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

It's no joke...we are filling up fast! And the sad part is that all of our really great adult dogs and cats aren't getting much attention once people see the puppies and kittens. We know the "young 'uns" need homes too, but they remind us that if more animals were spay/neutered, we would see less animals at our shelter, and the grown animals would have a better chance of getting a home. If you or someone you know wants to do the right thing and help stop the supply of animals needing a home, but cannot afford the cost of the surgery, please read about low-cost spay/neuter services here in Hampton Roads.

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"!

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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