Louisa County Animal Shelter at critical capacity, offering free adoptions

LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The Louisa County Animal Shelter is at a "critically full capacity" as of Tuesday, with leadership now offering free adoptions to try and make more space.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, Feb. 25, Louisa officials announced that the county shelter is at critical capacity and can no longer take in new strays.

Faced with these challenging circumstances, leadership is asking that anyone who can foster, adopt or retrieve lost animals do so.

If you are able to foster, you can look into opportunities to do so here. Foster periods are flexible -- you can take an animal for just a week, a month or even longer. Foster to Adopt options are also available to those interested.

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If you would like to adopt, all adoptions are currently free as of the time of reporting. You can browse adoptable animals online or visit the shelter in-person during adoption hours, which are from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. The shelter is located at 18 Sacred Heart Ave. in the Mineral area.

According to officials, the shelter prioritizes reuniting lost animals with their owners. If your animal is lost, visit this webpage to browse the strays currently being housed at the county shelter. If you see your pet, contact the shelter at 540-894-4219 to arrange to be reunited.

If you find a lost animal, officials ask that you not immediately bring them to the county shelter if possible.

"In the past, it was standard practice for lost pets to be brought into the Shelter," officials said. "However, it is now known animals have a much better chance of getting back home if some actions are taken in the neighborhoods where they're found, before they are brought to a shelter."

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The county added that the national success rate for reuniting pets with their owners is 70% if the pet never leaves the neighborhood they were found in. That rate drops to 17% if they are taken to a shelter.

Should you find a lost animal, county officials ask that you keep them in a safe place in the neighborhood where you found them if you're able to do so. You can report that lost animal here.

Finally, if you are looking to surrender your animal, county officials encourage you to rehome them, instead. There are multiple sites that can help you with this process, including Rehome.adoptapet.com, Getyourpet.com, Rehomeyourpets.com and Home-Home.org.