHAMMIE)

(Update 1) Thank you for taking such wonderful care of 'our' new baby. She is adjusting great. She is really enjoying having a yard to run in, sisters to play with, and toys to squeak (she has really enjoyed experimenting with the sqeakers and figuring out just how each one works!). She is also really enjoying chewing her bones and lounging in her multiple beds. (Update 2) Life is good! Shamrock is doing really well. She is really learning a lot about her new surroundings and is much more gentle each day. She loves "patrolling" the back yard, chasing the birds and squirrels, and trying to keep up with Heather. She really follows Heather around a lot and Heather is allowing her to more and more. We're still working on teaching her not to jump up and she has decided lately that it is fun to swim in the backyard pond. We'll have to break her of that sport, too--each day is a new adventure. She really takes a lot of joy in life. She wags her whole body. Again, many thanks, Chris, Nancy, Thistle, Heather, and Shammie

HARMONY (now ALLEE)

I just wanted to give you an update on Harmony who we now call Allee. I've said since college that my two goals in life were to buy a house and get a dog. This year I accomplished both those goals when I bought a townhouse in Chesapeake and adopted Allee from Norfolk Animal Care Center. When I first saw Allee (Harmony back then), I didn't want to get my hopes up because I couldn't imagine her owners wouldn't come back for a beautiful pure bred golden retriever. I think it was the longest 10 days of my life, but finally on April 11th, I took her home. Allee made herself right at home by jumping up on the couch and taking a nap. My brother (who lives with me) and I also discovered how much she loves tennis balls and her squeaky babies. That weekend she met the whole family, including my parents' dogs - Cooper and Ginger. Everyone got along great! When it got warm enough, we brought her down to the lake behind my house to see if she could swim. At first she wasn't very good, but now she is an Olympic swimmer! She also loves going for rides on the paddle boat. Right now she is laying on her gigantic bed taking a nap with her raccoon baby in her mouth. Thank you guys so much! Everyone at the center was so friendly and helpful. I tell everyone I know who is looking for a dog to go to Norfolk Animal Care Center. The center is so nice and you can tell the staff and volunteers really want to see the animals get adopted. Thanks again! Courtney Rheinhart

ROXIE

Hello, Wanted to give and Update on Roxie! I adopted her May 15th. She is a great family member to have around! We love her to death and are so glad we decided to adopt! WE hope others learn from us when they see us out and about to Live. Love. Adopt. And special thanks to all of you at the Norfolk Animal Care Center, All of you had great personalities and always willing to help! Thank You So Much, The Walkers

PRALINE (now PRINCESS PRALINE)

Hi there. Just wanted to give you an update on Praline. Ricardo and I adopted her before Easter and couldn't be happier. She was a perfect addition to our family. She quickly adjusted once she realized she was here for good and this was her new home. She was initially scared of car rides but now she loves them! We have found her to be great with kids. She is filled with energy and is such a sweetheart. We decided to change her name from Praline to Princess Praline Princess for short). She is so affectionate, loving and VERY spoiled. She is a big baby! She loves to run around and play fetch in our fenced in back yard and does not leave my side. She also loves baths. She is very trusting of me and allows me to do whatever I need to do (whether it be cleaning her eyes, ears, brushing her teeth or taking a boneaway from her because she took it from Pugsly (our pug). Lastly, I just want to say that I really hope people do not just adopt pets based on their age or breed. Animals are never too old to be trained with a little patience and their personalities are defined by the love we give them going forward. We believe pets are a result of our love and how we raise them. I don't know what kind of life she had before us but it broke my heart to see that every weekend when we visited that shelter for months, we saw her literally become what seemed more depressed as the weeks went on and often times I left in tears. I had tried to convince Ricardo for months to give her a chance but he was concerned with her age and breed. She has definitely proven that stereotype wrong and we could not be happier. She is absolutely perfect! I truly hope more people can find it in their hearts to give these animals, regardless of their age, a second chance, after all, it's not their fault. Thank you again, Erica

HUXLEY (now LEO)

Hi! My Mom (Linda Maxwell) suggested I send some pictures of Leo to you. I can't express how much we adore him. He is a wonderful dog- so gentle and sweet. Someone missed out on a wonderful pet- but I believe God held him for us! He is spoiled- he has a tempur-pedic dog bed right next to our bed that he loves. He gets daily walks and long runs with mom a few times a week. He loves to go to the dog park to be chased- he is so funny to watch! Thank you for allowing Leo to be a member of our family! Leo Loves kids, there are two pictures of him with our friend's daughter, Kylie. Jeremy (my husband) is also in the picture with Leo and Kylie :) Molly

GRYPHON

We adopted Gryphon in March of 2001. I was pregnant with my first child and Our older dog was, sadly not going to live much longer. We wanted a dog, but I did not want a puppy and a newborn, so we got Gryphon while I was pregnant. He was a wonderful puppy and once my son was born he was a wonderful friend. He was almost a year old when we brought our baby home. We kept finding chew toys and bones in the baby's bassinet. Everytime he cried, Gryphon would bring him a toy. I had two more boys (twins) a few years later. Gryphon is their constant companion and we could not ask for a better dog. He slept in their room, between the two cribs when we moved into our new house. He loves all children and othe dogs. We look forward to adding a new dog to our family very soon. Melissa Rolaf March 29 update: Hi, I sent you an update on our dog Gryphon a few weeks ago. We came in right after and choose Mack. My Oldest son had his heart set on a puppy, but once he and Mack saw each other it was love at first sight. Mack is 5 months old and one of the staff warned us that he was "high energy". Well, I have 2 year old twins- Mack has nothing on them. They wear him out every day. He and Gryphon get along great. Mack is very happy playing with the three boys out in our backyard all day, and sleeping in my 5 year old's rom every night. We have had no trouble with him. He is a super smart dog and has absolutely no behavior problems. Here are some pics.

MOLLY

We adopted our second cat from the Animal Care Center, Mystic, in December 2007 (she joins Molly, who is listed in your update). I hope that you can somehow pass on the message to the young couple who I understand brought her in (she was a stray) to thank them for what they did and tell them how grateful we are that we have been able to adopt her -- Mystic is truly a wonderful cat, playful, full of mischief and affection. She has adapted well in her new home and we couldn't imagine life without her now!! Please assure the couple that she is very much loved. Sara Sneddon

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