Alternatives to Surrendering: 

• Pet Food Assistance - SVASC offers a pet food assistance program. We are able to provide dog and cat food, as well as litter, and occasionally other necessities to families in need. If you or someone that you know is struggling, we encourage you to visit SVASC during open hours for assistance.
• Community Cats- For feral and/or community cats, please reach out to Cat's Cradle at (540) 433-1135; while Cat's Cradle is based out of Harrisonburg, VA they frequently help with spay/neuter needs for animals within Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County.
• Medical Assistance - SVASC is proud to be partnered with Friends of Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center (FoSVASC) to provide low-cost medical care for animals in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. We encourage you to reach out to them at (540) 241-4485
  Please additionally reach out to Animal Care Assistance Program (ACAP) and The Mosby Foundation for additional assistance.
• Behavioral Assistance - Adopt-A-Pet has some great resources for common behavioral concerns; view their resources here.
  SVASC is happy to work with local trainers Southern HosPETality and Positive Paws K-9 Angels for training.
  Please reach out to SVASC at (540) 943-5142 or email us at svasc@co.augusta.va.us for further assistance addressing behavioral concerns.

Rehoming Your Pet: 

Before considering rehoming your pet, please ensure that they are spayed/neutered and up to date on their vaccinations, so that new adopters are not hit with vet-related fees.
Be sure that you have bright, well-lit photos of your pet that can be used. Here are some tips on how to get good pet pictures.

• Contact Local Rescues - SVASC is proud to be partnered with several local rescues, such as AugustaDog Adoptions, Dogs Deserve Better Blue Ridge, The Augusta Regional SPCA, and Cat's Cradle. We encourage all individuals looking into surrendering their pet(s) to reach out to our local rescue partners for assistance before surrendering, as they may be able to provide assistance or have different resources/recommendations available.
• Private Rehoming - SVASC encourages all pet owners to look into private rehoming before surrendering to the shelter.
  - Be sure to ask your friends and family, as well as having them ask their friends and family.
  - Try posting on pet-specific rehoming platforms, such as How I Met My Dog and Adopt-A-Pet
  - Carefully utilize social media, such as Facebook rehoming groups; we recommend checking out Woof + Purr Rehoming Network on Facebook as a starting point, as well as groups like Augusta County Pets and Mutual Aid Infrastructure - Staunton, Augusta and Waynesboro
  - Carefully utilize websites like Craigslist and Hoobly for local rehoming. We encourage owners to ask questions, ask for the vet, landlord, and personal references, as well as meet any potential adopters in person.
• SVASC Courtesy Post Program - SVASC is happy to help you find your pet a new home through our courtesy posting program. Through this program, we are able to list your pet on our website and on our Facebook, as well as on adoptable pet websites like Petfinder and Rescue Me.
  If you are interested in our Courtesy Post Program, please email us at svasc@co.augusta.va.us with pictures and relevant information.
  Please submit a dog questionnaire and/or cat questionnaire and one of our team members will be in touch with resources or any questions that we may have so that we can best help you place your animal.

Surrendering Your Pet to SVASC:

SVASC is an open intake, municipal facility; surrendering to our shelter should be used as a last resort. In the event that the above options do not work out, SVASC can take your animal in. While our team does try our absolute best, please remember that SVASC is NOT a no-kill facility and so we cannot guarantee the outcome of every animal.
We are only able to accept animals from Staunton, Waynesboro, and/or Augusta County. You must be 18 years or older in order to surrender an animal to our facility.
If you would like to surrender your pet, please call SVASC at (540) 943-5142 to make a surrender appointment; you MUST have an appointment to surrender your animal.

Please note that SVASC does have set surrender fees, as follows:

Adult Cat(s) over 6 months - $10/per animal
Kitten(s) under 6 months - $15/per liter
Mother Cat with Kittens - $20/per cat and litter
Adult Dog or Single Puppy - $15/per animal
Litter of Puppies or Mother with Puppies - $20/per litter
Small Animal (Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Ferret, Chicken, etc.) - $10/per animal
Small Animal (Rat, Hamster, Mouse, etc.) - $10/per group

At your surrender appointment, please bring your surrender fee, which will need to be cash or check only, your photo ID (a driver's license, passport, etc. works well), as well as any paperwork that you may have for your pet (purchase information, vet history, etc.).

Please complete a surrender profile before your appointment, so that SVASC can get a better idea of what kind of home your pet will need. If needed, SVASC also offers paper surrender questionnaires, which can be filled out during your surrender.

Dog Surrender Questionnaire

Cat Surrender Questionnaire

For more information on our surrender process, please call SVASC at (540) 943-5142 or email us at svasc@co.augusta.va.us.