The Animal Shelter opened in 1975 and is administered by the Prince William County Police Department. It houses abandoned, homeless, lost or stray animals -- mostly cats and dogs. The Shelter is a public, open-admission shelter that takes in any animal in need in Prince William County, including animals that are too aggressive, injured or sick to be rehabilitated or treated for adoption. The Shelter receives and cares for between 3,000 and 4,000 animals each year! The goal of the Animal Shelter is to provide for the basic needs of animals in our care until they are reclaimed by owners, placed in new homes, or placed with another organization for adoption. The Shelter administers temperament tests to cats and dogs before they are put up for adoption to determine the adoptability. If their test results are positive, the Shelter staff determines the appropriate environment for the animal. Shelter staff believes that every animal's life is worth trying to save. However, with aggressive and/or unhealthy or injured animals, sometimes the most humane decision is euthanasia. The Shelter does not euthanize animals for space, or after a set period of time. To reduce the burden on the Shelter's limited resources, the Shelter works with the community to control the pet population, promote pet adoption, and improve the behavior and health of Shelter animals to make as many as is reasonably possible eligible for adoption.
The Prince William County Animal Control Bureau adopts out a wide variety of animals, including dogs, cats, small domestic animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, etc.), reptiles (snakes, lizards, etc.), birds, livestock and poultry. All adoptions are completed on a first-come, first-serve basis. A contract is completed at the time of adoption and adoption fees are collected. Sterilization of all dogs and cats adopted is required in Article 1, Section 3.2-6575 of the Code of Virginia. All spay or neuter procedures are scheduled and completed by one of the Animal Control Bureau's contracted veterinarian hospitals. The cost of the procedure is incurred by the adopter and the surgery performed prior to the dog or cat being taken home. If there is a medical reason that the surgery cannot be performed immediately, the dog or cat may only be adopted by a resident of Prince William County or an adjoining jurisdiction (Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Stafford County, Fauquier County, Manassas City or Manassas Park).