For animal lovers, finding homes for homeless pets is always a Priority.
Puppies and kittens don’t stay in animal shelters very long. They’re cute, cuddly and easily adopted. Adult pets have a much harder time finding homes. They can sit weeks or months in the shelter waiting for someone to love. But everytime it happens, it brings tears to Kate Baldwin’s eyes. “The longer that they’re here it tugs on the heartstrings,” says the outreach director at the Virginia Beach SPCA. “And so the days when they’re adopted is really special. Staff goes to the front and they announce it over the loudspeaker and we all come down an applaud and most of us cry. Watching that happen is a special thing.” In recent years, Priority Automotive has worked to make those special moments occur more often. Every Christmas, Priority covers half the adoption fees to make it easier for people to adopt pets during the holidays.
The Cause
Priority Automotive believes that every pet deserves a great life. Yet every year, thousands of pets find themselves cooped up in local animal shelters for reasons too long to list. For these non-profit shelters in our area, it’s a huge challenge just to pay staff and keep the lights on, let alone buy food, provide veterinary care, and coordinate an army of dedicated volunteers. When it comes to animal welfare there’s always a need, and there’s always a way to help. Priority Automotive does just that, and encourages you to do the same.
How Priority Helps
Each holiday season, Priority donates $40,000 to four area shelters. The money is used to pay half of the fees for individuals and families who want to adopt adult pets during the holidays. Last year, the effort helped shelters in Chesapeake, Newport News, Norfolk and Virginia Beach find homes for more than 400 animals in less than two weeks. In Newport News alone, the 105 animals adopted were the highest number of adoptions recorded at the Peninsula SPCA during any month in 2018.